This is totally off-topic, but… My main computer (work and home — it goes everywhere with me) is a MacBook Pro. Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the trackpad button has been sticking, like it has something stuck underneath it. Cleaning crap out of the keyboard is easy enough – just run the Shop-Vac over it and everything gets sucked out. But the trackpad button? That’s an entirely different story.
The problem in this case appears to be that the opening between the trackpad and the button (see crappy cell phone picture, below) is big enough for small, foreign objects to enter.
The solution? It’s surprisingly simple. Just insert the corner of a piece of paper into that gap and slide it back and forth to dislodge whatever’s causing the problems (again, see the crappy cell phone pic, below).
That’s it. Assuming that the foreign object is “dis-lodgeable, ” your problems should be solved and your trackpad button should work like new.
I cannot believe it but it appeared to solve my problem! THANK YOU!
DIDNT WORK!! Just made the problem worse! the paper wouldn\\\’t go in, then it did go in then the paper got stuck and ripped now is stuck underneath. help?!
Didn’t think it would work for my macbook because of the small space but it worked like a charm !! Thank you so much!
Jammed trackpad button on Macbook 2 (early 2009. Paper won’t go in. Metal strip won’t go in. After reading the great posts here (thenks, Stone,)partner took out battery and slipped his harmonica reed tuning fork (very thin metal strip) along both sides from the back. Brilliant! Thanks all.
Alex you solved my problem – took battery out with power cord in and it worked!!!!! Sooooo
My trackpad/mouse click problem problem was a SWOLLEN BATTERY in my Mac Book Pro!
Alwx wrote, “Take out the battery with your power source plugged in and see if your trackpad problem is solved IMMEDATELY.
Then look at the battery carefully and apply a ruler to it or put it on a flat surface. mine has a visible bulge that is messing up the trackpad.”
AND indeed it worked…. Now with 2007 machine I will still Be doing great in 2013!!!
The simplicity of this solution is genius. Thank you – it worked!!
Thank you! This post just helped me fix my trackpad. I was trying to find what would be thin enough to fit in the space to clean it out, and figured paper would be too flimsy, but it worked!
WOW, I wouldn’t believe it and my boyfriend made fun of me, but it worked! A boarding pass did the job. So happy!!!! Thanks!
You fixed an Apple computer using nothing but a piece of paper. Does that make you Mac-Gyver?
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!
Omg thank you someone killed it and the paper thing worked:3
seems to work, thanks a lot.
Thank you so much! You saved my sanity:)))
Worked like a charm, same me the hassle of going to a repair shop and the cost ( $120) of repairing the trackpad!
I had to try a couple of different papers, the trick is thin but firm paper and a gentle motion to get the gunk out.
Easy n great fix! Thank u!! However, there was too much sticky gunk around my trackpad that a regular sheet of paper was too flimsy and weak to make an impact. Tried greeting card paper next but that was too thick and leaving behind paper pulp. The winning tool for me was the clear plastic lid that covered my stationery box. I just cut a 2 inch piece out, in the shape of an exacto-knife. It worked TOO perfectly that I ended up detailing the rest of my macbook AND my iPhone. The plastic was thin as an eyelash but rigid enough to apply pressure to and flexible enough to manipulate around corners and even under the trackpad button.
BE CAREFUL. The tip of the paper tore off and got jammed under the trackpad further messing things up. I had to take it to the Apple store and hallelujah, I was under warranty still anyway.
Beware the paper trick!
I had my doubts but it actually worked beautifully!!
Nice JOB!
Thanks for the idea
from MacRumors: “I shut off Bluetooth, and the problem IMMEDIATELY went away.”
Yep. Only thing that worked for me. I can actually live with that.
Just tried the removing battery trick – worked like a charm! Thanks!
Yes indeed! I found your site after being increasingly frustrated with the track pad sticking and clicking and just not working well at all. I cleaned it in the way you suggested; took out the battery with the power on, just as you suggested as well.
The battery was swollen and dirty. I’m now recharging with an old battery to see if that will work for a while — but will go and buy a new battery asap.
The whole exercise took 15 minutes — thank you!!
omg i cant believe this actually worked there was just grime keeping mine stuck down. thank you 😀
I seriously can’t believed this worked. This has been pissing me off for weeks, and all I had to do was stick a piece of paper in there ?!?
Stupidly Easy Fix. 🙂 The MacBook I was working on was double-clicking instead of single-clicking.
I think you just saved me from a divorce. Quite serious.
another satisfied customer – terrific tip! Thank you!
lol thanks for the tip. Was panicking a little cause I spilled soda on it yesterday and wasn’t sure if that’s what causing my trackpad’s click to sound muffled. (Macbook Air 13″ late 2010)
My left click was not working due to a little moisture (MacBook 13″ 2010). I ran a business card through the gap, and the left click seems to be back! Thank you!
it is the first day i use my mac, and the touchpad, I mean the plexi film is broken.
of course, it works still, but i wonder how long. can this plexi part be replaced or do i have to change more than this?
I have been having the same issue. Started with clicking noise and now not working at all. I am so excited to go home and try this and pray that I have the same luck you guys did.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! No more loud clicky, sticky trackpad button! The paper trick worked perfectly!
THANKS so much for posting this! While using the method, I got some ideas, and IMPROVED your method a bit.
Instead of using only the corner of a piece of paper, I used strips. ALSO, I love those lint rolls to remove hair from your clothing, and thought that would have been perfect here too. So I used strips of POST-IT notes. On my trackpad, I could fit two sheets of Post-it on top of each other (a bit stiffer and more effective than only one). I cut approx 3/8″ strips of it and used that, and as I moved it back and forth, the gunk stuck to it. As it got worn, I just cut a bit off, until the strip of glue was used up, then moved on to a new strip. It really works GREAT!!! My trackpad hasn’t made clicking noises for months, and now it was STUCK and kept selecting everything on my screen, drove me crazy. Had to do something, so while searching, I found this post of yours!
I’m so happy, now the problem is solved forever! This has been a problem for me in the past also, as I have psoriasis, and my skin just keeps flaking. All those small flakes find their way into the keyboard and pointing devices. But nothing as bad as this trackpad now (and nothing as difficult to solve)! For the keyboard, I use this little kit that connects to my ordinary house vacuum cleaner which is of the canister type, not the upright type that is so common in the US (the kit that connects to the vacuum’s hose has different tips, brushes etc., I found mine on eBay, but you can find them in electronics stores etc. too). Such a kit would work great with the central vacuums which have outlets along the walls of the house too, as those have the same type of hose, I guess. I use the kit also to clean my sewing machine and overlocker – it really is a great little kit (could also be used in the car, for the fan outlets and such tight spaces) and only cost a few dollars. Think mine was around $10-15 on eBay. Nice not having to depend on having cans of air to blow such stuff with. Besides, I once experienced at work how flammable the stuff is, I was helping a coworker clean her keyboard, but did not notice that she had a little candle burning at the side of her computer (who burns candles at the office?). Well, we had a BIG KA-BOOM, with flames going almost to the ceiling and her cute table cloth which she also had on her desk caught fire! Amazingly the keyboard was fine (and very clean, I might add, LOL, burnt clean, I guess). People came running because of the loud BANG… You can be sure I made sure no burning candles were anywhere before using the stuff again after that experience! Sure, in retrospect it was kind of funny, but then and there it sure wasn’t funny, it was real scary!!! So kids, don’t try it at home!!! We were very lucky that nobody got hurt. I mean, the flames were so close to my face… Oxygen and flames do not mix!!!
#1 on the gOOgle search worked PERFECTLY… Stuck Track Pad Button = Swollen Battery…
And I was just about to pull the trigger on a new MacBook Air!
Now to contact my Apple Store to see if I can get lucky on a replacement battery..
You saved me a bunch of money and time!
Thank you….
I used the corner of a mint flavored “Stim U Dent” plaque remover … presto! It was the only thing I could find that was small enough to dig into the trackpad. It pulled out some linty crud and seems to be working like new! Thanks!
