option key stuck (not physically)

basilgg wrote:

To disable the internal keyboard now, copy paste this into the Terminal application on your mac:

sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyb oard.kext/

It will prompt you for your password and give you an error message, but it will disable the keyboard (on OS 10.8 and 10.10, at least).

Your keyboard should be off. Now- do the first step in System Preferences where we set the Option key to No Action.

Now we can turn the internal keyboard back on by typing this into terminal:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyb oard.kext/

Well, basilgg, you are a genius! Your solution worked perfectly for me. My keyboard behaved like the alt button were constantly pressed down: typing asdf, I would get åß∂ƒ. Probably it is a hardware problem. But your solution saved me to repair my otherwise perfectly functioning Macbook Air. Thanks!

By the way, I avoided using a usb keyboard, I didn't have one. Essentially, by copy and pasting each letter of the phrase "option key stuck", I managed to find this post on the web. Then, I copied-and-pasted your commands in the terminal application.

well, this helped me too.. but after restarting my mac, the problem still exists. now, I can login without issue and use external usb keyboard, and when i see keyboard modifier option, the option key is disabled. However, I still can't type with inbuilt keyboard. I tried turning off default keyboard but it returns some kind of error. If you could help please, it would be great.

Thanks for this info (Even though this appears to be old) - I had the same issue and it appears resetting the NVRAM did the trick... It's still early on, but having positive results so far, so haven't continued on to the SMC yet. If something fixes the problem permanently I want to be able to identify what fixed my issue 😉. Anyway, thanks again for the useful info.

So a few days ago I got home from work and my keys were acting like the option key was being held down. I ended up getting locked out of my computer because I reset my computer then wasn't able to log back into my Macbook Pro because the keys were still all goofed up. I put my computer in recovery mode and was able to somehow reset my password and get logged back in. I tried to disable the option key button but this didn't help. I went to bed defeated.

Then today at work I was complaining to my coworker about the situation. He had mentioned that he had once spilled an entire beer on his computer keyboard and had ended up taking all of the keys off of the keyboard and wiping down the spaces below the key covers with Isopropyl alcohol. When I got home my laptop was dead and I did exactly what he had told me and wiped off the underneath all of the key covers. I plugged my laptop back in and started typing....and it ******* worked. I have no clue how but it worked.

Hope this will at least help someone else!

Give this a try to see what happens:

Preferences/Keyboard/Keyboard/Modifier Keys. Put "no action" for Option key. It might get you through for a while.

First, try resetting the PRAM and the SMC and see if it worked. Those resets will restore some settings to factory status

Try starting OS X into safe mode, holding the Shift key while your Mac is starting. Can you type now correctly? Also, could you start into safe mode?

In that case, it's a hardware problem. Take the Mac to an Apple Store or reseller to see what happens to your keyboard. Did you spill liquid in the computer in the past?

Sorry for not being able to fix your problem, but the fact that you couldn't start into safe mode indicates a hardware problem

Does the Air have a USB port (I imagine it does but I don't have one to look at)? On my old Macbook Pro I can connect a USB keyboard and use it, even for logging in.

WanjaBerlin wrote:

I'll try to remove and clean the option keys...

Good luck, but it really sounds like the kind of damage that needs professional repair/replacement.