How to Clean a MacBook Screen and Keyboard Safely

Cleaning a MacBook is mostly about what you don't do — the wrong cloth or a spray of household cleaner can leave permanent marks on the display or seep into the keyboard. Here's a safe routine for the screen, keys, and body, plus how to keep the machine from typing while you work.

What you'll need

• A soft, lint-free microfiber cloth (two, ideally — one slightly damp, one dry).
• Plain water, or a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe for a deeper clean of hard surfaces.
• A can of compressed air for crumbs between the keys.

If your Mac has a nano-texture display, use only the dry polishing cloth Apple supplies with it — water and alcohol can damage that coating.

Before you start: lock the machine

Wiping a live keyboard types gibberish and wiping the trackpad clicks things. You don't have to shut down — lock the input instead. Mainspring's Clean Mode freezes the keyboard and trackpad for a set time and, handily, dims the screen to near-black so every smudge and fleck of dust stands out while you clean it:

1. Open Mainspring from your menu bar and choose Clean keyboard, or open the main window and find the Clean Mode card under Power.
2. The first time, macOS asks for Accessibility access — that permission is what lets an app intercept key presses and clicks. Click Open Accessibility Settings, switch Mainspring on, and try again. You only do this once.
3. Pick how long you need: 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes.
4. The screen dims to near-black and every keypress, click, and trackpad swipe is ignored. Wipe away.
5. Input comes back on its own when the timer ends — or hold Esc for about three seconds to finish early.

Cleaning the screen

Dampen a corner of the microfiber with water — never spray liquid onto the display. Wipe gently in one direction, then buff dry with the second cloth. Don't press hard, and don't use paper towels, which can scratch the coating.

Cleaning the keyboard and body

Hold the compressed air at an angle and blow dust from between the keys. Wipe the keys and the aluminium body with the lightly damp cloth, keeping moisture well away from the ports and speaker grilles. A 70% isopropyl wipe is fine on these hard surfaces per Apple's guidance.

What to avoid

• Window cleaner, bleach, ammonia, or any abrasive — they strip coatings.
• Spraying anything directly onto the Mac; always dampen the cloth instead.
• Getting moisture into any opening.
• Wiping a nano-texture display with anything but Apple's polishing cloth.