An Origami solution to the Apple MacBook TrackPad “squishy” Button Problem
June 29, 2006 on 3:56 pm | In MacBook, apple, button, fix, origami, problem, trackpad |More and more Apple MacBook users are complaining of a “squishy” or unresponsive trackpad button. Some of the Apple Macbooks have a very crispy and responsive feel when you click down the button on the trackpad, however some Apple Macbook owners are unfortunate to be stuck with a button that doesn’t press down quite right.
A recent visit to the Apple Genius Bar proved to be a completely unhelpful. After waiting 15 minutes past the time my appointment was scheduled for, an Apple “Genius” looked at my issue.
After I explained the issue to the Apple “Genius”, he proceeded to rather vigorously push down on my Macbook’s trackpad button repeatedly. After performing this 10 seconds test, it was his professional decision that there was nothing wrong with my Macbook. He asked me to show him how it was not working. I tried to explain to him that it felt different, and that it didn’t “click” quite like the rest of the MacBooks I had played with. Once again, he starts to push down on the button repeatedly, and finally tells me that it feels just right to him, just like the rest of the MacBooks.
This was my only experience with the Apple Genius Bar. I felt like it was a complete waste of time, as the “Genius” didn’t bother to try to understand my problem. I felt very rushed, and the whole experience was very unprofessional and disappointing.
Now, on to the custom solution to this annoying problem. Screw you Apple, we figured it out ourselves!
Someone on the Apple discussion forums posted a solution. Place a piece of paper underneath the battery cover, where the trackpad button is.
After testing this solution out with various lengths and widths of paper, I believe we have found the perfect solution.
Step #1 - Cut a piece of paper about 1/8 of an inch wide, and 4 inches in lenth.

Step #2 - If you want to be creative, take this piece of paper and follow these steps to make an Origami Paper Star (Thanks Erik!). Make sure to skip the last step. Alternatively, just fold the piece of paper in a square.

Step #3 - Unlock the battery with a coin, and remove it.

Step #4 - Place your Origami Star or square in the middle, as you see illustrated in the picture. Make sure it’s as centered as much as possible, and carefully put the battery back in and lock it.

Now, go test out your trackpad button. You should have a nice crisp click, almost anywhere you click. It should feel very responsive.
Feel free to play around with the size of the paper. If you want a tighter click, make it a little thicker. If you want a looser click, make it thinner.
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[...] Read the story and fix here. [...]
Pingback by AppleDefects.com » MacBook Trackpad Button User Fix - With Origami? - Apple Defects, Defective Apple Products, MacBook runs hot, MacBook CPU Whine, iPod Scratches, dead pixels on my iMac — June 29, 2006 #
[...] An Origami solution to the Apple MacBook TrackPad “squishy” Button Problem More and more Apple MacBook users are complaining of a “squishy” or unresponsive trackpad button. Some of the Apple Macbooks have a very crispy and responsive feel when you click down the button on the trackpad, however some Apple Macbook owners are unfortunate to be stuck with a button that doesn’t press down quite right. [...]
Pingback by johnny’s blog » An Origami solution to the Apple MacBook TrackPad “squishyâ€? Button Problem — June 29, 2006 #
I used a similar technique to fix the mouse button on an optical mouse that began crapping out. Amazing what a little paper can do!
Now, if only it would solve my other MacBook problems…
Comment by Comcastic — June 29, 2006 #
You’re wasting your time.
You just have to wait until the battery expands and the problem will fix itself ;)
Oz
Comment by oz — June 30, 2006 #
should I make it out of mylar? ;)
Comment by love my baked apple — June 30, 2006 #
ooh, I want a “loser click” (end of the article)
Nice, I’ll remember this for if.when i get a macbook. I might not use origami specifically though.
Comment by mgsloan — June 30, 2006 #
[...] Fix a broken MacBook trackpad with the almighty power of Asian girls—well, the almighty power of little paper stars that Asian girls love to fold anyway. [...]
Pingback by wingie.org · — June 30, 2006 #
fixed the typo/spelling error - thanks mgsloan :)
Comment by Blogger — June 30, 2006 #
btw, this does look addictive. is there a cheap shredder that makes quarter wide inch strips?
Comment by love my baked apple — June 30, 2006 #
An Origami solution to the MacBook trackpad “squishyâ€? button problem…
A blogger writes: “More and more Apple MacBook users are complaining of a “squishyâ€? or unresponsive trackpad button. Some of the Apple Macbooks have a very crispy and responsive feel when you click down the button on the trackpad, however……
Trackback by Non Stop Mac — June 30, 2006 #
You mac users really are a bunch of losers.
Comment by Ha Ha — June 30, 2006 #
Heh, got the ‘loser’, missed the ‘thiner’ straight after it :P
Comment by Dugnuts — June 30, 2006 #
While you’re there, you could fix the other typo - thiner –> thinner. Don’t these blogs have spellcheckers?
Comment by Chris — June 30, 2006 #
origami? it isn’t a microsoft product?
eh eh eh …
funny that you fix mac issue thanks to origami…
Comment by me — June 30, 2006 #
This works great, thanks for the tip!
And shame on Apple for not helping us out.
