Do Not Use Keyboard Covers Or Camera Covers With Your MacBook

Those thin keyboard covers you can get for your MacBook may look like a good idea, but they can break your MacBook. Also avoid camera covers and screen protectors.

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Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Let me tell you why you should never use a keyboard cover or camera cover with your MacBook. 
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Now if you have a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro you may be tempted to get a keyboard cover for it to protect the keys. To keep them clean and protect them from spills. But this is something you should definitely NOT do. Here's what some of these keyboard covers look like. They are made of very thin flexible material that fits perfectly over the keyboard and they protect the keyboard. Of course any dirt that gets on them you can just remove it and the keyboard underneath is perfectly clean. These things are so thin, in fact, that it seems that you can just close the MacBook and keeps the keyboard cover right there. So it is just always on. They are extremely cheap and often come for free when you buy other products as a little add on or gift. 
But you should definitely never use these. Apple recommends against it. The internet is filled with stories of people that have broken their expensive MacBooks because they have used these. 
The problem is that MacBooks have very little space between the keyboard and the screen when you close it. Remember MacBooks are extremely thin, not just the MacBook Air but the MacBook Pro as well. One of the ways they can be extremely thin is not having a lot of wasted space when you close it between the screen and keyboard. So when you add a layer of material, even if it seems to be super thin, it's actually putting pressure between the keyboard and the screen. Now this may not break your MacBook the first time you close it. But that tiny little bit of pressure can add up over time or there could just be a time when the keyboard cover is a little bit off where it is supposed to be and it puts on extra pressure on the screen. This is what we usually see happening. It's the screen that breaks, not the keyboard. The screen either develops flaws in it or some of the circuitry behind it fails. This could happen right away or it could take months or even years. In fact, many people could use the keyboard cover like this the entire time they have the MacBook and not have a problem. But that doesn't mean they are not taking a risk the entire time. 
The proper way to use these, and some of them even put this warning in there, is to remove it each time you close your MacBook. But this is going to be very difficult to remember to do 100% of the time. Even if you do it's probably going to limit how you use your MacBook. You are probably not going to open and close it as frequently as you would if you didn't have the cover there. Plus, of course, then you have to find a way to put the keyboard cover into something and transport it along with your MacBook and then put it back on every time you use it. It is just not a very practical thing to use these things and remove them each time you close the MacBook. 
Yes, in addition to lots of horror stories online of people that have broken their MacBook screens, you're going to find some stories of people that say they have used these and have never had any problem. So it's  basically a risk factor. Using one doesn't guarantee your screen is going to break but it definitely not worth the risk. As a matter of fact Apple is very specific in recommending against this. You can see on this page here they simply say just never close your MacBook with the cover on.
Now the reason people want these is to prevent spills from getting onto the keyboard and keeping the keyboard clean. For preventing spills you've just got to have the rule where you just can't have open liquid near the keyboard. Either keep them away or use water bottles that won't spill if they accidentally tip over. To keep your keyboard clean you should follow Apple's recommendation which is basically to shake it and to spray it with compressed air. On this same page it says it is okay to use disinfectant wipes. But the one thing that you'll find Apple is pretty consistent about is never to spray any kind of liquid directly on any surface, whether it is the screen or the keyboard. Always put it on the cloth and then use the cloth to wipe things down. 
I'd say if you have trouble keeping your keyboard clean think about cleaning it frequently. In other words using a good dry fine cloth and wiping it everyday with that dry cloth instead of just waiting for it to build up. Of course a really good strategy is to keep your hands clean. If you keep your hands clean then the keyboard will stay clean. For most people this probably isn't an issue. If you work in a dirty environment, like a mechanic shop or art studio or something like that, then you may just need to get in a habit of washing your hands more often before using the keyboard. This, of course, is a little more work on your part but it is a lot less risky than any other strategy of keeping your keyboard clean. If you're in a really dirty environment, a factory or shop or something like that, then you may want to consider getting a cheap external bluetooth or USB keyboard and using that when you are there and let that keyboard get dirty knowing that if you clean it and break it it is cheap to replace and then don't touch the MacBook's keyboard until you are in a cleaner environment. 
Now let's talk about camera covers. Camera covers are a thing that covers the MacBook's camera. The idea is privacy. Nobody can use the camera to spy on you when it is covered. These things are really thin and they just kind of fit over there and you slide it back and forth to cover the camera and uncover the camera. But the thing is these have the same risk, if not more, than the keyboard cover. They put a little pressure between the top of the screen where the camera is and the keyboard or trackpad, really, that is that part of the bottom of the MacBook. They can break the screen very easily. In fact the same page at the Apple's site is talking about avoiding camera covers as well. Apple has this additional page warning you about ever closing your MacBook with a camera cover on. 
The truth is you don't need a camera cover. That green light next to your camera is hardwired into it. The camera can't be used without that green light being on. In addition your MacBook will also indicate if your camera is being used in the Menu Bar. Movies and TV shows have made us a little paranoid about people spying on us using the camera in our MacBook. But realize this simply is not the case.
Now another thing people sometimes do is they put a cloth or sheet between the keyboard and the screen when they close their MacBook. In other words they are purposely putting it there only when they close the screen. The idea here is to prevent the little mark the keys can leave on the screen. But think about it. If the keyboard is that close that it is leaving little marks on the screen imagine adding a little bit of extra material. How much extra pressure is going to be put on that screen. Definitely don't do this! Those marks are usually left there because you close the MacBook and you're kind of holding it tightly and pressing the screen against the keyboard. So try to be careful when carrying it. But also you can just wipe those marks off the screen. Apple has instructions on that same page about cleaning your products as to how to clean the screen. They recommend water only! Applied to just dampen a lint free cloth and then using that to clean the screen. If you do have those marks and you think they are annoying, think about how much more annoying it is going to be if your screen breaks completely. The basic rule is to never put anything in your MacBook when you close it. A keyboard cover or a camera cover has to be removed 100% of the time every time you close it. So it's just not worth the risk to use them at all. 
Hope you found this useful. Thanks for watching.