I got a stuck trackpad button as well. I used the corner of a post-it to clean it. And even left one post-it there to avoid stuck again. One good interesting temporary fix.
A NYC Metrocard is the perfect size and durability.
Thanks so much for this! But just a warning (and an added tip): On my first generation MB Pro, I took the battery out and discovered I can see right through that tiny slit. I used a small air compressor to blow the junk out from the bottom. However, someone here said they used a small tattoo needle. I wouldn’t put any sharp object in there because there is a tiny little ribbon cable right in the center of that slit that connects the button to the mothership. A sharp object could easily cut that cable making matters worse.
Yep, me too, 3 yr old macbook pro, swollen battery caused the mouse button to stop clicking. Removed the battery, laid it on the table, definately swollen in the middle. The other symptom I experienced was the laptop would shut off suddenly when running on battery, even though the battery indicator showed 50% power remaining. Fortunately, the extended warranty covered a new battery and we’re all happy again. 🙂
Thanks! For me it was a bloated battery that pressed up under the trackpad. With a new battery the track pad works perfect again.
Thanks a lot!
Holy S***! Such a simple solution and it totally worked!!! The “buttons” on the touchpad wouldn’t let me click on anything, nor would it let me open any applications, but anything that involved sliding fingers along the touchpad worked just fine. The whole thing seemed to be stuck and the clicking wasn’t as loud as it once was. But the small paper solution did the trick! Thanks!
Amazing fix- was just starting to panic.
Brilliant! Fixed the issue I’ve been having for months.
Thank you for this quick/easy tip.
Thank you so very much for this incredibly simple fix. A few passes with some paper and voila! unstuck! AWESOME.
Thank you much for this. It solved my nightmare. Since i yesterday, i consulted 3 professional and done 7 reboots to solve this problem. I am amazed by this simple solution.Great Work!.
When I bought my macbook I loved it. However every time I encounter one of these many problems I think Apple products are worse and worse.
I don’t have enough fingers to count the many flaws my macbook has.
Thanks, this worked great!
Here is one other suggestion. Once you use the paper method to clear most the the gunk, then i took a fresh sheet of paper and lightly sprayed the corner of it with a silicon spray…let it almost dry and then slid it again through the crack between the click pad and the edge of the opening. that made a huge difference. it totally works like new…
thanks to all. i was ruining my forearm from having to click so hard 🙂 (I know…geek wuss.)
You’re a genius. Simple and elegant as a piece of paper!! Thanks!
Suzy
Thank you so much you are a life saver. My wife’s mac book pro had the same problem as you. I had no idea it was a swollen battery. She had told me her battery was not lasting as long as it had been. When I read your post, I flipped it over an sure enough. Took the battery out and the track pad worked like a Champ.
The battery was swollen. I have to get a new battery, but we knew she needed one anyway.
I have a chem. report due tomorrow and my MBP trackpad click locked up, I was panicky there for a few minuets. Thank god I got to this page, I’m working fine now!
son of a gun. i picked up so much FOD working in Haiti i was about to buy a new computer. now i just have to decide on a new battery instead. THANK YOU!!!
How did I not figure that out. Glad you posted that, was about to dismantle the laptop again. Your way is soo much simpler.
Avery,
Removed my battery; now the trackpad works perfectly again! Not a long term fix, but good to know it’s not permanently stuck.
Same as Frank above… I thik i need a new battery. I took it off, and the trackpad clicked as normal…then i vaccuumed iside, then i put it back… the trackpad is stuck again. And my battery looks a bit round in the middle too…although it still works fine…Solution, new battery!
That you so much for this! I nearly cried when I opened my brand new Macbook Air tonight and the darn trackpad wouldn’t click — the edge of the paper really did the trick. Thank you thank you!
You are a freaking genius!
Thanks!
You are a freaking genius!
Thanks
Our white macbook trackpad button was sticking — clicking multiple times, even clicking when rubbed gently (not clicked).
We fixed in kind of a backwards way, here’s how.