Comment by Patrick — June 30, 2006 #
Unresponsive trackpad button, expanding battery - maybe I’ll wait a while before upgrading my PowerBook for a MacBook Pro.
Comment by J at Element List — June 30, 2006 #
I have made an entry in the [http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_apple.html Apple repair section of Repair4Laptop].
Comment by Werner Heuser — June 30, 2006 #
mgsloan: if you want a “loser click,” you just have to make it “thiner”.
Proof that there’s always one more typo, I guess.
Comment by Mr. Smith — June 30, 2006 #
Are you at all concerned about the heat from your MacBook incinerating the paper? Just curious if anyone has thought about this or even if it gets hot enough in there for this to happen.
Comment by zack — June 30, 2006 #
I had the same problem on my macbook pro and fixed it by bending the metal under my trackpad a bit.
Comment by Philipp Schmid — June 30, 2006 #
Thanks mate. Have a friend with a problem, she just emailed me to say this worked for her.
Comment by Mike S — June 30, 2006 #
[...] Here is a simple and ‘affordable’ fix. [...]
Pingback by Silver Mac » Blog Archive » MacBook trackpad fix — June 30, 2006 #
Would not one of those small, stickon, foam pads work just as well? They should be about the right size, and wont fall out if someone opens the battery compartment.
Comment by Doug — June 30, 2006 #
Several years ago my constant companion, an Apple Powerbook (this would be circa 1997) started to intermittently die on me. It took a trip to the nearest Mac service center with no luck, before I finally figured out that the battery was loose and simply needed padding on one side to push it firmly onto the terminals. I taped some paper onto the battery and it worked perfectly.
The service center probably didn’t discover the problem because they never tried running the laptop without it being plugged in …
Comment by Pipe — June 30, 2006 #
J At Element… This is an issue with the MacBook, not MacBook Pro.
For those afraid of fire… Paper burns at around 451 F. it your laptop is getting that hot, you have a LOT more to worry about than a little piece of paper catching fire.
Those making sweatshop references… The Asian girls are making iPods, not MacBooks.
I just hope I spelled everything right… no spellchecker.
Comment by Brian — June 30, 2006 #
Why not just use two padded sections of band-aids on top of each other? The adhesive (what little you keep on the pad) will hold them in place and will accomplish pretty much the same thing….and they come in a variety of colors and sizes to fit your mood. ;)
Comment by Phil — June 30, 2006 #
Is no one concerned that this piece of paper may ignite under heavy battery usage????
It’s a great idea, but perhaps one should use something that is less likely to burst into flames at high temps… plz ppl don’t catch fire.
Comment by Luke — June 30, 2006 #
I am suprised how much electonics can be saved because of a ball of tape or paper ^^ , i had to do that to my GBA for its screen to work back :P im glad it works for other appliances :)
Comment by vicious_vince — June 30, 2006 #
[...] MacBook Fixed Using Origami [Thanks Matt] Still unable to fold paper into the shape of a right-click. [...]
Pingback by Loading… » Blog Archive » MMOG NASCAR Sponsorship — June 30, 2006 #
Why not just glue a piece of foam there. I hate to loose a piece of paper because I took the battery out.
Comment by Big Jay — June 30, 2006 #
[...] Esta ha sido la solución para muchos usuarios y parece que funciona. Y acá tenes el paso a paso. [...]
Pingback by tec - experiencia mac » Blog Archive » Origami ayuda a tu MacBook. — June 30, 2006 #
Well this just convinced me NOT to buy a MacBook. I was about to drop down the cash for one (my first Mac!). But I don\’t like quirky functional bugs like this. My second choice was the new Levino ultra portable. For the same price as the top end MacBook ($1599) you can get 100 GB hard drive and 1 GB RAM (which would cost an extra $500 on the MacBook).
Comment by Max — June 30, 2006 #
Awesome creative fix, and screw mac for not helping you. You only made one mistake: Buying a crappy MacBook instead of a real computer.
Other than that, good work :D
Comment by Me — June 30, 2006 #
The battery will not heat up to more than the 420 degrees it takes to ignite paper….
Comment by Alex — June 30, 2006 #
Paper burns at 451 degrees Farenheit - if your Mac is getting that hot you have much bigger problems than a “squishy” mouse button…. If it was that hot, you would be getting second degree burns just by toubhing it…
Comment by Mister Whirly — June 30, 2006 #
To Max:
It seems silly that some little thing like this would keep you from buying a MacBook. It’s not a major issue, does not occur on all units, and it’s still running a great alternative to Windows. The MacBook is still worthwhile, and the trackpad great for it’s gestures.
Comment by Dan — June 30, 2006 #
Wow! It works! Thanks so much for this tip! I just folded up a little piece of normal paper, and experimented with thickness until it was nice and sharp and “clickly”, for lack of a better term.
Comment by Jomdom — June 30, 2006 #
Macs are nice but I really just prefer Windows!
There is a mew product called miniplayer that looks like a little mac: http://www.miniplayer.info you guys should check out.
Comment by Lesa Manders — June 30, 2006 #
Good tip. Spot on about the Genius, or as my GF calls them, Mac Jesus (sarcastically of course).
