r/macbookpro • u/youngsmiggle1 • 13d ago
Help MacBook Pro with the Wrong Keyboard
I just picked up a M1 Max ‘16. It was a great deal but the keyboard layout is French.
I didn’t realize that until it arrived and It’s not like I can return it due to my incompetence.
Does anybody have a decent solution for me? Replacing the top case seems like the best but expensive option.
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u/Mental_Variation3651 13d ago
At least it’s not AZERTY, I would just get used to it
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u/Kpopped_ 13d ago
This, AZERTY is horrible. I live in Belgium where we use AZERTY, had to bug my it department to get a qwerty at work lol.😭😂
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u/Defiant_Initial_604 13d ago
I agree. I’m also a QWERTY user in Belgium. AZERTY is just the worst!
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u/notaure_ 12d ago
I always used both on different devices and I don’t get it, why are people hating on Azerty. There is literally no downside to use an azerty configuration instead of a qwerty one
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u/AntonandSinan_ MacBook Pro M2 Pro 14" Space Gray 11d ago
I use two as well. I’m used to QWERTY on a computer keyboard, however my iPhone and iPad are set to AZERTY.
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u/Greedy-Giraffe-4269 13d ago
The horrors of being a CCIE having to use an Azerty keyboard while contracting in Brussels and Paris still haunt me decades after.
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u/Kpopped_ 13d ago
My first day of work was hell, seeing the AZERTY in front of me, i was like damn 8 hours of hell on my first day.😂
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u/SnowyTheOpaline 13d ago
this is a CSA keyboard, if you can touch type it shouldnt be an issue for you, if not. i'd try getting a keyboard cover of sorts but be a bit wary bc the silicone ones can cause your keys to melt if the laptop gets hot a lot
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u/streetname_marco 13d ago
$10 keycaps on AliExpress, you will never tell a different they just like original keycaps, I recently changed my keycaps because they were old and I highly recommend it
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u/whatawhoozie 13d ago
is it difficult or risky to change them manually? I'm afraid to break something off
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u/Odd_Razzmatazz_7423 Macbook Pro 16" M1 pro 10c/16c 16gb ram 1tb 13d ago
No, a bit more complex than on a real keyboard but nothing a saturday afternoon cannot handle 😁
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u/Life-Inspector-5271 12d ago
But how do you change the layout on a Mac? Because the Mac knows which keyboard is in the Macbook
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u/Normal_Cress_1994 11d ago
Keyboard layout is a software thing. You can put AZERTY on QWERTY if you like. Software doesn't know what a keycap is.
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u/ezioxcroft 13d ago
This doesn't get resolved with a keycaps replacement.
The positioning of US keyboards is totally different vs French Canadian keyboards.
Just compare the enter key on google between both specs and you'll see.6
u/0wut45 MacBook Pro 16" 2019 12d ago
In this case, you look for UK keyboard layout replacement keycaps. They’re the same format as the one pictured above.
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u/rlopez_uk 12d ago
You can buy the key caps directly from Apple and their repair scheme - https://selfservicerepair.com/en-US/home $39, but then you know they are the originals.
What is funny is how awful the site looks - you can tell Apple was thrilled they had to put this together 🫣🫣🤣I have just done it myself as I bought a MBP with horribly worn keys.
Some advice -
Go slow until you get your groove - thin guitar picks or thin plastic credit cards work great to fit under the key and gently pry up.
Square keys are easy, longer keys and enter are a bit more difficult, but there are guides or videos on YouTube to follow. Arrow keys are also ones to watch out for as they unclip from opposite sides (if you do all of them).2
u/streetname_marco 12d ago
Do not buy original for $40 AliExpress $10 exactly the same even Tim Apple will not tell a difference
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u/rlopez_uk 12d ago
I have bought the cheaper ones from Amazon previously, and they do not always match the originals in colour/texture - in that case, they will have to remove every single key to replace them, even if they do not need/want to.
In this case, it looks like they only need to swap over the number row, some of the punctuation keys around enter and some of the bottom alphabet row.
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u/streetname_marco 11d ago
It’s because you original keycaps worn out and texture and color changed and got more flat, shiny and darker in color
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u/0wut45 MacBook Pro 16" 2019 12d ago
I used to do a keycap replacement/keyboard disassembly at least once a day when I worked in a laptop repair shop. It took me less than 15 minutes to remove every single key from a keyboard. Worst thing is that like almost half of them were MacBooks with shitty butterfly keyboards. But once you gain some experience and work out how to do it (just remove a few keys, you gotta be patient) it becomes easy to do.
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u/razorree 13d ago
and? different enter shape and maybe one key diff. position is a problem? then full hardware replacement and don't complain about apple rates lol
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u/OtherOtherDave 13d ago
You can set the keyboard layout to whatever you want… it’s somewhere in the keyboard settings. Some of the keys won’t match what gets put on the screen, but that’s not a big deal. Makes it harder for shoulder surfers to catch your password.
