Keyboard · 2 minutes
Does every key register, exactly once?
Press each key in turn. A key that lights up green worked, and a key that never lights is dead. A key that turns red registered twice inside the time a switch bounces — far faster than anyone can press deliberately — which is how a scissor mechanism fails before it stops working altogether.
Keys tested
0 / 76
Held at once
—
Bouncing
none
Stuck
none
Keys that will never light up
fn
Handled in firmware and never sent to a browser on any platform. It is excluded from the count — otherwise every working keyboard would look faulty.
F1 – F12
macOS takes these for brightness and volume before the page sees them. Hold fn while pressing them and they arrive normally.
Touch ID
Deliberately sends nothing to web pages. Test it in System Settings → Touch ID & Password instead.
caps lock
Apple adds a small delay to stop accidental triggers, and macOS reports it as held for as long as the light is on. A quick tap may not register — hold it for about a fifth of a second. It is exempt from the stuck-key check for the same reason.
US vs UK / EU
A European board has one more key than a US one, left of Z, and a taller return. Pick the layout that matches the machine in front of you, or that extra key will sit untested forever on a keyboard that is completely fine.
How did the keyboard behave?
Worth buying alongside it
Warranty-backed alternatives and the accessories most Macs arrive missing
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