keyboardmacbook pro
I have a MacBook Pro from 2017.
It has the new keyboard with the shorter travel distances, touchbar, etc.
Some keys have been very sticky recently. What tools + methods can I use to clean the keyboard keys so they no longer stick?
On the older MacBook Pros, you could remove the keys and use compressed air to clean. The newer MacBook Pros don't have enough space to pop them off with a finger nail anymore.
What you're encountering is not related to the pre-existing version, but likely that your MacBook Air is not supported for Yosemite at all. Apple lists the Late 2008 model as the earliest MacBook Air which can run Yosemite.
The new shortcut is Command-Dim Brightness. It even makes sense in the following way:
Assuming that you take advantage of the touch bar, and it displays the system controls instead of the function keys then the hand gesture is exactly the same as before when you would have pressed Command-F1 since the Dim Brightness button is where F1 would be:
The annoying thing is that if you have an application-aware touch bar configuration, then you have to bring up the system controls touch bar configuration first.
This is why, in some cases, the Display Menu (in the App Store) which adds a status item in your menu bar (and includes a Mirror Screen choice) is a good option.
Best Answer
You are correct, there is no room to remove the keys now.
I would highly recommend never trying to remove the key cap from any of the new low travel keyboards. The keys are part of the top case assembly, and are expensive for third party repairs. (And similarly close tolerance on Bluetooth keyboards)
Apple have a very well illustrated procedure now using compressed air only to clean. If that doesn’t work, I would contact Apple support directly and ask for options.
MacBook cleaning image - from Apple