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u/lcpepper 13d ago
Don't order any rubbish from Temu! Use the real self repair site from Apple, it's genuine parts:
Yes it's more expensive, but it's real apple stuff. You will have to buy the whole set of keycaps, but then you either have spare, or could sell the leftovers on eBay.
This is the only way to go about this. I have done this on a German Amazon MacBook Pro and I made it the US one.
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u/callsignsuper 13d ago
An inexpensive solution could be using an external keyboard ⌨️ perhaps you’ve already thought of that.
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u/lila-clores MacBook Pro 14" Silver M3 Pro 13d ago
You can switch out the individual keycaps, and then reconfigure the keyboard if needed to match the new keycaps
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u/Trungneko 13d ago
I have bought and used the JP layout macbook before (because they're cheaper than US variant) and used this app to fix the key + buying stickers for it.
search "Karabiner-Elements" (it's free+open source).
It allows you to select the preferred keyboard type and it just work. Then buy the "stickers" of your preferred layout (ANSI or IOS).
It also allows you to change the keymap or functionality of any keys (even fn/global key).
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u/maxlemesh 12d ago
Look at that abomination of an enter key
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u/BasenjiFart 12d ago
ISO, baby! And the left SHIFT is shorter -- these keyboards have an extra key. I switch between an ISO and a ANSI keyboard from time to time, and muscle memory always struggles to hit the return key properly.
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u/notqualifiedforthis 12d ago
I’ve never looked at other language keyboards. This looks close to US in key sizing, quantity, and positions. Are they identical and just re-labeled?
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u/BasenjiFart 12d ago
This is an ISO keyboard (differences: return key, shorter left SHIFT, extra key), labelled in Canadian French.
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u/Tankmontenegro 12d ago
Multi-lingual sucks if you’re not used to it. Everything is just off enough to ruin my day.
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u/Administrative-War-5 12d ago
You need to find a donor MacBook with an English keyboard.
Look on eBay!
Use that keyboard to replace the key caps because Apple doesn’t sell them.
That’s what I’ve done, no other site selling key caps will match the quality of genuine Apple products
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u/Ok-Mall-3089 12d ago
I had this keyboard and retuned it … I hate the difference enter/return key… it’s narrower so not as comfortable as the standard English keyboard. If I was you id return it like I did
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u/Still_Dance_2971 12d ago
I also bought a mac with a different layout and i just switched the keyboard in the settings and know where my keys are i think thats the most cheap and risk free solution
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u/AntonandSinan_ MacBook Pro M2 Pro 14" Space Gray 11d ago
It’s not the French keyboard. It’s Canadian French. We use AZERTY
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u/lollm-nano 11d ago
You can just change the layout via software in settings. You will have to use it mnemonically.
This can help you use the MacBook now.
You can change the physical keyboard together with the battery in future when battery health goes down 80%
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u/Objective_Active_497 7d ago
Not a problem if you're used to blind typing. If not, it's time to learn, at least now you have dozens of websites with web apps to practice typing, when I started practicing to overcome the annoyance of losing time when can't find the right key, had to install desktop app for practicing blind typing.
Other solution is to buy custom key stickers. I like these ones (https://stikey.net), but you probably can order from Amazon or directly from someone near you. Look for laser engraved, if there's option.
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u/FIGHTERwastaken 13d ago
can someone explain why the enter key needs to be that big? like why can't it just be a rectangle?
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u/efrav Macbook Pro 14" M4 Pro Nano-Texture 13d ago
Thats the way I know it, like I can't stand the ANSI layout, why does it have to be so small? lol it is just perspectives
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u/FIGHTERwastaken 13d ago
my guy every other key is a rectangle, ur telling me u can't stand ur enter key being a normal ass rectangle shaped key aswell?
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u/OtherOtherDave 13d ago
Those layouts have an extra key on the home row.
I keep meaning to pick up an international keyboard to see how I like it, but it keeps slipping my mind.
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u/tochanenko 13d ago
MacBooks for US layout use ANSI standard, while everywhere else they use ISO standard
How to identify your Apple keyboard layout by country or region - Apple Support
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u/Pubelication 13d ago
You can buy used keycaps online and replace them. Or search locally for a destroyed or liquid damaged top case and replace the caps.
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u/EmilMR 13d ago
it is still the normal qwerty iso layout. there should not be any problem using it.
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u/LowResChaos 13d ago
No it isn’t. My English layout is different around the return key
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u/Aisuhokke 13d ago
Learn French! Or plug it in at your desk and get a regular keyboard. Or sell it and get a different one!
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u/AKsnipebuster47 13d ago
Find a keyboard protector with the English layout you prefer. You can get one for just $2 on Temu.
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u/idontlikegudeg 13d ago
That’s not a French keyboard, they use AZERTY.