We installed a free program called sidetrack which unnstalls the trackpad driver and installs its own, enhanced driver. That was okay, but took away some functionality. So we uninstalled sidetrack which automatically reinstalled the trackpad driver.
And VOILA! It’s working beautifully now.
Please let me know if this works for you.
I was planning to spend the night fixing this. I even had my tools out and everything. First hit on google was this page and 40 sec later everything is smooth. Thanks!
If your battery pack is swollen, take it to Apple right away! Swollen battery packs are fires waiting to happen.
I took my swollen, out of warranty, MacBook Pro battery to the Genius Bar and they replaced it immediately no questions asked.
Thanks everyone for the scoop. I have a swollen battery pack. This discussion saved me taking apart my out-of-warranty Macbook Pro to try to fix the stuck tackpad button. $120!!! Ouch!!!
The batterypack on my Dell laptop at work died in half the time though.
Another possible source of the problem as others have aready observed.
I had a sticky key problem – and here is what I discovered.
The problem was driving me crazy and Apple support had guessed the entire trackpad should be replaced. This involves replacing the entire upper part of the case.
Before I could get it in – the real problem surfaced. My battery exploded.
See
http://hugh-chatfield.com/Blog/Entries/2010/9/4_Diagnosing_Computer_Problems.html
The new batteries have what looks like a black bag inside them – which if the battery fails – will expand (not burst into flames like earlier version of the battery could do). As it expands, the trackpad is immediately above that battery, and pressure will be exerted on the trackpad button making it feel very stiff.
So if your trackpad button feels very stiff – take your battery out an examine it for bulges. If it is bulging, that is an indicator your battery is failing. If you had a 3 year extended warranty like me – it is replaced free of charge.
Cheers…Hugh
CyberSpace Industries 2000 Inc.
Thank you for this, it worked perfectly! It was driving me NUTS!
YES to Frank and the swollen battery! And not wanting to pony up for a new one, I applied a little pressure over the edge of a curved countertop and Voila!
It no longer pushes up against the bottom of the keyboard.
Thanks!!
Excellent idea with the paper trick. It worked for me as well! Thanks for saving me a bunch of time and money.
Yes it worked!
I could locate the exact spot where everything was stuck and now I can click again.
You saved my click!
swollen battery! booya … thanks!!
Try dipping a q-tip in isopropyl alcohol and running it around the trac-pad button allowing some to flow into the crack. Then work the button on all sides. It will evaporate after a minute or two. Worked for me. Electronic contact cleaner is another option.
HAPPY DANCE!!!
Pulling out the battery solved this problem instantly!
I’ve been so tense and frustrated for about 2 weeks as I’m totally broke right now.
Thank you Nickel
Thanks a million!
On a new MacBook Pro (2010) I tried the paper trick but no joy, so I got the most powerful hoover I could find and hoovered the life out of it. Worked a treat 🙂
This plus comment 11’s idea works like a charm. Thanks so much, especially since my MBP is out of warranty 🙁
I am psyched I read this, I was about to take my laptop back to apple after having it repaired. Something must have creeped under my clicker while it was away. No sticking anymore, thanks!
Tried this on my G4 PowerBook but no joy. Had to replace the top case with it’s built in trackpad which was stuck down: €300 : (
Thank you SOOOOO much! My button stuck at the worst possible moment, as I was finishing up some very important work. I thought I was screwed! It worked like a charm. YAY!
Worked, it was stuck, now its not
Great tip!
Thank you
Thanks it worked !!!
Same problem here… (stuck button)… it feels as if it is stuck down, but actually it is the bottom of the top which is bowed upwards by a swollen battery… (from overheating I guess)… take the battery out and the button works a treat.
New battery should do the trick. 🙂
Thank you SO much for posting this.
My problem was a bit more severe. My trackpad mouse button works great when I just turn on the computer – although no clickie sound (which at one point I thought was pretty cool because it was just soft and bouncy). When it starts to heat up and the case begins to get warm, thats when it causes all sorts of problems for me – not allowing me to click or even type, it starts to act like a “selection” is beimg made via the mouse (click and drag marquee on screen). Also, the mouse would take off by itself in the middle of composing an email, as if my wrists tapped the trackpad or something. Frustrating!
