Fix MacBook Pro Space Key Stuck Problem

Introduction

Recently, I encountered a weird problem with my MacBook Pro where the space key would get stuck and keep repeating the space character. Because of this, I could not even shut down the computer normally, not to mention doing any work with it. To cease the problem, I would have to force shut down the computer by holding the power button for a few seconds, which was really annoying.

In this blog post, I would like to share how I root caused the problem and how I fixed it.

Fix MacBook Pro Space Key Stuck Problem

At first, I thought the brand new MacBook Pro was problematic somehow. But an interesting phenomenon was that the problem only happened to my MacBook Pro when I was at the company. Even after powering down the computer and restarting it, the problem would still occur from time to time. However, when I took the computer home, the problem would never happen. This suggests that the problem is not likely due to the hardware of the computer itself, but rather something in the environment at the company that is causing the problem.

It turns out that the problem is caused by the Bluetooth connection between my MacBook Pro and my Bluetooth keyboard. I have an unused Bluetooth keyboard at the company that I have paired with my MacBook Pro, and the Bluetooth keyboard was in a box on the floor due to a recent office move. There were a few items on the top of the Bluetooth keyboard, and they were pressing the keys of the Bluetooth keyboard, which caused the space key to get stuck and keep repeating the space character. Probably because the space key is the largest key on the keyboard, it is more likely to get pressed by the items on top of the Bluetooth keyboard.

After I disconnected the Bluetooth keyboard from my MacBook Pro, the problem was fixed immediately.

Conclusions

In conclusion, it was not a hardware problem of the MacBook Pro, but rather a problem caused by the Bluetooth connection with the Bluetooth keyboard.