Comments: 13 Responses to “Do Not Use Keyboard Covers Or Camera Covers With Your MacBook”

Roy Pembroke

10 months ago

I have used keyboard covers for years with no adverse effect. There have been benefits in keeping dust and other domestic rubbish out of the keys. I remember seeing a man’s distress when a cup of coffee was spilled over his laptop keyboard!

Sheldon

Thanks bunches for the great information. I will take your advice as always. I was thinking of the purchase of a new MacBook Air

Joel

Gary, as always, excellent video.

On a previous MacBook, I used a silicon keyboard cover. I never removed it and, as a result, I ended up with key marks on the screen from the silicon that I could not remove.

On my current MacBook, I use a similar silicon keyboard cover because I do not like getting oil from my hands on the keys. With this MacBook I do remove the keyboard cover every time I close the MacBook and purchased a sleeve with a pocket to the keyboard cover, works great!

Thx

indy

roy p, you are correct. and, as a very long term participant of MacMost I give Gary a window to alter his unusually biased headline. Then I'm gone. 'Do Not' is pathetic.

Gary Rosenzweig

indy: Sorry, I think "Do Not" is appropriate. It is my advice. You don't need to take it. If you wish to use one still, then my further advice is to be sure to remove it 100% of the time, no less, that you close your MacBook.

Art Busbey

Excellent advice. I have been telling people the same thing for years, especially once the units got to be so thin.

zadiemay

Gary, Thank you for this info. I have used keyboard covers for a long time, but usually I don't close my Mac book. I will now be careful! On your camera covers.... you state the only time your camera is active the green light is on... While I agree with some of that, on my iPhone the light does NOT come on when it is verifying who I am to unlock so there are times when those lights are NOT on. Until there is a way to physically verify a camera is not recording, I will not trust.

Peter

Excellent, as always! I have removed my keyboard cover today. I could see the pressure image on the screen!

Jane

Hi Gary, thanks for this. All good useful information. How do you recommend removing a camera cover without damaging the screen?

zadiemay: First, this is about the MacBook, not the iPhone. Also, when your iPhone is using FaceID to verify you, it is not using the camera. It is using the infrared camera instead. Also, if you do not trust your Apple hardware, then why are you using it for anything at all?

Jane: No sure what you mean. Have you stuck a camera cover on your MacBook? I suppose it would depend on how it is stuck there. I can't really recommend any specific way as: 1. I have never made the mistake of using a camera cover, so I have no experience, and 2. It probably depends on the cover and how it is attached.

MoodyRiver

Great advice, Gary. I've never used any kind of "cover" on any of the MacBooks I've owned...just not worth it. P.S. I do have to say though that Apple's insane obsession with "thinness" has caused more problems than it's solved.

jel888

9 months ago

Glad I didn’t put a camera cover on my new M3. I almost did, but didn’t like that it was large. I have one on my M1 iMac though and wonder should I remove it.