Thank you so much. I took my spacebar out to clean it but I was anxiously struggling to put it back on- seeing you do it easily and smoothly reassured me and I was then able to put it back. Works great!
Tried the 2nd solution on my Dell Latitude 5580! Thanks man this is an awesome easy fix! Also, to anyone else, when bending just bend it SLIGHTY and make sure it is the angle/arch position that he puts on it!
You're awesome and just saved me from having to go down to a comp store just to get my space bar replaced. Great video and instruction. Keep up the teaching man!!
OMG yes! I took off my spacebar to fix it like a normal key, then quickly realized I had no idea what to do with the retainers. Thank you for that last method, it really does "snap in" if it is all lined up. Thanks!!
Amazing fix dude... I did only the second part, also I have pressed a bit the wires (from the top) and the feel was 99% better! BUT the key fail on the sides, and to fix it, i just put a small piece of tape on the middle of the key, and now i got the key perfect feeling and work! thanks dude!
Thanks for the video! I wanted to put this comment out there since this video is quite old now, I have a dell inspiron 14 7435 2 in 1 laptop. it had a spacebar issue where it didn't feel right was kinda mushy and super, super sensitive. Barely had to touch it to activate the button. Anyways I took off the bottom and part one of this video does not apply to this model. the ribbon cable issue has apparently been fixed or just didn't apply to this model. However, part 2 of the video helped my fix the issue! I popped the plastic off just as instructed and bent the metal rods to give them an upward arch while they are laying down. I did both the top and bottom rods. First time I had bend the top one a little too much. Took it back off and made it less bent, put it back on and I'd say it's a 90% plus improvement. I don't even really notice it at all now. So here's another thank you for the video! Just wanted people know that at least part two of the video is still a relevant fix for an issue dell still apparently has. This computer has been like this since I got it, which was about a week ago, but it was an open box deal at best buy and I got a great price so I didn't want to return it. Maybe that's why it was returned in the first place!
thanks for the detailed explanation. My problem was that the spacebar would not register unless you hit it around the middle. If you tap the spacebar on the left or right sides, then it sometimes won't register. Your method #2 didn't quite work for me. I had to bent the rod towards the opposite direction (U -shape), which raises the key back up on the left and right side. Now the sides of the space bar register perfectly. On another note, I purchased a replacement keyboard from ebay that had the exact same problem right out of the box. Terrible design flaw by dell and/or their vendors.
This video was very helpful for me! My problem turned out to be a ballooning battery (now replaced!), but I still very much enjoyed this video. When Sam got to the second fix, where he adjusted the bend in the spacebar wire, I was saying aloud to myself “oh wow is he going to bend the wire? Oh he is! You cheeky man! That’s so clever!” I don’t know why, but the whole thing made me smile (in addition to being helpful).
can confirm that in 2019 dec 28 this video was helpful.. the bending of the metal bar was enough for me to fix it...also had to press the ribbons a bit down as they were sticking out and touching the metal bar too
Yo! The second method worked on a Lenovo yoga 6. You just saved me a lot of frustration. Many thanks. For those without a pry tool: a (medium strength) guitar pick also works if you have one handy.
thanks! I was trying to re-attach my space bar on a "Microsoft Wireless Sculpt Ergonomic" which has the same mechanism and your video helped a ton. ( I was trying to fix a similar issue on that space bar)
Method 2 kinda worked for XPS 15 9550. The bottom part of the keyboard was mushy like crazy and now its a lot better. However, its a little mushy still in the middle but I can live with it. The top part of the keyboard where it never needed a fix and how it should feel still feels fantastic as it should.... why Dell why. Perhaps I didn't bend the bar enough? I was a little conservative. But I didn't bend it anymore than the video. But thanks so much as it does feel a lot better!
I just tried method #2 and the middle is perfect now, but the left and right ends of the space bar are almost completely flush with the keyboard. edit: i followed Marc's option down below by reversing the bend so that middle is downward and left and right are upward, and it has resolved the entire spacebar! It's super clicky now.
X1 Carbon? I just bought a 5th gen X1C and the trackpad moves around a little in the frame and feels as if it isn't the right fit. I am thinking of doing this and tightening the screws to make it feel better. My brother has the same machine and his trackpad is fitted into its frame very tightly. Any suggestions?
OMFG thank you, i wasn't struggeling with bad keys, but i couldn't find out how to pop the space key back on to the laptop but this was really helpful thanks
A drunk guy trowed his drink on my keyboard and while I was trying to cleaning the keys from that sticky stuff, the spacebar became horrible. That video make me happy again. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!
Real helpful video! I only watched this so I could know how to open up the laptop safely. Then noticed my spacebar had the same issue as described in the video, the second method was super helpful. Do you know if its possible to tighten up the the hinges on the screen if it starts to feel loose ?
Thank you man. I spent the last few days to think how to solve this problem that drive me crazy. Anyway... It's a little bit hard to follow this procedure for some noob as me!
same thing here, for me it was the left and right sides of the space bar that dont work at all. the sollution was to bend slightly the two sides of the metal (inverse of what you do) and adding a thick double sided tape in the midle of the barr(tou "erase the trigger buton)
My spacebar didn't respond well at the bottom right, I had to press really hard down to get it to register. Bending the bottom metal bar so it archs up a bit, didn't help. Bending it to arch down didn't either. Then I swapped the bottom and top metal bars, and all seems fine now! Still not the greatest spacebar, the bottom is almost flush with the chassis. But at least it now sort of clicks and all presses get registered, no matter where I press on it, amazing! Thanks :)
Thanks. I'd recommend reseating the keyboard cable before sticking it back down. Have to get the cable to go all the way in to connect. Method 2 by itself was not enough I found.
