How to clean a MacBook screen and keyboard safely

To clean a MacBook screen and keyboard, shut the Mac down, unplug it, and wipe them with a soft, lint-free cloth lightly dampened with plain water. Never spray anything directly onto the Mac, and keep liquid out of the gaps around the keys, the ports and the vents.

That is most of it. The details matter most for the keyboard, where crumbs and finger oil need different treatment, and for disinfecting, where Apple is specific about what it allows.

What you need

• A soft, lint-free cloth. A clean microfiber cloth is ideal, or the polishing cloth that came with some Apple displays. Skip paper towels, tissues and kitchen towels: they shed fibers and can be rough on the screen.
• Plain water. Only enough to make the cloth damp, never wet.
• Optional: a can of compressed air with its thin straw attached, and a clean, soft brush, for crumbs.
• Optional: a disinfecting wipe of the kind Apple lists on its cleaning page, if you want to disinfect rather than just clean.

Before you start, shut the Mac down with Apple menu > Shut Down and unplug the charger and anything else connected. You won't send a half-typed message by brushing the keys, and a black screen shows every smudge. Some MacBooks start up again when a key is pressed or the lid is opened, so if the screen lights up while you clean, shut it down again before carrying on.

How to clean a MacBook screen

1. Dust it first. Wipe the screen gently with the dry cloth to lift loose dust and grit, so you don't drag it across the glass in the next step.
2. Dampen the cloth, not the screen. Wet a corner of the cloth with water, then wring it out until it is barely damp. Don't spray water or anything else onto the display.
3. Wipe with light pressure. Use gentle strokes, from one edge to the other. Don't press hard and don't scrub. Apple's guidance is to avoid excessive wiping, and stubborn spots usually come off with a second gentle pass.
4. Dry it. Go over the screen with a dry part of the cloth.
5. Wait before you close it. Give the screen and keyboard a minute to air dry before you close the lid or turn the Mac back on.

If your MacBook Pro has a nano-texture display

Some MacBook Pro models offer a nano-texture glass option with a matte, etched surface. Apple's guidance for it is to use only the polishing cloth that came with the Mac, and no other cloth. Check Apple's cleaning page for your model before you use any liquid on it.

How to clean a MacBook keyboard

Keys collect two kinds of dirt: oil from your fingers, which makes them shiny, and crumbs, which fall into the gaps. Deal with the crumbs first.

Getting crumbs out from under the keys

Apple has published a compressed air method for some MacBook keyboards, and it works well as a general approach:

1. Open the lid fully and hold the Mac at a steep angle, close to upright but not quite vertical, with the keyboard facing you.
2. Hold the can of compressed air upright, with the straw on, so it blows air rather than spitting propellant.
3. Spray in short bursts, moving in a zigzag across the keyboard from left to right.
4. Turn the Mac onto its right side and do the same again, then onto its left side and repeat.

A clean, soft brush run gently between the keys catches whatever is left. Don't shake the Mac hard, and don't push anything sharp or metal under a key.

Don't try to pull keycaps off a modern MacBook. They clip onto delicate mechanisms that break easily. If a key still sticks or feels gritty after the steps above, contact Apple Support about a repair.

Wiping the keys

Use the same barely damp cloth you used on the screen. Wipe across each row of keys, then the area around the keyboard and the palm rests. Keep the cloth damp enough to lift oil but dry enough that no water collects at the edges of the keys.

Disinfecting

Apple says you can gently wipe hard, nonporous surfaces of its products, such as the display, the keyboard and the outside of the case, with an isopropyl alcohol wipe or a disinfecting wipe of the strength it lists on its cleaning page. It also says not to use bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Wipe lightly, don't let moisture run into any opening, and dry off what is left.

The trackpad, the case and the ports

Trackpad. It picks up skin oil like the keys do. Wipe it with the damp cloth, then the dry one. It is a large piece of glass, so it cleans up easily.

Case and lid. The damp cloth works here too. Wipe the outside of the case, then dry it, paying attention to the edges near the hinge where dust gathers.

Ports and vents. Keep liquid away from both, and don't poke anything into them. If a cable stops seating properly or a port seems blocked with lint, have Apple or an authorized service provider clean it rather than digging at it yourself.

If something does spill, on the keyboard or anywhere else, stop cleaning, shut the Mac down if it isn't already off, and follow the steps in what to do when you spill water on a MacBook.

What should you never use to clean a MacBook?

Most cleaning mistakes come from treating a laptop like a kitchen counter. Leave all of these out:

• Window cleaner and household sprays. Apple says not to use them on the display.
• Bleach and hydrogen peroxide. Apple lists both as things to avoid, even for disinfecting.
• Solvents and ammonia, including nail polish remover.
• Abrasives, such as scouring pads, rough cloths and powders, which can scratch.
• Aerosol sprays aimed at the Mac, or any spray bottle pointed straight at it. Liquid runs into the gaps around the keys and the edges of the screen.
• Compressed air on the screen. Apple lists it among the things not to use on the display.
• A soaking cloth. Damp is enough. A wet cloth drips into openings.
• Paper towels and tissues. They leave lint and can be rough on the glass.

If you are ever unsure, plain water on a soft cloth is the safe default.

Why are there keyboard marks on my MacBook screen?

When the lid is closed, the keys sit very close to the screen. Oil from your fingers on the keycaps can transfer to the glass, and over time it leaves a faint print of the keyboard. It usually wipes off with the screen steps above, and cleaning the keys at the same time slows down how quickly it comes back.

The same tight gap is why Apple warns against closing a MacBook with a camera cover, a keyboard cover or a palm rest cover on it: there isn't room, and the pressure can damage the display. A cleaning cloth left on the keyboard when you shut the lid is a bad idea for the same reason.

If marks stay after a careful clean, they may be wear to the screen's coating rather than dirt. That is a question for a repair technician, not for stronger cleaners.

How often should you clean a MacBook?

There is no official schedule. A sensible rhythm for most people:

• Keyboard and trackpad: a quick wipe once a week, more often if you eat at your desk.
• Screen: whenever smudges start to bother you, or the keyboard print appears.
• Crumbs: a compressed air session every month or so, sooner if a key starts to feel different.

Clean hands help more than any cloth. Washing your hands before a long session, and not eating over the keyboard, keeps both the keys and the screen cleaner for longer.

The hard part is remembering, and a cleaning cloth makes a poor alarm. Notchpals has no cleaning reminder, but the Tech care characters who visit from your notch already ask for one weekly moment with your Mac: a restart, once it has been running for more than a week. If Otto, the octopus with something in every arm, is in your crew, he is the one who asks.

OttoClose everything and restart. I tried closing everything once. Bliss.

That is a natural time to clean. Choose Shut Down instead of Restart, give the screen and keyboard their wipe while the Mac is off, then switch it back on. The restart counts as done, because Notchpals only watches how long the Mac has been running, and a shutdown resets that just the same. A weekly Mac care routine has the rest of the list, from updates to backups.