Lately I've noticed the trackpad on my MacBook Pro has been getting stuck from time to time and generally isn't as clicky as it used to be. It feels to me like there's something stuck behind the trackpad there that's stopping it from moving freely, but I have no idea how to get behind there and clean it, let alone how anything could have gotten in there in the first place. The trackpad will press all the way down on the bottom left and right corners, but towards the bottom centre it does not press down nearly as easily.
Has anyone had any luck cleaning behind the MacBook trackpad? If so how did you do it?
Best Answer
The tolerances in the unibody macs are very, very tight and the area is located behind the battery, so Apple does not recommend users without training on servicing the delicate back sides of the battery clean it other than spraying air lightly from the outside. I've found setting it up vertically and open helps with gravity bringing the grit towards the most open side of the trackpad. (The part closest to you that swings free and presses on the physical spring.)
It's not hard to find the tools or the steps - iFixit.com has both, but I prefer to take it in to the genius bar for cleaning as long as it's a convenient trip. If you're careful, you should be able to get inside the mac and see how much debris is inside and whether it's worth a trip to the shop or to learn how to clean it better yourself. Getting the back off is all you need following the memory replacement instructions to have a peek.