I tried your method and it looked like it was working but wasn’t there yet. I noticed the left and right edges of my mouse button were on the road to repair but the very middle of the button was still hard to click. I took a toothbrush and stuck as many bristles as I could in the crease and just ran it in a quick “left to right” motion stopping a few times to test the middle of the button for clicking – and I was making progress!!! (SO HAPPY) I had to do this around 5 or 6 times until it felt right.
I hope this helps someone else with this issue, it was driving me up the wall!
Thank you so much for this article!
i had the same problem on the newest 13 inch macbook pro, the pad would click down but wouldnt come back up, but because the touch pad was is a single button i went around the edges with a small tattoo needle (any needle would work) and the amount of gunk stuck too it was unbeliveable it looked clean from the top, but this gave me the idea thanks guys it works just like new now
Thanks for being the top Google result for ‘macbook trackpad button sticking’
One post-it note and thirty seconds later, all is well again.
Top tip.
Well done that man!
My Acer Ferrari is now usable again, the buttons were not popping up but now work as new.
Thanks for this tip Nickel :O)
wish I was celebrating too, but no…
I didn’t spill anything, my battery is ok, when I
log on I can move the cursor around but can’t
select with my PowerBook trackpad button.
Judging by what’s on the screen, it seems that the button
is permanantly pressed down (though it appears and sounds
operational). I thought ‘virus’ then I got excited about cleaning.
no joy there though. Now my computer is pretty useless.
I’m going to have to open the lid….
So glad I read this. My pro had some gross sticky crap on the inside of it. A giftcard or some kind of thin plastic card works best. I used a plastic playing card. Got all the gunk out.
hi, I am not sure if this tip is for all mac booc pros? I have a new (bought sept 2009) mac book and I cant get a piece of paper under it? I spilt some milk on it and now the left and right buttons work only with some force. Please can some one help?
Wow, I am soooooo glad I found this site. My trackpad button has been weird for months but has been so much worse lately. It would constantly click on its own while I was typing and highlight and delete everything I wrote…so annoying.
I couldn’t get paper sturdy enough to get it under the trackpad so I used Stone’s idea of taking the battery out and threading a thin piece of paper through the gap between the metal and the trackpad button. Now my button works like new! I am SOOOO excited 😀 Thank you so much! Pure genius.
Thanx
I went to mac and they said i needed a whole new faceplate which would cost $320. Thank god i found tip. It worked great.
Worked like a charm!
wow,last time this happened i almost had to pay hundreds. tried your trick,worked! thanks so much,crazy
Wonderful solution to a really really annoying problem. If only I had found this article first before all the other ‘solutions’ out there! 10/10. Dan Fletcher
I too was over the moon when I read about the paper-sliding trick. However, after trying it and going through all the other ‘cleaning’ tricks in this thread, it still did not work.
My battery seems fine (no bulges) but with it out, I got it to work by putting my thumb on the tiny centre of the button underneath and my index finger on to; i.e. ‘squeezing’ the trackpad between thumb and forefinger. It works when I do this. (I had the Mac on without battery and it was standing on its side.)
Closer inspection revealed that there is in fact a tiny ‘piston’ in the centre of the trackpad ‘clicker’ and that upward pressure on it makes it work. So, I though perhaps it *has* to push down on the battery to work, so I put the battery back in…. but it didn’t, does not :-(, work.
So now I’m wondering if there is a part missing below this tiny, central piston?
When I had the battery out, I could push the click-pad down, and although it feels slightly ‘stiff’ I could, looking at it and its motion from below with the battery out, see that the ‘plate’ it acts on does indeed ‘move down’.
That’s how I discovered the central piston that seems to be the key operative part…
I took a photo using my iPhone, but don’t know how to attach it to this post. Ignorance is *not* bliss 😉
Thanks to a great community and service..
Great tip!! thanks!
should have thought of that… lol.
