Tools
Parts
No parts required.
Introduction
While some people like the tap-to-click feature of the Magic Trackpad, other users, such as myself, prefer a click that we can feel. After months of use, sometimes the trackpad will get stuck and will no longer click in on one side or the other. This repair guide will have your Magic Trackpad clicking again in under 5 minutes.
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Get your Magic Trackpad out and prepare to fix it.
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Unscrew the battery door by turning the screw counter-clockwise with a flat edge screwdriver, coin, plastic opening tool, or fingernail.
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Remove the batteries to prevent any short-circuiting while fixing your Magic Trackpad.
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Use a plastic opening tool to pry the lower panel away from the adhesive securing around its left, right, and top edges.
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After slicing through most of the adhesive, the lower panel lifts right off.
Note that the first photo in step 2 shows the bottom (which you shouldn't try to pry) being pried. This is confusing, to say the least, and cost me one of my connecting tabs. Indeed, the glue is quite strong. After getting a pry-back started, look in to the gap, and use a narrow screwdriver to pinpoint peel off the adhesive. Worked great for me.
I carefully cut and pried- using a thin flat tool to cut through the adhesive all the way across the back without having to pry it to risk damage.
I removed the t6 screw and the 6 phillips screws holding the 'clicker' piece to the chassis. I used an alcohol pad to clean underneath it (there was an oily thumbprint from someone at the factory that built it).
I then put everything back together, cleaned up the extra "adhesive" (this stuff is really just like the gummy gunk used on address labels affixed to magazines, or affixed to the back of a credit card when it comes in the mail).
I figured these minor adjustments would leave me with a like-new track pad to use for many more years.
I figured wrong. .
Be careful! Even with care, it seems that some of these trackpads (like mine) are easily damaged during teardown. There was no evidence of any damage while I was tearing down, cleaning or putting it back together. I know my way around a soldering iron and this wasn't "my first rodeo".
Agree, don't pry at the bottom at all (don't do what the pic shows). The rest of the guide worked fine. In my case, the adhesive that holds the little rubber feet to the plastic cover has degraded and no longer really holds them allowing them to slip and "jam" the clicker until you slide it back. I used a very very small amount of glue to re-adhere it, so hopefully that lasts a while.
I didn't have issues with the chip coming off because I didn't use any excessive force. The key, folks, is to go slowly. I've got the full toolkit from iFixit, so I used the metal spudger to apply gentle slow pressure until the adhesive released.
This worked just fine for me. Mine was glued pretty tightly, but came up with a gentle pry.
no problem for me, except that the plastic tabs that clip the back in place broke off. but there's enough glue on it that it sticks right back on. amazed that such an expensive bit of kit fails like this so often. one small turn of the screw and it's working again. if you're reading this, Apple, just put a small hole to allow access to the adjustment screw.
This tore one of the circuit components off my the board :(. Notice one of the large black square in the image has a some glue on it and a corresponding imprint in the back of the white panel backing... glue trumped circuit in my lost oreo esque battle....
Yeah seriously, wtf? The picture shows you prying open the side that you're not supposed to be prying open.
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Use a T-6 or T-7 Torx bit to adjust the tightness of the little screw highlighted in red in the bottom-left corner of the device (top-down).
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If the right click works but the left click doesn't, you'll need to turn the screw clockwise.
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Note: right and left clicks are determined by the Trackpad top, not the view from the bottom as you are adjust the screw.
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If neither the right click nor left click work, turn it counter-clockwise if there is no movement at all, and clockwise if there is movement but it is too soft to click.
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I think I just killed my track pad.
I can see that it would work if you DON'T START FRONT THE BOTTOM.
The first picture in step clearly shows starting from the bottom including the retaining clip. I would suggest swopping the 2nd picture for the 1st. In fact detail the 1st picture.
It is my own fault for rushing.
The trackpad action on a laptop is infinitely better than this lash-up piece of hardware. Of course it is going to fail, but then I guess that if the idea for profit hungry Apple.
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Reverse the steps to put the plastic back on the bottom of the Magic Trackpad.
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Your Magic Trackpad should be as good and new and ready to use!
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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29 Comments
DO NOT DO THIS! My trackpad had the central chip glued STRONGLY to the plastic piece. Pulling off the plastic plate ripped the chip right off. My trackpad is now completely dead. I repeat: DO NOT DO THIS FIX! Your trackpad might not be glued, but I have ruined this thing.
Chris, I just did the same thing to mine and had the same result. I wish I'd read your warning first! Perhaps some heat at the center of the plastic backing would have helped release the adhesive from the chip/backing.
To anyone attempting this fix, if you feel anything in the center of the plastic back cover sticking, do not force it off. It might be possible to get a blade in there to slice through the adhesive, but it really didn't take much force at all for the chip to break free of the circuit board.
David -
I have updated the guide with your warning. I would recommend in the future not pulling anythng apart that could cause ripping. You'll notice the original instructions recommending cutting through the glue, not ripping it apart. Those recommendations were from a breakdown guide and have worked for multiple users. I myself have repaired trackpads 3-4 times following the above instructions.
I have also updated the difficulty to moderate from easy.
Great guide! It fixed my sticky left button! Thanks. I would suggest not prying from the bottom and just go around the edges.
Worked for me. iFixit metal spudger set helped with the prying and glue slicing. Before putting the plastic plate back in its glued position I drilled a small hole for accessing the T-6 adjusting screw - for after the fix fine tuning. Cheers. /criss
Nice tip about drilling a hole before reassembly! I took my time and it now works perfectly again.
Take care of the strong glue, and watch out the photo of step 2 that can be confusing.
