# Replacing Fallen-Off Key on Laptop Keyboard
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 3, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796 "2003-05-03T04:14:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/1 "2003-05-03T04:14:42Z")
Something heavy fell on my laptop keyboard and my H key fell off. I have the gray plastic face of the key and 2 small white plastic hinged pieces that fit together and over the rubber button and 4 metal contacts on the surface of the keyboard. Any ideas how to reassemble this? I see how the white plastic pieces fit together but not what keeps them attached to the keyboard surface.
Any help much appreciated!
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/2 "2003-05-03T04:29:37Z")
You will likely need a replacement keyboard for the unit or you can use a standard keyboard plugged into the rear of the unit’s keyboard/mouse combo port or USB port. When keys have snapped off in the manner you described, gluing it back and having it stay securely is not all that feasible. The KB needs to be replaced.
Ebay is the best place to look for notebook components.
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### Author:  [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/3 "2003-05-03T04:52:51Z")
What model computer is it?
I had the same happen to an IBM Thinkpad and couldnt put it back. Fortunately, it was a F10 key so it wasnt that much of a deal. However, an old Toshiba had keys which were a snap to put on.
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### Author:  [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/4 "2003-05-03T05:05:05Z")
It’s a Sony VAIO. None of the pieces actually broke, and it doesn’t look like it needs to be glued, just that it snaps back in somehow that I can’t quite figure out. I can get the hinged assembly back together on the surface of the keyboard, or I can get it back together on the back of the keyface, but I can’t get the leverage to get all 3 things hooked back together. Does that make sense?
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### Author:  [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/5 "2003-05-03T05:08:53Z")
**D Marie** - I feel for you - the same thing happened to mine, except in my case my kitty took out a pawful of keytops centered around “[”.
[My story.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160528)
[Service manual](http://support.ap.dell.com/docs/systems/latc640/sm_en/keyboard.htm) for the keyboard on my laptop - yours may be similar or you can search for your model number in Google.
Even Dell admits this is not a fun task:
> [@](#):
>
> The keycaps on the keyboard are fragile, easily dislodged, and time- consuming to replace. Be careful when removing and handling the keyboard.
No sh\*t, Michael…
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### Author:  [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/6 "2003-05-03T05:59:11Z")
After twenty minutes plus of messing with it, I (with my limited mechanical ability :)) managed to grasp how the plastic assembly worked and got the key snapped back into place as it should be.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh
Thanks guys!!
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/7 "2011-06-21T12:58:18Z")
Well, I’ve watched my dept sysop do it twice (accompanied by a fair bit of swearing) and, even so, I don’t think I could do it. So congrats.
Why do they make it so hard? It used to be trivial to replace keys that came off. The first time this happened to me I pried off a dirty key, not realizing how hard it would be to replace. The second time, it was an accident.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/8 "2011-06-21T13:28:51Z")
Reported post 7, from new user ALDEN, as spam.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/9 "2011-06-21T15:14:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> Reported post 7, from new user ALDEN, as spam.
[moderating]
Since I killed the post (and banned ALDEN), **Hari Seldon** ’s perfectly innocent post is now number 7.
[/moderating]
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### Author:  [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-fallen-off-key-on-laptop-keyboard/172796/10 "2011-06-21T15:30:39Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> When keys have snapped off in the manner you described, gluing it back and having it stay securely is not all that feasible. The KB needs to be replaced.
This isn’t necessarily true. There are places out there that sell replacement keys for laptops. It may cost you 5-10 bucks for a single key but it’s better than having to replace the entire keyboard. For example, [here](http://www.replacementlaptopkeys.com/). I obviously have no connection to that site but I do know someone who bought a key from there and was happy with it.