Tried this after I accidentally spilled some soup on my Macbook Pro. Googled your site and used a business card to get underneath the trackpad. Seemed to have fixed the sticky button. Thanks!
Thanks for your simple useful tip !!
FANTASTIC!!!!!! My battery was blown, and as soon as I took it out my trackpad worked. I used some paper down the slot anyway, just to perk it up some more. THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have saved me a lot of money. 🙂
Worked! At least I THINK so. If not…I’ll be back. Thanks for the info!
Thanks much for posting this tip. Saved the day and worked perfectly. 🙂
Wow, I never thought that would be enough to fix it, but luckily I was wrong 🙂
Thanks!
worked g8!!! thank you!
hey, this works great. nice tip!
This worked great, I used a big piece of paper, and when I’d used the 4 corners I cut it up to make more corners. I found that obtuse rounded corners work best and could really get underneath… and I thought my beloved trackpad was dying!
oh and Post-its work well
I spilled some tea on the mouse and thought when I wiped it up that was it. The past 2 days have been horrific trying to discern if/when the mouse would act normal again. I’ve been going nuts googling any kind of solution for this problem, or even anyone who’s been in this situation, and this advice of yours is the answer to my prayers! Thank you so much for posting on this subject! I am going to stay up all night doing this but so far it is working great.
A piece of glossy card stock took care of it for me, thanks for the tip!
Thank you! Before the cleaning it sounded like it was grinding metal on metal, and now the button works almost like new. Much appreciated.
it worked, thank you
Wow, thanks so much! I had a, erm, coffee mishap. A piece of paper was so simple an idea, I’d never have thought of it in a million years. Cheers, mate!
Who woulda thought…I spilt something sticky in there and I was looking for some kind of goof-off product for over 2 months. A piece of paper was all it needed. I am so mad at myself. Thank you.
Thanks. I am going to the Apple store/ with the laptop after work today…
@willwjl: I was way past warranty when my battery swollen, but I emailed [email protected], until they sent me a replacement one.
I think I have the same problem with the swollen battery. But now I am past the warranty!
Trackpad button went nuts, clicking everything then this morning nothing. Couldn’t log in. Reset eveything and resolved to pull it apart then presto ! I googled up this solution on another machine and it worked immediately. You are a hero, a national treasure and possess an inventive mind on the scale of Edison.
I salute you.
Worked like a charm! Thanks!!!
Ha, totally worked on my MacBook Pro; saved me a day without my computer. Thanks!!
Wow, worked like a charm! Thank you thank you!
The swollen battery defiantly was the cause of the track buttons not working.
The Apple store replaced it without any question.
you rock! solvvvvved!
Great tip. Simple, crude, and extremely effective.
Awesome-O…. I used a piece from the top of a Kettle Chip’s bag. Tilt it a bit so that it goes under the button a bit. Worked like a charm.
Hahaha, this worked amazing, at first I didn’t think that a piece of paper would fix this issue I’ve been having for so long. I got tired of trying to find a solution, so I just decided to try it and see for myself.
Hot damn, it worked like a charm. Thank you so much, this was pissing me off for the longest time.
I took out the battery and the track buttons worked!
BTW the MBP wont start without the battery.
Thanks for all the help.
Is Apple replacing the batteries for free or at discount?
worked for me too! thanks for taking the time- and saving me a headache. You rule.
Wow, just wanted to thank you for that great tip. I was ready to go the the Mac store and stumbled upon your website. A single piece of paper solved the problem.
Just FYI, my problems started when I used cleaner to clean the face of my keyboard and trackpad. The liquid seeped in the trackpad and dried creating all my problems. The paper I used to clean the trackpad was filthy.
Once again thanks!!
Just as we were going to the Mac support shop here in Hong Kong for the same problem, I tried your fix.
Excellent! Works a treat. Many thanks from all of us.
THANK YOU! Metro Card is where it’s at. I LOVE YOU!
