MacBook Pro (15" with Touch Bar) Keyboard Clicking/Sticking When Machine is Warm

I noticed the same clicking but as some other commenter wrote mine is limited mostly to the O (not zero) key. Sometimes the T and the E does click too. Always only if it is warm. Doesn't need to be hot, more than handwarm is enough.

Apple is really pushing my limit with this machine: Touchbar icons missing partially sometimes, bad wifi connection when using the Apple USB-C to USB-A dongle while having a USB stick connected, now this and i'm still not 100% sold on the touch bar feeling. Most stuff will hopefully be resolved with software updates but i don't want to pay 3000 euros to send my mac in after using it for a month because some glue or whatever in the keyboard gets too warm... 😠

@xalypio, I'm sorry to hear you've had this issue too. Please make a post on the Macrumors thread we have as well, to help make this issue more well known: http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-macbook-pro-issue-high-pitched-keyboard -clicking-sound.2022399/.

I agree, I'm pretty disappointed. These new machines look amazing, but they appear to be riddled with these issues which really make them hard to fully love.

Hi,

Same problem here with a 13'' 2016 MacBook Pro With TouchBar. The "A" key is making a clicky noise only when the Macbook gets warn.

I had a rendez-vous with genius last week, but we could not hear the clicky noise because the Macbook was cold... the genius told me that he can't just remove the key and verify, he have to replace all the keyboard.

Very disappointed for a new very expensive laptop !

I don't know if I could not just try myself to remove the key carefully and check it myself... Someone already try to remove the key and see what happened ?

@cyayon, thanks for posting. Sorry to hear you're having issues too. Thanks for posting on the Macrumors thread as well.

mbezzo on Macrumors was brave enough to remove the key him/herself. They found that tapping the underlying mechanism a few times might resolve the issue. Here's their post: http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-macbook-pro-issue-high-pitched-keyboard -clicking-sound.2022399/page-2#post-2412…

Same here on macbook pro 13" with touch bar 😟 . I get sticky keys, first it was "enter" key, now it's always the "u" key every time i open my macbook next morning after the DJ gig. Also i got it during the gig after leaving mac open and running for the whole evening on stage. So it means, i guess, that even when computer is cooled a little in sleep mode, you still get that. You can kinda fix it by taking some sharp blade, placing in every gap of the key, moving the key a little, blowing in it and clicking few times. When laptop is cooled of course.

BUT
Such a failure from Apple. As i see now, this problem is widespread between new macs, so seems that they stress-tested it not enough and released the bad production. MacBook Pro users are the ones that will always heat them up. But they pay big money to have reliable product.
Looking forward for a nice move from Apple: release of new keyboards and free replacement for everyone who gets that.

Has anyone found some sort of a solution for this yet? I am too scared to physically pry off the key. And knowing my luck I would snap they key and there I sit. The sounds is only coming out of my b key. If anyone has heard anything let me know. It's driving me nuts! It makes me sick to pay 2500 bucks for a computer that is freaking gorgeous. And it has something this stupid for a problem.

I'm having this issue too with my W key. It's very annoying and disappointing Apple can't come up with a decent keyboard that doesn't have issues. Especially when it's a $3K laptop. I think the quality is slipping and this will likely be the last Mac I buy. Whoever signed off on this model should be let go. It's all around disappointing compared to what you can get for your money elsewhere. If I'm within the return period, I will also by taking mine back.

Hey guys so I have to tell you about my experience at the Apple Store tonight. For one I purchased my 15" MBP w/ Touchbar on 1/3/17. I purchased the base model with the touchbar. I was getting nasty high pitched clicks from the b v c ; ' keys when my computer got nice and warm. SO anyway, I went in there tonight and told them that I needed to be seen and didn't have an appointment and explained to them what was going on with the computer. They told me that I had to wait 2.5 hrs to be seen!!! So I figured I would use this time to get my computer nice and warmed up so I could show them what happens. The guy listen to it and said he would be back in a minute. Well after about what felt like 10 minutes he came back out and explained that I was past my 14 day return policy and normally they would have to send the computer out. But they were gonna just go ahead an swap it out and give me a new one. (And this is why I love Apple. AMAZING customer service.) They swapped it out and actually swapped out my iPad Pro as well too. That has a speaker that crackled. So I bring this thing home set it up and run it through the paces to get it nice and warm. I start checking keys and NO CLICKS!! But my L key I wasn't always registering when I hit it. And then I Would hit it and once and lll (three l's) would happen. I was ******! so I viciously hit the key about 20 times really fast. And I am not sure but I think it straightened it out. It is working normal now and I haven't had any issues with it for about the last hr. Fingers crossed this fixed it. But I will say this, the butterfly keyboard needs a few kinks that need to be worked out. The computer is absolutely beautiful. The display is gorgeous. The battery does not last anywhere near 10 hrs, the touchbar is pretty cool but I never really use it. I think it will eventually evolve to something amazing, but its not that amazing at the moment. If anyone is thinking about swooping up one of these machines my advice to them would be WAIT! Its a great machine but wait until apple improves this keyboard.

