following keys stopped working: Esc, 1, Q, A, and Z.

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following keys stopped working: Esc, 1, Q, A, and Z.

I have a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021, M1 Pro). It worked normally for about 13 days. There was no liquid spill, no water exposure, and no obvious physical damage.

Then the following keys stopped working: Esc, 1, Q, A, and Z.

When pressed on their own, these keys do not work at all. However, they do respond when pressed together with another key. For example, they may work with Shift or when another key is pressed at the same time.

The Mac has already been reset, but the issue remained. An external keyboard works normally.

There are no obvious signs of liquid damage: no clear corrosion, no sticky residue, and no visible water traces. Because of that, this looks more like a keyboard matrix / internal hardware fault than liquid damage.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? What was the cause, and how was it fixed?

Posted on Mar 3, 2026 12:17 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

145,323 points

Mar 3, 2026 6:20 AM in response to Vic_tor

<< Then the following keys stopped working: Esc, 1, Q, A, and Z. >>

<< this looks more like a keyboard matrix / internal hardware fault than liquid damage.>>

I agree completely. Those keys are in the same slightly diagonal 'column" corresponding to a land on the printed overlays under the keys on the keyboard.

These keyboards are generally not repairable, and would need to be replaced. If you have had this in your possession for only a few days, you should try to return it as defective.

In general, the repair part is the keyboard/trackpad/battery/top plate assembly, complete. This means a keyboard repair-by-replacement from Apple is not cheap.

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Answer 2

Vic_tor Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 4, 2026 1:03 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

An interesting fact, I took it to the service, the service reconnected the keyboard ribbon, and everything worked as before

What can explain this phenomenon? I find it hard to believe that such a technological gigant as Apple, there may be problems with connecting the ribbon. However, I found on the Internet a case when such helped.

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following keys stopped working: Esc, 1, Q, A, and Z.

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