I tried the second part, before I hadn't seen theplace that the little wires go. Thank you so much.My E1505 and I are very happy.Not 100% but a lot better. It just wouldn't do spaces. Halfthe timeis better than none. ;)
Thanks man! Fixing the wire brought my space bar back to life on my xps 13 9350. Before the fix, I would mash on the space bar to ensure it registered.
Hi Sam, thanks for the video. I've recently had a sticky 'W' key and removed it and cleaned the area. It didn't fix the problem unfortunately, but now I can't get the key back on. COuld you please do a video on how to replace the just a normal key (not the spacebar). It seems very complicated with two white plastic pieces. Thanks.
Is it necessary to remove the trackpad first? It looks like you should just be able to disconnect the main keyboard ribbon cable and then tighten the black adhesive cable.
Hi everyone, I just received my XPS 13 9343 with Windows 10. I had a similar 'mushy space bar' problem, but my issue was more about the left and right edges of the space bar not responding. The middle was fine. I followed Method 2, but it made it worse. So, I took it back off, and I reversed the bend on the metal bar so it bows downward in the middle, and up on the edges. I also 'massaged' the space bar key to bend it just slightly so it would do the same thing. (up on the left and right). It works 100% now all the way across. Also, to put it back in, I snapped the bar to the space bar key first, then hooked the bar into place, then snapped the rest down. That part probably doesn't matter, though. Hope this helps someone else.
+Marc Fouchi This worked for me as well. I did method 2 as well, and it had little to no impact on the issue. So I just flipped the bottom bar around (you don't need to rebend it, you can just reverse it) as you suggested, and that resolved it. It's not like... perfect, but it is good enough. And I don't have to live for like 3 weeks while i ship it off to Dell for repair or anything, so I am please.
i do exactly the same, and it dont work. il have to put a thing(thick double sided tape) in to the midle, for "rising" the small buton inside(the triger)
Hey I have the xps 13 9343 and my left arrow is reallysqueaky. Is removing the arrow key the same process. Would you suggest removing it and seeing what is wrong?
I used your directions to fix the totally useless spacebar on a brand new Dell XPS 9650. The disassembly was much more hairy than the laptop you do here: you need to remove damned near everything, including the motherboard. Disassembly directions for the 9650 can be found here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nvz7fcqzQDM.html Doing your part 1 made the spacebar almost good. Doing both parts made it nearly 100%. The far edges of the spacebar still don't work. I think that the bar itself is flexing too much. But it's good enough, yay! THANKS!
Hey.. When i watch videos on my laptop, video stops and resume automatically again and again as if i pressed space bar to pause it.. So can you help me out why this is happening.. And what should i do
can someone help me I tried cleaning my spacebar and it's not sticky anymore but it's uneven it only works if I press it on the middle but not when I press it on the very right or very left
I have the XPS 13 2016 and 2 days after i got it, the c key got "sticky". Apart from the fact that it is just sad to pay more then 1000 € for a notebook and then it has such obvious production errors, I need to remove at least the key. So my question is, if you can just remove the normal letter keys by prying them out, as shown in method 2. I would be glad if anyone could give me an answer quickly, because this is annoying but i don't want to break my keyboard by ripping out keys.
Yes, you can do method 2 for your c key to see if there is anything stuck under there. However, unlike the space bar, there are no metal support brackets underneath.
My spacebar also doesn't register if I hit it on the left and right sides. It only works if I hit it in a half or 3/4 inch area around the center. Did you experience this problem? I still have a warranty but Dell support said that this was "normal". I'm afraid trying your method because I will lose my warranty if I start fiddling with it.
Jesse Miller It seems to be a common problem due to a design fault. I recommend method 2 in the video because that is the easiest, quickest, and will not void your warranty.
Sam K Update: I used my warranty to get another xps 13 even though the guy I talked to at Dell said all laptops had this problem. The spacebar works perfectly now. If yours doesn't work and you still have a warranty, USE IT!
Since someone said it works on the latest XPS 15 9550, i did the exact same thing on my laptop (Method 2). However the space bar doesn't rebound anymore at all. Everything looks intact, and i don't know what's wrong with it. Can someone help me please?
+Zhaoxuan Jiang Try taking it apart and study how everything goes back together. Every little clip and how the metal mechanism works. There should be a rubber piece(s) under the spacebar that does its job to rebound. If the pieces are incorrectly installed, it can cause the key to not rebound.
+Sam K Thank you for your reply. Today I managed to remove the 2 white plastic brackets and reinstalled the other parts. Now the space bar is loose, but it does rebound. Is it possible that i damaged the brackets? They look intact indeed.
pry open a key that you use the least (just in case) and study how the two white pieces fit together. I had that problem before and it took me less than 5 minutes to fix by studying another key. They all use the same mechanism.
The spacebar piece are almost completely different, such as they are big rectangles and has holes for the hooks (6) when the other keys are hooked with these notches going outward. The mechanism is the same but I don't know how to fit it in :/
thanks for the video. Kinda stupid you actually have to deform the metal to get things to work without colliding. I'm pretty sure this doesn't affect all models though, as I bought on of these from Microsoft that didn't have the issue but the on I got from Dell did... =[
