Why is the left side of my trackpad not working?

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MacBook Air 13" 2024 (M3)

Repair guides, support, and troubleshooting information for the March 2024 13-inch MacBook Air, featuring Apple's M3 SoC. Released on March 8, 2024 and identified by model number A3113.

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Jaden Lee @jadenlee94685

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Posted: Jan 13, 2026

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Why is the left side of my trackpad not working?

I spilt milk tea on my computer a 6 days ago. Everything was fine until now, the only issue was a few sticky keys and the trackpad not moving as well. I fixed the trackpad by sticking a thin card through the crevices, and it has been working well till now. Today, I found that the left side of my trackpad has lost its click, but the right side works fine. Could it be because of the sticky residue from the milk tea? Or is it because I damaged the sensors when I was cleaning it? I have a MacBook Air 13" 2024 (M3)

The trackpad goes down. So it doesn't seem to be stuck.

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Leooooo1061 @leooooo1061

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Posted: Jan 13, 2026

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If you broke something inside with the card it's probably going to stop working the instant you poke it in, so the most likely case here would be liquid damage.

As you can see from this image there are a lot of places where the liquid could have damaged if it stayed there, like the flex cable's connector and the surface-mounted components. You'll need to take your MacBook apart and remove the battery to gain access to the trackpad so that you can identify the actual issue. It'll be helpful if you can provide some pictures as well.

I couldn't find any manuals on iFixit but Apple have manuals for this: https://support.apple.com/en-us/119579
Follow the procedures until the step"trackpad and trackpad flex cable" to remove the trackpad and see how much damage the milk tea did. Pictures would really help.

Also it would be a good idea to clean any liquid residue while the Macbook is apart. Other components like the battery could become damaged as well.

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Thank you so much, could I do this by myself?

Jan 13, 2026 by Jaden Lee

Well of course, if you are comfortable with repairs and have the skills. Apple provides the guide steps, and you can buy the tools and the trackpad on iFixit. If this is your first time repairing stuff then I suggest you to first look through the guide steps to get yourself familiar with the steps and decide whether you’re able to complete it. taking it to a repair shop is always an option, if you’re not confident with your skills, but you’ll probably be charged more.

Jan 13, 2026 by Leooooo1061

Could I just use wet tissue and run it along the edges of the trackpad? Since the sensors are at the corners.

Jan 14, 2026 by Jaden Lee

@jadenlee94685 well at this point the sensors are probably already damaged, and the control board (the one with the flex connectors) for the touch pad is corroded as well, so a wet tissue won't help much. You might be able to clean the corrosion off with a brush and isopropyl alcohol, but a wet tissue cannot reach the control board, let alone clean the corrosion. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to take the rear cover and the battery off to assess the damage and attempt to clean it, or replace it entirely.

Jan 14, 2026 by Leooooo1061

Since I have the tap to click. Can I just leave it be? Or will it affect the logic board and cause a short circuit?

Jan 14, 2026 by Jaden Lee

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Well of course, if you are comfortable with repairs and have the skills. Apple provides the guide steps, and you can buy the tools and the trackpad on iFixit. If this is your first time repairing stuff then I suggest you to first look through the guide steps to get yourself familiar with the steps and decide whether you’re able to complete it. taking it to a repair shop is always an option, if you’re not confident with your skills, but you’ll probably be charged more. — Leooooo1061
Could I just use wet tissue and run it along the edges of the trackpad? Since the sensors are at the corners. — Jaden Lee
@jadenlee94685 well at this point the sensors are probably already damaged, and the control board (the one with the flex connectors) for the touch pad is corroded as well, so a wet tissue won't help much. You might be able to clean the corrosion off with a brush and isopropyl alcohol, but a wet tissue cannot reach the control board, let alone clean the corrosion. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to take the rear cover and the battery off to assess the damage and attempt to clean it, or replace it entirely. — Leooooo1061
Since I have the tap to click. Can I just leave it be? Or will it affect the logic board and cause a short circuit? — Jaden Lee

DanJ @danj Rep: 502.8k Self employed contract worker 35 347 977 · Answer 1 · 2026-01-13T13:51:16-07:00

DanJ @danj

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Posted: Jan 13, 2026

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The trackpad is based on capacitance of your touch, so what can happen is the spill gets into the layers of the pads sensor plate so your touch is not seen.

Sadly, this requires a new trackpad to fix MacBook Air 13" (2024) Trackpad. We don't have a guide, but Apple now offers a MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) Repair Manual on MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) Trackpad and Trackpad Flex Cable gets into how to replace it.

Replace a trackpad compatible with a 2024 MacBook Air 13" laptop model A3113. Image

Product

MacBook Air 13" (2024) Trackpad

$89.99

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MacBook Air 13" 2024 (M3)

Why is the left side of my trackpad not working?

Update (01/13/26)

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MacBook Air 13" (2024) Trackpad

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