Comment by Rik — June 30, 2006 #
How about using a double-sided tape and put that folded piece of paper on the battery just opposite of that button area?
Comment by James — June 30, 2006 #
Great trick!! May I ask you for an origami solution that solves heat problem? :-)
Comment by Daniel — June 30, 2006 #
Apple makes great software but their hardware, while designed well, leaves a lot to be desired.
Comment by chuck — June 30, 2006 #
The Asian girls may be making the iPods but the Asian boys are making the MacBooks. It’s pathetic.
Hardware wise, Apple really need to sort themselves out.
Logic board issues, dead pixels, low shelf-life batteries, dodgy trackpads….
If this carries on, then I think Apple will HAVE to concentrate on software and forego the hardware market, though that is extremely unlikely.
Fantastic trackpad solution though! Well done man!
Comment by Muhammad Atif — June 30, 2006 #
I have a better fix.
I took mine to the Apple store and they replaced it with a brand new one. It was four days old when I took it back. This is unacceptable — the reason the mouse “clicks” is to give you feedback that you’ve actually clicked. Otherwise, all mice would be flat tap (like a touchpad).
Comment by Scott — June 30, 2006 #
Zack, I find it highly unlikely that the heat from the MB would cause the paper to burn. The autoignition temperature of paper is approximately 450 deg. F (232 deg. C). This is well above the temperature required to melt the plastic of the case, and as we’re not seeing too many reports of MacBooks turning into bubbling piles of melted plastic, I don’t really see the paper as an issue.
Comment by James — June 30, 2006 #
Not being picky, just can’t pass up a literary reference.
Paper burns at 451 deg. F - there was a whole book about it! Said book was immediately burned to test accuracy of title.
Comment by Brad — June 30, 2006 #
[...] 原文出處: iBloggedThis | | 1 人�覽 [...]
Pingback by è²?哥哥使用者指å?— » MacBook的觸控æ?¿æŒ‰éˆ•按起來ä¸?é †çš„å—Ž? æ?¶æ•‘æ–¹å¼?在æ¤! — June 30, 2006 #
I still don’t see why people bother to buy apples stuff. So many bugs from expanding batteries to overheating cpu heat pipes from too much thermal paste. which then apple sent a nice thank you in the form of a lawsuit to the people trying to help other mac users fix their over heating problems.
lawsuits galore.
slave labour in china making their various ipods. which have battery life problems STILL, not so terrific sound quality, and a price double of what a competitors mp3 player sells for that gets longer battery life, same sound quality (average to high) and usually smaller.
Do yourself a favor. If apple makes it don’t buy it. get someone elses or if its a computer or laptop make your own.
Comment by sirus20x6 — June 30, 2006 #
I love all you self-righteous PC users making melodramatic posts about the quality of Apple hardware and its questionable origins. I cannot believe you guys have the gaul to say Windows has less bugs than OSX. I mean, I remember when Windows 98 crashed while Bill Gates was demonstrating how awesome and reliable it was. But you can go on and keep thinking that you have a flawless system. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
If you’re really as much of a technical spaz as you try to sound, you probably put your computer together yourself, and congratulations, nobody cares. Do you keep track of where all your parts came from? Who made them? How much were they paid? Since you’re such an expert on Macs, I’m convinced you must have made your DVD burner was made right here in the good ol’ USofA, extra cost be damned.
And while we’re at it, I’m sure everybody who made the clothes and shoes you wear, the game systems you play, the speakers you blast, and the movies you watch online late at night when nobody else is around were all treated wonderfully and paid handsomely. And of course you haven’t set foot in a Wal-Mart once you heard how they exploit illegal Mexican immigrants and import nearly all their goods from China to lower costs and drive out competition.
All I’m saying is don’t come waving your high flag when you’re no better than anybody else. It’s unbecoming, tedious, and pretty much makes you look like an idiot.
Oh, and by the way, do you really have nothing better to do with your time than hang out on Mac bulletin boards and complain? If so, I’m sorry, but that’s really kind of sad.
Comment by Joe Altoids — July 1, 2006 #
[...] Creà que el problema sólo me afectaba a mÃ, pero tras ver este artÃculo en AppleInsider veo que es un problema del MacBook Pro (en cambio, en el MacBook va bien). Tras un tiempo de uso intensivo el botón del trackpad se atasca. Literalmente. Se queda encajado y el hacer clic o doble clic se hace casi imposible. Me gustarÃa saber si alguno de vosotros ha experimentado lo mismo. El caso es que alguien ya se ha apresurado a buscar una solución. La probaré. [...]
Pingback by Think Wasabi » “Se me atasca el trackpad” — July 1, 2006 #
[...] ibloggedthis.com ha ideato una soluzione per far fronte al problema riscontrato da alcuni con i nuovi MacBook. Il trackpad sembrerebbe in alcuni casi poco reattivo, poco sensibile. La soluzione è mutuata dal mondo degli origami e di fatto utilizza una striscia di carta piegata, inserita nel vano della batteria, per fare spessore. Gli autori consigliano anche di variare lo spessore dell’origami per ottenere risultati differenti. Ecco di seguito le immagini: [...]