i have exactly same issue. whenever the machine is heat up, the high pitched noise appears and when machine is cool or powered off, there is no high pitched noise at all.

this is so annoying.

i have been told to return the machine, but i fear the new machine will be worse, or have more keys have high pitched noise.....

what should i do ...

I have the same issue. My 'T' key makes the sticky clicking sound when the machine heats up. I'm outside the return period and I use my machine for work so I don't want to have to send it out for repair.

Same issue. I have MBP touchbar 15 inch with 2.9ghz processor, Radeon 460 graphics, 1TB HD. I had the issue on just the ';' key on the first one I received, took it to the apple store, they sent it for repair. A week later I got an email from the repair depot saying they don't have the parts so they are building a new one and sending it out. That took another week to arrive. I finally sat down to set it up after returning from travel, and guess what? Same issue plus more problems! There's the 'snap' noise from at least the 'F' and 'G' keys, but now the touch id sensor feels loose and kind of sticks to my finger, and there's a slight 'scraping' sound coming from the lower right side of the macbook (hard drive?) when it's working. ***?

I'm a software engineer so I spend A LOT of time on my laptop; these noises slowly drive me mad when I'm working in quiet at home. It's like a drippy faucet or a ticking clock. From a $3500 laptop I don't expect this feeling of cheapness and low build quality, and it doesn't inspire confidence in its longevity. It's a shame because the machine is otherwise great. The feel of the keyboard is much better than previous models in my opinion.

I guess I'm gonna roll the dice and try another return, but I hope it can a quicker process this time. I really can't afford to lose another 2 weeks of productivity.

I had the same issue. I went through 4 computer and all have the same issue. This last computer I got the issue is with the right and zero key. So I figured this is just an issue for now and hopefully later on the have a repair program of some sort. But since I use my letter keys way more than my number keys I figured I would just accept it and improvise. So I guess keep trying until you find one where just the number key do it? Lol. 2500 after taxes for that???

Exact same issue. I'm beyond the 14-day return period and I'm absolutely frustrated having paid this amount of money for something that's SO low quality. What is going on Apple?! Seriously!

I don't know what to do as I'm so dependant on my computer at work (running my own company)...

So I was outside my 14-day return period but the Apple Store made an exception considering my story about it being a known issue, and my work needs.

First exchange I was told if the new one still had the issue it would need to go for repair. Brought it home and it has the same issue except on even more keys (T,R,S,enter). Called the manager and he agreed to let me bring it back.

Second exchange I tested it in the store and after getting it warmed up several keys have the issue including the number row, apostrophe, and X. Demonstrated that to the manager and he's like I've done all I can and the next step is to send for repair. I declined because I have to line up a temporary replacement for work before I can send it off. So I brought that one home.

Tried to make the point that I had just shown that two new machines unboxed at the store on the same day have this issue, and if anything I did a service by keeping those machines out of customers' hands, and basically I absorb the frustration. Yet here I am with a wasted day and a machine that is worse than the one I brought in in the morning.

This ordeal is challenging to say the least. Guess I have no other option other than to send it in, even though other commenters here have had poor results with that path.

I wonder if Colorado just got a really large inventory of bad machines.

I'm now on my 3rd machine with the same issues on different keys, in addition to kind of wobbly touch id sensor/button (the touch id thing is minor but in my mind still broken for such an expensive machine; apple apparently has an internal repair kit for just this issue). I'm thinking this is just the way these machines are.

I don't know what else to do at this point. It seems like a masochistic exercise to try to replace again, so I'm inclined to just return it, yet I require a macbook for my work. Maybe I'll try a non-touchbar variant or just grin and bear it. Idk. Bummer that those who need a new machine now get to be the beta testers for the next generation of MBPs.