Oh my gosh I was about to have a nervous breakdown because that thing was not working…I use this computer a lot and don’t even think about that trackpad or button, it is like an extension of my hand I use it with out thinking. Then when it stared acting up it was like someone tied my hand behind my back! THANK YOU…but I should have thought of the myself.
oh man I LOVE YOU!!!!!! thanksssss
Thanks! It was really annoying me, and your fix worked instantly! Elegant and efficient. ;^)
Awesome! Thank you so much, saved me a trip to the Genius Bar.
@ Nickel
Thanks man! Actually I figured this much out about 5 minutes after making that post. So easy, I didn’t realize the trackpad button was tapping straight down onto the battery like that.
PS – Detected a slight bulge in the battery pack (17 inch MBP) – seems like a lot of people have this problem about 2 years after purchase. All things considered its done a good job for me, $129 to grab a new one really isn’t the end of the world.
Campy: Try taking out the battery and going after the torn paper from behind.
My problem is that now I have paper jammed in there, making the situation even worse (my bad, should’ve skipped ahead to read some of the later posts).
Is it possible to pop this thing off?
Swollen battery for me, too. Thanks for the tip.
Absolutely Brilliant! I can’t thank you enough…!
used my metro card and was back to normal in seconds! Great advice!
My trackpad/mouse click problem problem was a SWOLLEN BATTERY in my Mac Book Pro!
Take out the battery with your power source plugged in and see if your trackpad problem is solved IMMEDATELY.
Then look at the battery carefully and apply a ruler to it or put it on a flat surface. mine has a visible bulge that is messing up the trackpad.
You have a 2 year warrantly, like was said
thanks all!
http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
RRRRR! IT WAS THE BATTERY FOR ME! IT’S SWOLLEN!
TOOK OFF THE BATTERY AND IT WORKED FINE… PUT IT BACK ON AND IT JAMMED AGAIN…
WHOEVER OFFERED THE BATTERY SUGGESTION YOU’RE A GENIUS TOO!
THANKS GUYS
I got offered a new battery for free!
Thank God Apple came through.
I was having the same issues as you guys, i tried your tips but nothing worked.
When i removed the battery I also noticed it was deformed, kind of swelled. This was causing pressure on the trackpad button.
The link published by Lucy seems to refer only to the Intel Core Duo Macbook Pro’s, mine is a Intel Core 2 Duo.
I’ve emailed Apple to see if this program would cover me or if there is another one, will keep you posted.
Is anyone else with a machine like mine having these problems?
Thanks for the great advise. Seemed to help a lot.
I was planning on sending my MacBook in and even purchasing a new mouse …. now I do not have to send it in and the mouse purchase can wait 🙂
I didn’t see anything on the paper I used … but I’m not really too concerned where the junk went 😉 … it is a laptop from work.
Great advice. I was planning a trip to Genius bar tomorrow, but his solves it. However, I’ve torn about 4 corners of paper under there (and had to leave it). Best tool? Plastic playing card. Flexible, thin, and won’t tear off!
Didn’t do it for me but set me on a great idea which did work. Go to your local hardware store and get a FEELER GUAGE. Costs about $7.00 and has a bunch of strips of metal in different thicknesses ranging from 3 hundredths of a millimeter to nine-tenths of a millimeter (varies by manufacturer). These also work great when tring to coax a stuck cd (put on of the thinnest metal strips on top of the cd and press the eject button, works every time).
Thanks a bunch. Worked beautifully.
Great tip,was just about to pull it apart so simple. Many thanks
This is a great tip. Something so simple too. I was just about take the topcase off of mine! Thanks again for the post.