Pingback by iMug.it » Archivio Blog » MacBook trackpad e gli origami — July 1, 2006 #
Thanks for the fix.
Gotta love all of the people trolling mac sites.
Comment by Jack — July 1, 2006 #
[...] iBloggedThis » An Origami solution to the Apple MacBook TrackPad “squishy� Button Problem (tags: macbook trackpad fix) [...]
Pingback by End of Silence - Random musings from a geek dad » links for 2006-07-01 — July 1, 2006 #
[...] I can personally attest to this problem as it is slowly getting worse for me. My system still works but, it is somewhat annoying. There is a potential fix that has been posted. I cannot speak to whether or not this is a successful fix. The fix entails placing a piece of folded paper under the trackpad once the battery has been removed. I’m really quite leery of this as these systems tend to run on the hot side of things. Still, I love this system. [...]
Pingback by Nine Baud Tech News » MacBook Users Develop Solution For Trackpad Woes — July 1, 2006 #
For all those people who are gloating about Apple using slave labour and such, how many of them do NOT have anything made in China? Probably none. Apple simply contracts with a company, Chinese in this case, that produces the products. Some of these companies do treat their employees worse that people in the west are treated, but they are probably treated a lot better than some other Chinese companies.
But it is the environment of China that causes this. American, European and other western countries simply take advantage of the situation (economical and political) to benefit those in the west.
Gotta love those people who use their western ways, incomes and standard of living to complain about things happening in another country. Of course they would be the first to bitch about the cost of all the current cheap things they buy at Wal-mart made off-shore if the people off-shore made the same dollars as they did here in North America, because those things would increase substantially. Then Wal-mart would not exist/not be as big since people are cheap and Wal-mart would have fewer advantages over other retailers.
Comment by Reginald Wagner — July 1, 2006 #
I used a thin guitar pick and it works like a charm. I just hope its safe…lol
Comment by Anthony — July 1, 2006 #
Brilliant! Simply brilliant. This was one thing that was annoying me.. in fact, id even turned on the tap-to-click functin of the trackpad because the button was so mushy! Im well pleased I can tell you.
Comment by Richard — July 2, 2006 #
Hey, “Joe Altoids”… What the f**k was that? Nobody said ANYTHING about problems in Mac OS X. Yes - every piece of software on the planet has problems, INCLUDING Mac OS X. No single piece of software is immune to bugs - it’s a fact of life. I can personally say that my Windows-based machine has NEVER crashed or blue-screened, other when I do something really stupid to it, whereas every Apple computer I have ever seen has had problems (including many, many instances of the famous “Your computer has experience a problem and needs to be turned off” screen).
By the way: Who can say “INVALID COMPARISON”? To quote: “I love all you self-righteous PC users making melodramatic posts about the quality of Apple hardware and its questionable origins. [...] I mean, I remember when Windows 98 crashed while Bill Gates was demonstrating how awesome and reliable it was.”. So - you’re comparing very real and current problems with Apple *HARDWARE* to the bugginess of 9-year-old pre-release *SOFTWARE*??? Yes - that’s right!!! PRE-RELEASE!!! That was a crash with a pre-release version of Windows 98. Windows 98! 9 YEARS AGO - IT’S NOW 2006 YOU JACKASS!!! (Oh, and just in case you think that I can’t count, I’m taking about 1997 when Windows 98 actually came out.)
The people here are complaining about HARDWARE quality in products that they have purchased from Apple. Sure - other companies have problems with their hardware. The fact of the matter is that if someone chooses to use Windows as their operating system (or Linux, or any other operating system), they can install it on any combination of hardware they damn well like. They can order a Dell machine online, or walk in to a retailer and purchase a machine, or build their own machine from separate parts they individually purchased, and STILL install Windows or any number of other operating systems on it. Therefore, there is a much greater choice and more freedom in purchasing from any company OTHER THAN Apple.
There have been so many problems with Apple hardware, it’s getting to the point of being rediculous. I can’t believe that a whole bunch of people haven’t got together and filed a class action suit against them.
I personally have never seen as many problems with any other single organisation. Batteries expanding? Trackpad buttons failing to work? Heat that you could cook an egg on? A whole bunch of dead pixels? CPU’s whining? Dodgy optical drives that scratch up your media? Discoloration? MacBook and MacBook Pro’s literally coming apart? AND THESE ARE ONLY THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CURRENT GENERATION OF APPLE PRODUCTS!!! LET’S DRAW A TIMELINE AND SEE HOW MANY PROBLEMS WE CAN FIND!!!
And Reginald Wagner - seriously… LIGHTEN UP!!! The reference to iPod’s being made in China was just a flippant remark meant as a joke. How about you get down from your high-horse and just shutup.
Comment by David Hayman — July 2, 2006 #
[...] Straight from Slashdot: “Some Apple MacBook owners are plagued with what seems to be a defective trackpad button. The button, when pushed, seems “squishy” and sometimes even unresponsive. While these MacBook owners are getting turned away at the Apple Genius Bars, they have come up with a custom and unique solution to the problem. A piece of paper, placed strategically under the battery pack where the trackpad is located, seems to fix this problem for most users.” [...]
