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Keyboard not working on MacBook Air (M2) 2022

My Air is only a few weeks old and all of a sudden the keyboard stopped working. An external keyboard works (USB-C connection and bluetooth), but the internal keyboard is non-responsive except for the power button. I ran diagnostics and everything reports back okay. I went through the Apple suggestions - slow keys isn't checked, the correct keyboard input is selected, etc. Software is up today. Is the quality really suffered that much? First, my two year old MacBook Pro dies ((display went out and it was $$$ to fix it despite it being a clear displaygate problem -- all of the textbook symptoms were met) ) and now a few weeks old M2 Air is not working? Any suggestions on fixes other than trying to find an open slot in the Genius Bar? Disappointing to say the least. Thanks in advance.

MacBook Air

Posted on Nov 4, 2022 9:53 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 6, 2022 12:37 PM

Hello thespigels,


Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

If we understand your post correctly, the keyboard on your MacBook Air M2 isn't working. We'd like to help!


Let's try the steps below:


"You may have accidentally set an option that changes how your keyboard operates.

  • Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Accessibility  in the sidebar, then click Keyboard on the right. (You may need to scroll down.) Make sure Slow Keys is turned off. If Slow Keys is on, you must press and hold a key longer than usual before it’s recognized.
  • Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Pointer Control on the right. (You may need to scroll down.) Make sure Mouse Keys is off.
  • Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard  in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Click Edit next to Input Sources on the right, then turn on “Show Input menu in menu bar.” Open the Input menu, then make sure the correct keyboard layout is selected."


If your Mac doesn’t respond to key presses


If the keyboard is not responding after following the steps above then we recommend contacting Apple Support directly.

Get Support


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!






Similar questions

46 replies

Dec 1, 2023 9:28 AM in response to thespigels

MacBook Air m2, 2022. Keyboard has suddenly stopped working. Tried all the solutions I could find on internet but nothing is working. This is really bad on part of apple. Bought such a costly laptop and it's useless in a year. mine is out of warranty and I don't want to spend a fortune again to get it fixed. Did anyone find any other solution?


Dec 1, 2023 9:34 AM in response to sukhman26

sukhman26 wrote:

MacBook Air m2, 2022. Keyboard has suddenly stopped working. Tried all the solutions I could find on internet but nothing is working. This is really bad on part of apple. Bought such a costly laptop and it's useless in a year. mine is out of warranty and I don't want to spend a fortune again to get it fixed. Did anyone find any other solution?


So have you tried the suggestions posted earlier in this thread, like booting into Safe Mode to see if anything changes?


I'd recommend, if nothing seen in this thread earlier helps, bringing it in to the Genius Bar and let an Apple technician take a look. For sure, your keyboard should NOT have failed, and it's not a common issue. It could be an inadvertent Setting change...or simply something a Safe Mode restart fixes.

Dec 1, 2023 9:48 AM in response to MacMikeInOK

Oddly, I've had more luck just restarting than restarting in safe mode. (In the sense that sometimes a restart fixes it, sometimes it doesn't. The two times I restarted in safe mode did not help.)


When a restart doesn't work, sometimes a system reinstall does. (Worked twice, didn't once.) The time it didn't, the next software update fixed it. For a while. But when it quit working again a restart worked.


FWIW, the one time I took it to the genius bar they couldn't figure anything out, wanted to send it in for repairs. I couldn't be without my computer that long, so I limped along with an external keyboard and mouse until a system update fixed it for a while.


I too am unimpressed by the MB Air m2 2022...

Dec 29, 2023 1:32 AM in response to thespigels

We gifted a M2 MBA 13" to our grandson for college in July 2022. By August 2023 he could no longer use the keyboard. Apparently the keyboard issue had been intermittent for the prior six months but he never said anything while it was under warranty. We bought him a M2 MBA 15" as a result and I took over the 13". After leaving the MBA powered off for a few days, I was able to power it up to do a factory reset in recovery mode. Since that time the keyboard has worked flawlessly but the keyboard backlight does not. Considering that there are no further issues with MBA and the method that was used to restore the keyboard that Apple may have a firmware issue.

Jan 8, 2024 3:25 PM in response to thespigels

Hey there,

I just had a similar thing happen to me with my new macbook but I fixed it! Even when I plugged in an external keyboard, I couldn't type in my password, so I tried starting it up in safe mode (holding down the power button while starting up). From there I reinstalled the macOS (for some reason I could type my password here with the external keyboard). This then allowed the external keyboard to type in the password bar on the main login screen. After checking all the additional keyboard/mic settings everything was as it should be. I figured now I was logged in I could at least do a back-up, then a full factory reset of the Macbook. The factory reset seems to have fixed it!

Keyboard not working on MacBook Air (M2) 2022

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