Fantastic tip! Yesterday my girlfriend and I (we were joint culprits!) spilt a thick, sticky fruit smoothie over the front of my MacBook Pro (15″ old version …. the smoothie covered the front edge of the trackpad button), and although we quickly mopped it up, the button became very sticky / clonky which became pretty irritating pretty quickly 🙁
A quick application of the edge of a piece of paper (had to fold it in half to make it strong enough) and voila! 🙂
Just a quick hint though, make sure you use paper that’s thick enough not to tear off whilst between the button and the laptop body! …
Many thanks!
worked for me, as well. took a bit of time and a couple pieces of paper, but just kept moving the corners back and forth until whatever it was finally dislodged and VOILA!!!!
awesome – had a right old session with a strip of thin card, eventually dislodged what it was – it looks like a tiny rubber mounting, so god knows what its dropped off, that was wedged underneath the button – all working perfectly again now
One more possibility is a swollen (faulty) battery. Check this by taking out the battery using a coin and examining it – mine had a visible bulge, which was causing it to press on the trackpad. Faulty macbook batteries are covered under Apple’s replacement programme if they’re less than 2 years old. See: http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
Thanks so much! This trick worked for my regular (non-pro) MacBook also. I would never have tried jamming a piece of paper under the button. How did I not think of this first? By the way, if there is no visible liquid damage, Apple Care will cover replacing the top-case for a sticky trackpad button. Found out the hard way on my last top-case.
You are a genius sir a genius
It works but it will stick again. For a more permanent fix take the battery out and carefully squirt a tiny dab of WD40 under the trackpad from behind. Bingo!
PS – I have black macbook, don’t know if this will work for macbook pro.
it works!
Thanks a million!!!! You just saved me about $100, maybe more.
Worked great! I got my screw driver set out to take apart this thing (which is NOT trivial) to clean the trackpad button somehow.
Then I decided to search google, you came up #1 and I grabbed a business card, jammed it around the edges, and wow! It worked great.
My button isn’t sticking/making noises it shouldn’t be making anymore. Wonderful.
OMG you are a legend! I thought my trackpad button had actually broken, was searching around and gave your suggestion a try. 10 seconds later my trackpad is as good as new!
Wonderful! Worked like a charm. Thanks for saving me a trip to the Apple Store! 🙂
If you take out the battery and take a long thin strip of paper and thread it through the opening in the metal and basically floss the gunk out it also works. I actually just did this about 2 minutes ago after struggling to do it the way the initial post suggested… this way is much easier!
BTW’
Used the corner of a pack of zig zags, perfect, sturdy and not going to tear off in there.
I can’t believe it was that fucking simple. I’m buzzed the fuck up on Jameson and I did it because I was so annoyed with no problem.
thank you so much you just saved $160!
I finally got it to work but be careful not to let the paper tear off under the button, it took me about 10 minutes to pry out a small corner of paper.
Thanks!
You’re awesome! This has been driving me nuts. and works great now!
seems to work good!!
Brilliant solution. I’m very finnicky about my things not functioning the way I want them to and your solution got my trackpad button functioning good as new.
I thought I was going to have to take my laptop apart to get it cleaned. I had to use a couple of pieces of paper to get it to work, but now it works like new once again… Thanks!
Holy crap. Totally worked. Had the problem several times before and just stuck to the trackpad tapping. Eventually it would go away. Apparently it went away after being jostled around or something. Awesome tip.
Hey Man,
Great tip, worked quite well.
thanks again,
Anand
fanx. this was pissing me off!
This unfortunately didn’t work for me (couldn’t get the paper far enough under the button), but it was apparent something was jamming it (the origami star trick didn’t work either). Here’s my solution: I took the battery out and blew very quick hard bursts of air into the small openings on each side of the track pad button’s area. A very small piece of resin or something that appeared to be resin (hard flat amber substance) came out and the button works perfectly fine now. Hope this helps someone else!
AWESOME. it worked. mine was sticking a little
Thanks for the tip, i need to do that 5-6 times with different kind of paper, but it finally works – thanks! 🙂
damn!!! thanks that worked a charm….my gunk was on the bottom edge, but paper worked great there too!
Worked for me, too. I had to upgrade from a piece of paper to something a little more robust to really get into the crack, though.
Worked great! Thanks for the tip… this saved me a trip to the Apple Store.
This fixed my soft trackpad button, thanks
Think it just worked for me too! Thanks!
Me too! Many thanks!
Thank you, helped for me as well:)
worked like a charm good tip and thanks, saved me a trip to the genius bar at mac store.
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