Pingback by All Things News » MacBook Users Fix Trackpad Problem with Origami Paper — July 2, 2006 #
Apple “Genius Bars” are a JOKE!!!
Most often the customer knows more than the “genius”.
Comment by Houston Hall — July 2, 2006 #
“Max says:-Well this just convinced me NOT to buy a MacBook. I was about to drop down the cash for one (my first Mac!). But I don\’t like quirky functional bugs like this. My second choice was the new Levino ultra portable. For the same price as the top end MacBook ($1599) you can get 100 GB hard drive and 1 GB RAM (which would cost an extra $500 on the MacBook).”
You really need to use the internet to check your deals, or maybe you’re not old enough yet…
Apple Store: MacBook 80GB - $1499
Optional 100GB drive - $100
1GB upgrade $500!! Where the hell do you buy RAM? Check crucial.com - 1GB RAM - MacBook - $147..
Comment by rockit99 — July 3, 2006 #
[...] Use paper to fix your MacBook. Shouldn’t Apple be fixing them? [...]
Pingback by Throw the Mind » Best of the Interweb 6-30-06 — July 3, 2006 #
[...] Wer Problem mit der Track-Pad Taste von seinem MacBook hat, sollte sich einmal diese Bastelanleitung ansehen. [...]
Pingback by X-Admin » Besser Klicken — July 3, 2006 #
To those guys complaining about Macs: PCs have more problems in my experience. Microsoft’s Reality Distortion Field® must be working overtime…
Comment by The Gibbon — July 3, 2006 #
Ok - but once again, you’re comparing Apple *HARDWARE* with Microsoft *SOFTWARE*.
I can’t seem to recall the last time Microsoft made a laptop… Can you?
Comment by David Hayman — July 3, 2006 #
[...] Erste Aktion war es, den matschigen Trackpad-Button zu pimpen. Dazu muß man nur einen kleinen Streifen Papier falten und unten in das Batteriefach legen. Dadurch wird der Druckpunkt des Buttons eindeutig und man kann damit vernünftig arbeiten. [...]
Pingback by Mac @ work » Blog Archive » Finally arrived — July 4, 2006 #
Wow, had I known that I wouldn’t have sent mine back.. nice tip, thx!
Comment by Laurent — July 4, 2006 #
[...] The picture at the left shows a strip of paper folded over a few times. I found this trick on a site to fix the mushy trackpad button of the MacBook. I placed this right over the circular depression as shown and slwoly replaced the battery. It does work! [...]
Pingback by ::: The EdTech Advantage ::: » RAM Upgrade for Black MacBook — July 4, 2006 #
I used aluminium foil - no fire hazard and folds like paper - nothing in the battery comparment to short out if it moved either
Comment by obvious — July 4, 2006 #
I’ve done this before on the old PB Pismo units with the removable keyboards that would sometimes be a millimeter or two off on height resulting in a squishy keyboard…
Comment by Lumine — July 5, 2006 #
Throw away your mac and use a real LAPTOP that runs windows and has a better mouse pad that you can click twice on the pad itself instead of clicking the button.
Comment by Don't Use Macs — July 5, 2006 #
I just tried that, but instead of trying my hand at origami, I just took a piece of paper about 2 1/2 inches long and about 1/4 wide and just folded it end over end and stuck it in there.
My mouse button now works like a charm, however I’m angry that I had to do that in the first place.
Comment by Mac — July 7, 2006 #
Have you ever tried using the track pad as the button? i never use the clicky thing, it slows you down! The McGenius is still a twat though. Leon
Comment by leon maculewicz — July 9, 2006 #
My paper folding skill are not very good, so I cut a piece of adhesive backed velcro to fit and it’s just perfect. I used the soft hairy side, not the stiffer side with the micro-hooks.
Hope this helps others with the problem.
Comment by Jackson Malkin — July 12, 2006 #
if you place a folded paper twice thicker than you need to and keep it inside the battery compartment just like in the pictures for a day, it kind of bends the metal inwards making the button works great without even having the paper inside no more. it’s kind of annoying just the fact that you know there is foreign material inside your new macbook.
Comment by jisoo chang — July 15, 2006 #
[...] The other weekend, Saturday 15 July 2006, I took the plunge and placed an order for a standard configuration MacBook 1.83Ghz. The order was placed despite the littered reports of defects including extreme heat, discolouration of wrist pads, gummy trackpad button, and the infamous whine/moo noise. It was 2 months after the MacBook model was first released and since there has been such high demand for the MacBook, I figured that any faulty units would no longer be in the production pipeline, minimising the risk of receiving a lemon. [...]
Pingback by MacBook. Ordered, shipped, and delivered. at nathan — July 26, 2006 #
Ihave been a PC user all my life and i have decided to switch to mac as there are only about 2 known viruses to mac and about 1.5 million to windows,also quite alot of pc laptops suffer from squishy buttons as i have experienced on my laptops.
Mazzy
Comment by Mazzy — July 26, 2006 #
I tried this, and the button felt much better, but it stopped working–not physically, but when I did click nothing happened on-screen. When I took out the paper everything went back to normal. What gives?
Comment by maxreax — July 26, 2006 #
Au sujet de vous peuplez qui ne veulent pas une pomme: sur un site Web diffrent, une personne a écrit que les gens sont paresseux. même si il augmentera dix fois, MAIS si vous le faisiez en premier lieu il ne serait pas si mauvais. par exemple: http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/
La picoseconde ce qui EST AVEC vous les gens qui saisissent des Espagnols et pas contrôle de charme ?
Comment by canadien, EH! — July 26, 2006 #
Cheers! Great solution!
Comment by Natasja — August 7, 2006 #
O I had a squishy button too. First experience with a Mac and I assumed it may be normal. Upsetting.
I tried your trick, works like a charm. However the paper doesn’t have be right in the circle - I just folded my paper and put it sorta-kinda around that area but not over the circle or the sqare.
The extra pressure works great. Mine is only 2 days old so I guess I could take it back into the store and see if they’d replace. But it doesn’t bother me. As long as this is the only problem.
I’ve been a PC user (designer) for 12 years, I am STUNNED how nice a Mac is. I will never go back.
Thanks for your tip!
Comment by Rice — August 8, 2006 #
[...] After I explained the issue to the Apple “Genius�, he proceeded to rather vigorously push down on my Macbook’s trackpad button repeatedly. After performing this 10 seconds test, it was his professional decision that there was nothing wrong with my Macbook. He asked me to show him how it was not working. I tried to explain to him that it felt different, and that it didn’t “click� quite like the rest of the MacBooks I had played with. Once again, he starts to push down on the button repeatedly, and finally tells me that it feels just right to him, just like the rest of the MacBooks. Click here to see the solution [...]
Pingback by Software Developer Blog » Origami Solves MAC Trackpad Problem — August 20, 2006 #
[...] “Some Apple MacBook owners are plagued with what seems to be a defective trackpad button. The button, when pushed, seems “squishy� and sometimes even unresponsive. While these MacBook owners are getting turned away at the Apple Genius Bars, they have come up with a custom and unique solution to the problem. A piece of paper, placed strategically under the battery pack where the trackpad is located, seems to fix this problem for most users.� [...]
Pingback by fixed trackpad problem using origami? « stevensmac oN bLoG -JUsT another Mac Addict on blog — August 31, 2006 #
I had this problem and the paper trick would not fix it. So I sent it back to Apple service and they repaired it for me. No charge. They also got the repair done and sent it out again on the same day it arrived. But then FedEx screwed up and failed to put it on the truck for delivery which caused a one day delay… followed by a three day delay because of Labor Day weekend. So I’d say Apple did a good job but Federal Express did a bad job. (The lame Fed Ex guy also tried to deliver to the wrong address when he finally got here.)
Comment by Dan Winkler — September 5, 2006 #
this does not work. paper trick does not work. it actually made problems worse. then all of a sudden one day it was working.
my keyboard is so squeeky it is very annoying.
Comment by jman — September 20, 2006 #
[...] amazingly, i just fixed it using a tiny little origami star. i guess the fix would still work with just a folded up piece of paper, but now i know how to make origami star. [...]
Pingback by yizzle.com » Blog Archive » origami macbook fix! — September 23, 2006 #
[...] I dropped off my MacBook at an Apple Store for an RDS repair a little over 2 weeks ago & finally got it back today. So far it hasn’t shut down but I did notice the mushy button on my track pad was really bad. I don’t really want to go thru another repair so I did a search & found this method of fixing it, which seemed to work really well for me (I dunno if it’s already been posted): iBloggedThis » An Origami solution to the Apple MacBook TrackPad “squishy” Button Problem __________________ [...]
Pingback by MacBook Sudden Shutdown - Page 5 - MacNN Forums — October 4, 2006 #
This does work. You may just need to experiment with the size of the paper.
My trackpad button was very mushy on the left and right sides as well as the bottom. If you clicked any of those areas, no mouse click would register. The top of the button was the only place that would register a click. And even then it was very sketchy.
I tried this paper hack as stated in the directions, using, but it didn’t work. It made the button itself firmer but the button wouldn’t register a mouse click at all. It just completely stopped working.
Then I tried a different size paper. On July 7 some commented here that they used a 2 1/2 x 1/4 inch strip of paper folded over a few times. I tried that and…BAM….perfect mouse clicks. Worked like a charm.
Like everyone else I hate that we have to resort to this type of hack, but for now….it works. The MacBook is an awesome laptop. I’m completely satisfied with mine, with the exception of the trackpad button issue, and have been since I got it a few months ago.
Comment by Nathan — October 27, 2006 #
MacBooks get hot, watch out so it doesn’t catch on fire. I used a Pro today and realized this. Such carelessness from Apple. I am a loyal Mac user and I am not a big fan of PC’s, but I think Apple should seriously change the direction of their quality. I have an iBook 466, never any problems except the DC-IN board (the 2nd time this has happened). My newer iBook..8 consecutive trips to the shop. It’s horrible how they are letting themselves go, and they should stop making everything so “elegant” and thin, and make a good system. I am typing this on an eMac, it’s bulky and made fun of quite often, but I don’t have any problems with it. Screw thin, gimme something that works :) Bring back the iBook Clamshell, PLEASE!
Comment by Dan — November 25, 2006 #
Just another sign of apple’s perfection - Every beutiful work of art has one flaw.
Thnks for the brilliant fix!
Comment by Adam — December 15, 2006 #
My button started sticking in a ‘down’ state when my battery expanded and started to overheat. I had to remove the battery to get the trackpad to work again.
On a side note, visited an apple store to get a replacement battery (Tyson’s corner VA). The “Genius” bar was booked at 3pm up until 9pm (close). I was told that they only had access to the replacement batteries (they later called “service batteries”). To get them to give me a replacement, I would have to come back another day. Mind you, I was on company time and they were wasting company money/time. Told them this was unacceptable. They worked me into the bar so a “Genius” could get a battery for me. The “Genius” found that they were out of “service batteries” and offered that I could buy a battery and use it until “service batteries” came in. Then they would replace my defective battery with a “service battery”. Bear in mind that they had some 30 batteries on the shelf yet they would not simply replace my battery with one of those.
I decided to leave my battery in the laptop. If it destroys my Core Duo, it is under warranty … and they only make Core 2 Duos now… (provided we are talking a fire incident).
Wonderful customer service. I hear Dell does much better.
Comment by Wm. Cerniuk — January 4, 2007 #
My problem was that the trackpad, would click down on the site towards the keyboard, and then sought get stuck there. That was solved with the piece of paper againb, but this time smaller and thicker, and placed in the small hole that has the wire in.
Thanks!
Comment by thomas — January 16, 2007 #
worked perfectly! thanks!
Comment by Allie — January 20, 2007 #
MacBook Trackpad Fix…
My MacBook came with one of those wobbly trackpad buttons which doesn’t click firmly and thus doesn’t give good feedback on my actions. While annoying to have such a……
Trackback by Quarter Life Crisis — January 23, 2007 #
How bout duct tape? I’m going to give that a shot. If anybody would advise me not to, please let me know.
Comment by Mark — February 18, 2007 #
Genius: I trapped a nerve with the wretched trackpad click problem. It now works like a dream with a bit of folded paper. (But why don’t Apple fix it?)
Comment by Andrew — February 19, 2007 #
I have figured it out!! some of the macbooks have a peice of rubber under the trackpad on the inside like mine… the one in the picture does not…
Comment by James — February 25, 2007 #
the apple store fixed mine…replaced the whole topcase!
Comment by Naathan — March 5, 2007 #
My button was fine for a few months, and yesterday it suddenly got all squishy. I might try this paper thing.
Comment by Benjamin — March 18, 2007 #
Just tried this on my black macbook! wow! soooo much nicer! Thank you so much!!
Comment by Jordan — March 22, 2007 #
This fix didn’t work for me unfortunatly, but i tried it with a piece of paper folded over a few time covering the length of the button and half the width, possitioned in the centre of it. Seems to be workig fine now. I have a newer macbook with teh rubber pad under the button, looks like Mac tried to sort it but failed.
Comment by Luke Berry — April 17, 2007 #
Ah, now my macbook clicks properly again!
Bought this in summer, was fine. Now winter is coming, and it started playing up :)
Cheers mate,
Steve
Comment by freespace — April 19, 2007 #
Vow, you are a genius. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t tried. The squishy spongy feel of the mouse button has been the most annoying part of the Macbook. Vow, I am so thrilled with the click now, I can’t stop clicking…
Comment by Steven — April 22, 2007 #
Hey theanks for an easy fix! My first macbook and I really love it, quirky as it is. I did notice that my trackpad button was a little mushy on the left side, and I knew that there must be something about it on the internet. I googled my problem and found this website. Can’t say I didn the oragami star, but the paper seems to have made it better. I’m going to try making a little thicker, but it’s good to have such a simple solution.
ZDW.
Comment by Zarly Doug Walker — April 25, 2007 #
Thanks so much my trackpad button was only usable directly in the middle for the last month. Was about to take it in but now it is fixed.
Thanks again,
Joey
Comment by Joey — April 27, 2007 #
I just fixed my MacBook and it just works perfect! Thank you very much!
Comment by Olli — May 13, 2007 #
Wow! You don’t know how happy I am to have a hard-click again! Thank you so much! I brought my computer to the apple store and got the same bullcrap answer of, “it’s just like the other macs, there is nothing wrong” when obviously, there was!!
Thanks! Any suggestions for flickering screen or buzzing charger?
Comment by Michelle — May 17, 2007 #
With the heat this thing generates, there’s no way i’d stick something flammable in there.
Comment by stuck with mbp — May 19, 2007 #
[...] Pro Trackpad Click Problem “Squishy” May 23, 2007 Posted by asimag in . trackback Recently I noticed that my TrackPad Click is not what it used to be. There is a squishy feeling.The Click not crisp and responsive. Found the solution on the internet called Origami Solution. [...]
