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The April 2014 update of the 11" MacBook Air packs refreshed dual-core i5 and i7 Haswell processors and slightly increased battery performance.

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Keyboard behaving weirdly after water spill

So my partner spilled an infusion on his laptop.

We've put it upside down and everything. We've opened it and dried it as much as we could. It's powering on OK but we can't pass the password screen.

Basically, the password won't work because the keyboard is behaving strangely.

I can't load the recovery mode. I was able to load the internet recovery mode and see how the keyboard behaves. Basically, when I type it's all in capslock and I'm not able to type numbers. I'm able to type lower cases by holding the shift key but no numbers... Obviously, my partner has numbers in his password and as I'm not able to enter the recovery mode I can't change his password to just letters...

I've tried plugging in a USB keyboard but the USB keyboard is behaving exactly the same.

At this point, I've got no idea what I could try next.

I don't think the keyboard is the issue, I think something is getting lost in translation between the keyboard and the system. If anyone's got any idea I would be really grateful!

Thank you!

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Plug in an external monitor, keyboard & mouse. Then Start the system up close the lid and use the Plugged in stuff. Does the system work correctly? If it does then you need a new keyboard

Without the full setup as I’ve outlined your test won’t work.

Update (04/19/23)

@julie22286 - There are two directions you can go to fix this fully. They both require taking the system apart. One a-bit more. Consider the work involved.

The bigger joy does use a cheaper part MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Keyboard Whereas the second option uses a more expensive assembly but is a-bit less work MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2013-Early 2015) Upper Case

But you need to see how much damage the spill caused before you order the part as that too is the Important question here, this is the guide you need to follow MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 Upper Case Replacement then for the keyboard carefully digging the keyboard out of the case.

Given the systems age you may also need a new battery MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Battery to check install this gem of an App CoconutBattery post a snapshot of the apps main window here so we can see it.

So while none of this is overly hard the cost are getting up there. You may want to look at acquiring a newer used system as being the better long term solution. I would look at a 2018/19 MacBook Air.

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2013-Early 2015) Upper Case Image

Product

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2013-Early 2015) Upper Case

$99.99

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Battery Image

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MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Battery
MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Keyboard Image

Product

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2011-Early 2015) Keyboard

$19.99

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@danj woooow !! THANK YOU! So by doing that I managed to boot the recovery mode, change the password and finally access the system.

The keyboard is still weird. Basically when I turn the laptop on the shift is completely locked and I can't do numbers even when I press shift, which should counter effect the fact that shift is just on permanently. BUT, if I close the lid and reopen it (once I've turned it on) the keyboard is almost normal, if I press the shift key on the left the keyboard just writes nonsense but if I avoid pressing the shift button on the left (the right one is fine), it works fine.

I don't know if there's something else I can do to fix this keyboard issue...

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Julie will be eternally grateful.
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