Saying that, be patient, take your time -specially in the central area of the circuit- follow the instructions and voila!. I usually do not write comments but my magic trackpad was driving me crazy (I use it a lot for photograph purposes) and now IT'S BRAND NEW! Very happy! :)
Hi guys,
I just completed this guide on a track-pad with A LOT of glue, and it worked 100%! (But I was also extremely careful!)
To all of you guys being afraid of doing this. Don't be afraid. . Consider whether you are willing to take the risk, and can afford a new trackpad if you ruin it. . If you can, and are tired of your missing physical click. Just go ahead, but please be careful when removing all that glue.
I used:
- My thumb-nail
- An old credit-card
- a small utility knife with a long blade
Gently removed the yellow glue around the circuit-board with the credit-card. . hereafter gently using the utility-knife to remove the white glue on top of the micro-chip.
Hope the best for all of you trying to do this. It is not impossible - it just needs the gentle touch :)
Kasper
N.B. otherwise i guess this fix is more or less risk-free:
I followed the directions and mine is dead, not working at all.
Maybe I was just lucky but I have Just used the guide, without any special measure to avoid detaching chips etc, and it worked perfectly. I substituted optician's screwdrivers (flat and Phillips) for both tools, and used a flat metal paper knife at each side to GENTLY pry the thing apart, with only a little twist along the top edge needed. Screwed the little torq screw down, clipped it all back together, using the perfect result as I speak. No glue needed to reassemble, it went back together just fine. Many thanks - it was going in the bin until I thought to check this excellent site!
I just completed this fix and was very careful not to rip the chip off. I recommend going very slow and using a sharp knife to reach in and separate the glue, especially when you get to the chip in the very center.
As an alternative, the center of the screw in question is about 1/8" to the left of the "D" in "Developed by Apple...". If you use the sharp tip of a knife or a razor blade and very carefully twist a small 1/8" diameter hole, you'll reveal the screw, and you can gain access to adjust it without ever taking off the plastic backing, avoiding the risk of destroying the electronics. That's how I'd do it if I had to do it again.
Good luck!
my trackpad is busted too, now. the glue was highly adhesive and partially ripped the board out. the power still comes on but my trackpad is no longer recognized by my computer or my wife's computer. i'm !#^&@@ that i attempted this.
I carefully pried off the back and was OK. (Mine didn't have much glue plus I saw the other warnings.) The problem was that right-click (left as viewed from the back) clicked strong, right-click was weak. I ended up tightening the adjustment screw all the way.
Then I cleaned off the rubber pads on the back of the feet, shot canned air where it seemed like crud might lurk, squirted contact cleaner where it seemed right, and carefully ran the corner of a sheet of typing paper under the metal plate that appears to get distorted and snap back to produce the "click." Then I put the back, back on.
Right now everything works great.
I just fixed my left click rubber nipple which had become messed up in the pad using this guide..... it took ten seconds and I am back up and running....
thanks.
This is a good guide. It took me a few go's to get it working correctly, but I've had this annoying problem long enough that this fix is worth completing. (My left button would click and stick, not returning to top position). I've never had functionality of a 1-finger right click from the pad. I always hold CTRL + click from my old Mac days.
READ THIS BEFORE START!
Thanks for guide. I agree, first picture of step 2 is misleading. Pry along either sides of the track pad first, not the side with lettering which is referred to as the bottom(side away from the batteries). Do not pry panel more than 2-3 mm if you start from the bottom. Start at the 7 o'clock position and loosen panel in a counter clockwise direction lifting the lid no more than 1 cm. By the time you get to the 5 o'clock position the white panel should be mostly free but not fully open like the third picture in Step 2. Look underneath to make sure glue is not sticking to central chips. Then you can open lid up as shown in photo 3 of step 2.
This is a great guide and now my track works great again. Thanks.
But be warned Apple/Foxconn use some strong glue in this device.
I pried the top 1 cm of white cover up and placed a bamboo kebab stick across the whole width of the trackpad. Then slowly pulled down towards the bottom/front holding to both ends of the exposed kebab stick. After seeing how much glue is involved I would probably point a hairdryer at it for 10 min before starting next time.
This worked for me! Thanks so much. Saved me a trip to the Genius Bar!
I've done this - getting the plastic off was difficult, and I did break one of the retaining tabs despite reading the warnings. BE VERY CLEAR THAT THE RETAINING CLIPS ARE AT THE THIN END OF THE TRACKPAD THAT WILL BE NEAREST YOUR BODY WHEN USING IT - that is a lot clearer than "opposite the battery compartment". Anyway, I managed to get the thing apart without completely breaking it. The rubber feet have come unstuck, which is a bit annoying - everything else is glued so securely. Without the feet attached, my random click issue seemed to have gone away - however, you need the feet and the click to do certain operations such as dragging to select for a screen grab. Back to the drawing board.
When your TrackPad does not restore after clicking, probably one of the rubbers has gone lose. Follow this guide to open your trackpad. When it's open use glue to reattach the rubber. Wait a few minutes for the glue to dry and make sure you remove traces of glue. Close the trackpad and it's working again.
Couple extra tips: after carefully prying the edges open, (and with batteries removed!), insert some plastic inserts on 3 sides to keep the edges open. Place the trackpad on top of a coffee mug of steaming hot water, so that the apple logo is down towards the coffee mug. Wait 10 minutes. It should now be easier to cut the glue and carefully remove the bottom panel. Carefully dab away any water residue.
I was fighting with my keyboard and just about gave up until I came upon your suggested fix....AAAAnnnnnnnnddd it WORKED. Thank you so much.
Amazing. All done in less than 10. A cutter helps a bunch.