Administrator Updated on February 21, 2023 The Apple Magic Trackpad can be useful for your Mac but spills and dirt on it can quickly ruin the user experience. If you want to continue using your Mac smoothly, clean its trackpad immediately when something like this happens. Here’s how to clean it properly.
The touchpad or mousepad on the MacBook or MacBook Pro is called the "trackpad". It also has associated buttons referred to by Apple as the “trackpad buttons” and they serve the same function as a mouse. You can use the trackpad to move the cursor and trackpad buttons to select the on-screen options.
Dust, debris or other particles, oil, crumbs, fingerprints, moisture, etc. may accumulate over time on the trackpad and button surfaces. Dirt can hinder the functionality of these parts, so they should be cleaned regularly.
Fortunately, maintaining the appearance and cleaning your Mac trackpad is a simple and fast habit to develop. You can clear out debris and dust from every part of your MacBook and keep it fresh and new.
Today, I'll guide you through the steps you need to clean your Mac trackpad.
Cleaning Mac Trackpad
Mac trackpad is the part that needs the most cleaning. Follow the steps below to clean your Mac trackpad
- Detach your MacBook from the power cable and other gadgets like pendrive, external keyboard etc.
- Now rinse a lint-free, smooth, microfiber cloth in water. Use distilled water for better results.
- Wipe the trackpad gently using the cloth and by moving up-and-down and side-to-side.
- You can lightly spray water on the cloth too. Wipe the trackpad till it feels almost dry to the touch.
- Wipe the trackpad button, as well as the seams around it and the pad.
- To clear any residual moisture, wipe these areas again with a dry cloth. Wet hands, condensation, and humidity are natural sources of moisture.
Do not directly apply water to your device. You need to apply it on the cloth first and then use the cloth. In a support text, Apple states that solvents, aerosol sprays, and abrasives can never be used.
You can keep a bottle of distilled water and a soft, lint-free cloth close to your desk for convenience. If you use distilled water instead of tap water, you can avoid the deposits that are found in tap water.
Disinfecting Mac Trackpad
Disinfecting means cleaning with a disinfectant to destroy bacteria. disinfecting is also important while cleaning the trackpad and it provides health safety. Follow the given steps to disinfect your Mac Trackpad
- Disconnect all the accessories and the power cable from your MacBook.
- Clean the trackpad gently with a disinfectant wipe. Do not use bleach. You can wipe your Mac keyboard also but don’t use excess liquid for that.
- Rinse a microfiber cloth in water.
- Then wipe the same region with the cloth.
- Lastly, dry the region with another dry microfiber cloth.
Lysol Wipes or Clorox Kitchen Disinfecting Wipes are recommended by Apple.
Some important notes you need to know before disinfecting or cleaning your Mac trackpad
- Bleach-containing disinfectant wipes should not be used.
- To clean the place, do not use a disinfectant wipe that is too wet or too damaged. If you come across a very wet wipe, pinch it to extract some of the extra liquid before using it.
- Don’t allow the liquid of the wipe to get dry on the area that you are disinfecting. Quickly clean before drying.
- To dry the place, avoid using rough towels or cloths.
- When disinfecting or cleaning the area around the trackpad, do not use too much force; this may damage the pad or buttons.
Summary: Clean Mac trackpad
- Once the trackpad is clean, go to System Preferences.
- Once in System Preferences, go to Trackpad.
- In the Trackpad window that just opened, look for the Tracking slider in the Tracking section.
- If you use a Bluetooth or wireless mouse, this can affect your computer's ability to recognize its own trackpad, so make sure your mouse is turned off.
- If everything else fails, try removing the trackpad cable and reinserting it with firm but even pressure.
