One advantage of a mechanical keyboard is that individual keys can be removed for cleaning. To remove a key, first, remove the keycap. Once the keycap is off, the key itself should come off easily. However, some keys, such as the spacebar, may be more difficult to remove.
To remove the spacebar on a mechanical keyboard, you must follow the same procedure as for a regular keyboard.
Removing the keys from a mechanical keyboard is a simple process, but you must be careful in your selection of tools.
If you use the wrong tools, you could cause big problems and ruin your keyboard. But with the spacebar and other large keys, you need to be specifically more careful.
So, in this article, we will guide you thoroughly on how you can remove the spacebar on a keyboard without any damage.
Let’s start!
Step 1: Unplug the keyboard and accessories
The keyboard should be close enough so that you can perform this task comfortably and carefully. Removing larger keys, such as the spacebar, can be difficult, as they often have stabilizers, hence you should be careful when removing these keys.
Related: How to clean razer keyboards
Step 2: Use keycaps at both ends
In order to remove the keycaps for the spacebar, you will need to use two keycap pullers. Insert the keycap puller at each end of the spacebar. Be sure to position and adjust the wires of the keycap puller on both ends so that it is held securely.
You can use one keycap puller in case you don’t have two keycap pullers by customizing the other one with the help of a paper clip. For that, you will need a little expertise in handling it, but once done, will act as a good keycap puller.
Here is a guide on how to convert a paperclip into a keycap puller.
- You will need a total of three paper clips. Straighten them first. Two of them will form the body and one will be used for joining the two clips.
- Use the two clips to make two body parts of the puller. For that, make two 90-degree bends, but they must be equal, and repeat the same procedure with the other clip. Also, ensure that they are of the same size.
- Make smaller, 90-degree bends at the outermost end. These will form the handles of the puller.
- To complete this activity, overlap two bent clips so that they are on top of each other, and wrap these pieces together.
Step 3: Pull the Keycap Slowly
To remove the keycap, use both keycap pullers and pull gently. Always lift the keycap from both ends to avoid damage. Normally, three cross-shaped pegs on the switches and three cross-shaped slots (underside of the keycap) are used to hold the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard in its place.
That’s it. You can easily remove the keycap on the spacebar to access the switch beneath it, or clean it as needed.
However, compared with the other keys, larger keys like Spacebar and Shift keys require more care and attention. To ensure the stability of the keycap and switch, the space bar might have a spring bar beneath it and a jerky moment can easily damage it or damage the connection joints.
The steps outlined above can help you remove larger keys from your keyboard. You will find this method useful for removing other keys as well like caps lock or enter. Also, If your keyboard has additional larger keys, these tips may be useful.
Putting spacebar back
Now that you have learned to remove the spacebar from the keyboard and achieved your desired purpose, now you might also be interested in knowing how to put it back.
Don’t worry because we will give you a quick guide on it too! It is simple but requires more attention than you would think because putting a keycap on a naked switch is not as easy as it sounds.
So, when replacing larger keys, such as the Spacebar, there are a few important factors to consider. For instance, you must pay close attention to the springs to make sure that they aren’t damaged in any way.
While it should be easy and simple to place back the keycaps on the key switches, it is important to take these few precautions when doing it with larger keys. It would be better if you first insert the support stems and then align them properly by using the switch holes. Also, make sure to position the spring right at the center to avoid any chance of the keycap being positioned improperly. By taking care of these few things, you can easily put the space bar back on!
Conclusion
There are a few easy steps involved in removing the spacebar from a mechanical keyboard, but there are also a few specific precautions to take when performing this task: first and foremost, ensure that you have removed all of the screws that hold the spacebar in place- otherwise you may end up damaging your keyboard irreparably. Secondly, be extremely careful when lifting up the spacebar- if it falls off of its mounting bracket, it could become damaged or even lost altogether. Finally, make sure to clean any dirt or residue off of both the screw assembly and the spacebar itself before reinstalling them – otherwise, you will end up with an unsightly mess on your hands.
We hope that this article will help you easily remove the space from the keyboard without any damage or loss. So, Good Luck with that!