Pingback by Macbook Pro Trackpad Click Problem "Squishy" « Mac and Mobile — May 23, 2007 #
HI i have a black macbook it is the second generation with the core two duo processor inside. It has the small rubber pad ontop of the battery tray but the problem still exists in my unit despite the attempt by apple to fix the problem. I have a theory about the problem. The battery is meant to apply pressure to the button to provide the respoonsive click,but i sed the paper and initially its worked briliantly howerver three months on and
even with the paper in there ithas gone back to itself and is barely functional. I removed the paper for a week and proceded every now and again to press hard on the button and this seemed to temporarily to make the button crisp and responsive,Does anyone have a metho d that i could use to keep my button crisp for an extended period of time.
Comment by Arthur — June 24, 2007 #
someone reply
Comment by Arthur — July 28, 2007 #
That’s brilliant! So easy, so effective.
Comment by Jane — August 31, 2007 #
wow that trick is worked. i try it when i found out my wife macbook turn to be have a problem with the trackpad. i tried those paper trick and it worked . thanks to you :D
Comment by steven — September 11, 2007 #
Brilliant, thanks. Been putting up with this for the last month and it’s been driving me nuts.
Comment by Nigel Fry — October 3, 2007 #
This works! Thanks so much! I love my mac but this has definitely been irritating me.
Comment by susan — October 19, 2007 #
[...] Früher musste man sich da noch mit Origami behelfen. Apple scheint ja doch zu lernen … [...]
Pingback by MacBook-Sprünge repariert, Bluetooth-Probleme ‹ bensite.net — January 11, 2008 #
is it possible that this paper may serve as a fire hazard
when the laptop gets really hot?
Comment by brian — February 17, 2008 #
Thank you so much! i was freaking out, my button was barely working at all after only having this macbook for 2 months. this paper thing worked instantly. Hopefully it continues to work :)
Comment by Julie — February 29, 2008 #
I have a macbook black and had been trying to figure out why my trackpad wasn’t working. I even tried this paper solution which caused the trackpad to stop respondig completely! My brother then gave the idea of putting a piece of rubberband along the way between the battery and underneath the trackpad. It proved to work great, because if you look under your Mac’s trackpad there are three points of electrical pulse (left, center and right). Each point should have enough pressure in order to normal function. the Origami solution doesn’t take care of all points, though. I suggest you add a piece of rubber of 2.5 inches long, and your trackpad shall respond. to test it, just remove your battery, power up your Mac and squeese the inside of the trackpad and try to see if there is improvement. It worked for me, no origami needed! Good luck
Comment by Celso — March 22, 2008 #
Thanks for the fix. My trackpad button has been annoying me for a year and a half (mine is black), while my wife’s (white) macbook has never had this problem. Her keyboard has a different feel to it as well. I just thought it was a difference between the white and black. I used to only be able to click the left side of the button. Now the whole thing works great! Thanks for the fix! It took me 10 times of watching the video to get the pentagon right!
Comment by Matt — March 23, 2008 #
I just got a refurb MacBook. Its a black 2.2 core 2 duo.
I’ve got this same problem and its annoying the hell out of me.
I don’t know who in their right mind would spend over $1,000 bucks on a laptop and then settle for putting paper under the battery to ghetto rig it. Take the damn thing into the store and demand they fix it. Its an obvious defect and they need to repair/replace it.
I’m scheduling an appointment tomorrow to have them look at it. If they won’t fix it I’m returning it and trying another one…
Comment by matt — April 23, 2008 #
You know, it really makes you think who actually randomly thought “Hey, I’ll stick folded paper into my MacBook! Maybe that’ll fix it!!!111!!1!!!1
Comment by Chris — May 3, 2008 #
Mine is squishy on one side.. but it works, and i’ve been using it a ton for more than a year now. It blows my mind that you guys need that reassuring ‘click’ sound so much you had to come up with inventive ways to warp the case. Don’t you have better things to do? LIke sleep in?
I love my macbook, squishy button and all.
Comment by Jenna FOx — May 11, 2008 #
i tried this on my macbook because the mouse would not click. putting the peice of paper there didn’t do anything except make it even harder to click, however once i removed the piece of paper the mouse clicked as usual!
thanks!
Comment by jenny — May 15, 2008 #
Worked for me as well with the newer MacBook, but I had to use a much smaller piece of paper (so it folded up thinner), probably because of the rubber pad other people have mentioned. I just kept trimming it down until the button worked.
Comment by nj — June 8, 2008 #
[...] - there’s either the somewhat dubious origami solution, but otherwise, it looks like this may be your forth [...]
Pingback by Macbook Trackpad Button Not Working - MacTalk Forums — June 29, 2008 #
I bought a refurb MacBook, but wasn’t happy with the button action when it arrived. I complained, Apple gave me discount and local apple workshop put on a new topcase. Still no good, so they put on a new bottom case, and then a second top case. Still no good, so Apple sent it to another workshop in London, who put on a third top case. Fixed!… but case assembly a little untidy and then I discovered that the battery was faulty. After 4 months and a lot of grief, Apple have offered me a brand new (better spec) MacBook at the same price as my original refurb, and they’re giving me a refund on the original. These buttons are really badly designed… the workshops adjust them by removing the battery and applying pressure with their thumbs to bend the guts of the computer. It’s very scary.. I’ve seen them do it!
Comment by jerry — July 8, 2008 #