Spilled liquid on your MacBook: what to do right now
Coffee over the keyboard, a knocked-over glass of water, juice or wine. If it has just happened, unplug the charger and shut the MacBook down: hold the power button until it switches off, about ten seconds (top right; on newer models it’s the Touch ID key). Only then read on. Liquid on a powered board does more damage by the minute, and a fault that shows up two weeks later often started in that very first hour.
The first five minutes
- Shut it down by holding the button, not by closing the lid. While a MacBook is “asleep”, the board is still powered.
- Unplug the charger and anything connected to the ports.
- Don’t switch it on “just to check”. The fact that it turned on doesn’t mean it survived, and every power-on is another chance for a short circuit.
- Stand it up like a tent: open the lid as far as it goes and turn the MacBook keyboard-down, in an upside-down V. That way the liquid drips out instead of running towards the board.
- Don’t dry it with a hair dryer or on a radiator. Heat speeds up corrosion, and the stream of air pushes the liquid further under the keys.
- Rice doesn’t help. It won’t draw liquid out from under the chips, and it won’t take sugar off the board. Two days in a bag of rice is two days of corrosion with nothing to stop it.
Why it can’t wait, even if it still works
A MacBook’s battery stays connected to the board even when the computer is off, so part of the circuit is always live. Liquid sitting between two live traces sets off electrolysis: the copper slowly dissolves, thin traces break, and short circuits form between the pins of the chips.
Corrosion doesn’t stop when the liquid dries, either. The residue pulls moisture from the air and keeps eating into the board for days. “I spilled something on it two weeks ago, it was working fine, and this morning it won’t turn on” is a story we hear all the time. If yours has already died, have a look at our MacBook won’t turn on page as well.
What was spilled matters too. Plain water is the mildest case. Sweetened coffee, juice, wine and beer leave a sticky, often acidic film that is far more aggressive.
What we do when your MacBook arrives
We open it up and disconnect the battery first, so there is no more power on the board. Then we take the logic board out and inspect both sides under a microscope, looking most carefully around the connectors and the power circuitry. After that comes ultrasonic cleaning, a rinse with isopropyl alcohol, drying and anti-corrosion protection.
We replace components that corrosion has eaten away and bridge any broken traces. Before the first power-on we check the power rails for shorts, and the first time we power the board we measure its current draw, so that a remaining fault doesn’t take something else with it. Once the board is working, we test the keyboard, trackpad, display, speakers and ports, because liquid rarely stays in one place.
If the keys are still dead or sticky after cleaning, the fix is a keyboard replacement. When the board is more seriously damaged, the next step is chip-level logic board repair, and you get an estimate before we start.
Prices — in the official price list
Cleaning after a liquid spill, with corrosion protection, is listed in the price list as a labour item. If a part needs replacing, its price depends on the model. Diagnostics without disassembly are free, but a MacBook that has had something spilled on it almost always has to be opened, and we only do that once we’ve agreed it with you. We tell you the exact amount after the inspection, before any work starts, and we do nothing without your approval.
The realistic odds, and your data
We don’t promise anything in advance. If it was a little water and you switched the MacBook off straight away and brought it in the same day, cleaning is usually all it takes. If it was sweet coffee and you turned it on a few times, then waited a week, the board is usually more seriously damaged. When a repair isn’t worth it, we tell you so plainly.
If your data matters more than the laptop, tell us when you hand it in. On MacBooks from 2018 onwards (T2 and Apple Silicon) the SSD is soldered to the board and encrypted, so it can’t be taken out and read on another computer. The only way to the files is through a board that works again, so in that case getting it running is our first job. There is more on the data recovery page.
Independent service
We are not an authorised Apple service; we use “Apple”, “Mac” and “MacBook” only to describe the devices we repair. We fit quality parts that match your model, and the warranty on the work and the fitted part is written on your service sheet. For other faults, see our general MacBook service page.
Frequently asked questions
I spilled something on my MacBook, but it works normally. Should I still bring it in?
Yes, and the sooner the better. The fact that it works only means a short circuit hasn’t happened yet, while the liquid residue is still eating into the board.
The keyboard is sticky after I spilled juice on it. Is cleaning enough?
Sticky keys mean the liquid has gone through the keyboard, and the board sits right underneath it. That’s why we check the board as well, not just the keys. On most models the keyboard is attached to the top case, so replacing it is a bigger job.
How long does the repair take?
The board has to dry out completely before it is powered on for the first time. When cleaning is enough or the part is in stock, it’s usually done the same or the next day. We order rarer parts and let you know the timeframe after the inspection.
Do you give a warranty after a repair like this?
Yes, the warranty on the work and the fitted part is written on your service sheet, along with a description of what we did. One thing we do say up front: liquid can also damage parts that are still working at the time of the repair, so a fault sometimes appears later, somewhere else.
How do I send my MacBook if I can’t come in?
Send it by courier, switched off and well packed, with a note saying what was spilled and when. You can also bring it to one of our three shops in Belgrade. If you send it, it comes back to you by courier once repaired.
Bring it to a shop or send it by courier
Three locations in Belgrade: Arena and Piramida (New Belgrade) and Centar near the Botanical Garden. With liquid damage, every day counts, so if you can’t come in, send us the MacBook by courier as soon as you can. We inspect it, tell you what it needs and, once we’re done, return it by courier.
We cover every Belgrade municipality
Bring your device to one of our three shops or send it by courier — it comes back by courier. Click your municipality for the neighbourhoods we cover and the problems we fix most often: