MacBook Neo Keyboard Shield
Before You Begin
Warning
Read Battery Safety and follow workspace and battery handling guidelines before you begin.
Remove the following parts before you begin:
Tools
ESD-safe tweezers
Ethanol wipes or isopropyl alcohol (IPA) wipes
Nylon probe (black stick)
Refer to a full list of tools required for all repairs.
Important
If you remove the keyboard shield, you must replace the keyboard without Touch ID or keyboard with Touch ID.
Removal
Note: If you’ve already completed the removal steps, skip to reassembly.
Gently peel the keyboard and microphone flex cables from the keyboard shield, using the black stick as necessary.
Caution: Be careful not to damage the microphone flex cable while peeling it from the keyboard shield. Damaging the microphone flex cable will require a top case replacement. 
If your computer has a Touch ID board, gently peel the Touch ID interposer flex cable from the keyboard shield.
Note: The image shows additional parts installed that have already been removed, but the process for peeling the flex cable is the same.
Use ESD-safe tweezers to grasp the top right corner of the keyboard shield.
Use ESD-safe tweezers to begin to peel the top right corner of the keyboard shield from the top case.
Continue pulling the top right corner of the keyboard shield from the top case.
Use ESD-safe tweezers as necessary to peel the bottom right corner of the keyboard shield from the top case.
- Caution: Be careful not to damage the audio board flex cable and left speaker flex cable.
Continue pulling larger sections of the keyboard shield from the top case.
Use ESD-safe tweezers as necessary to peel the bottom edge of the keyboard shield from the top case.
Pull the keyboard shield off the top case until it's fully removed.
- Caution: Be careful not to damage the right speaker flex cable. If the computer has a Touch ID board, be careful not to damage the Touch ID board flex cable.
Use ethanol wipes or IPA wipes to clean any residual adhesive from the top case around the edges of the keyboard as shown.
Ensure that all of the keyboard screws are accessible and aren't covered by residual adhesive from the keyboard shield.
Important: If any keyboard screws are covered by residual adhesive, use the black stick or ESD-safe tweezers to peel the adhesive off the keyboard screws.
Reassembly
Pull the tab in the top left corner of the replacement keyboard shield to remove the bottom adhesive liner.
Important: Don't remove the liners with the blue tabs at the top of the keyboard shield yet.
Locate the guide holes on the keyboard.
Important: The image shows an ANSI/ISO keyboard. The guide holes for a JIS keyboard will be slightly different, but the procedure is the same.
Position the keyboard shield on the keyboard using the guide holes on the keyboard to align the keyboard shield.
Important: The image below shows a keyboard shield for an ANSI/ISO keyboard. The guide holes on a keyboard shield for a JIS keyboard will be slightly different, but the procedure is the same.
Press along the keyboard shield as shown to adhere it to the keyboard.
Position the flat end of the black stick parallel to the adhesive liner that runs along the perimeter of the keyboard shield. Press along one section of the adhesive liner to adhere it to the edge of the keyboard.
- Caution: Activating the adhesive requires continuous pressure. Be careful not to damage the adhesive liner during this process.
Position the flat end of the black stick at an angle and press along the same section of the adhesive liner to further adhere it to the edge of the keyboard.
- Caution: Activating the adhesive requires continuous pressure. Be careful not to damage the adhesive liner during this process.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the entire adhesive liner around the edge of the keyboard shield.
- Caution: Activating the adhesive requires continuous pressure. Be careful not to damage the adhesive liner during this process.
Use ESD-safe tweezers to grasp and pull the tab of one top liner to remove the liner from the keyboard shield. Repeat this action to remove the second top liner.
Left top liner
Right top liner
If your computer has a Touch ID board, press the Touch ID board flex cable where shown to adhere it to the keyboard shield.
Note: The image shows additional parts installed that have already been removed, but the procedure for adhering the flex cable is the same.
If your computer has a Touch ID board, install a new Touch ID interposer flex cable.
Install a new trackpad interposer flex cable.
Reinstall the battery.
Complete logic board reassembly steps 1 through 3. Then continue to step 14 below.
Peel the protective liner from the base of the keyboard flex cable as shown.
- Caution: Don't press the flex cable to the keyboard shield yet.
Slide the end of the keyboard flex cable into the connector.
Flip down the locking lever on the keyboard flex cable connector.
Press the keyboard flex cable to adhere it to the keyboard shield as shown.
Peel the adhesive liner off the polyester film tape on the keyboard flex cable.
Press the polyester film tape to adhere it to the keyboard flex cable connector.
Slide the end of the microphone flex cable into the connector. Then flip down the locking lever.
For models with keyboard with Touch ID, complete logic board reassembly steps 6 through 19. For models with keyboard without Touch ID, complete logic board reassembly steps 7 through 19.
Long Foam Reassembly
Remove the long foam from its bottom liner as shown, but keep the top liner in place.
Position the long foam in the top case as shown.
Align the left edge of the long foam vertically with the left edge of the battery.
Align the bottom piece of long foam horizontally along the edge of the battery tray.
Press along the length of the long foam pieces to adhere them to the keyboard shield.
Peel the top liner off the long foam.
Short Foam Reassembly
Remove one short foam from the bottom liner as shown, but keep the top liner in place.
Position the short foam in the top case as shown.
Align the right edge of the short foam vertically with the right edge of the logic board screw notch.
Align the bottom edge of the short foam horizontally along the edge of the battery tray.
Use the flat end of the black stick to press along the length of the short foam to adhere it to the battery tray.
Use ESD-safe tweezers to peel the top liner off the short foam.
Reinstall the following parts to complete reassembly: