Spilled water on MacBook: the best ways to troubleshoot

Spilling water on your MacBook can feel like a nightmare. Whether you’ve knocked over a whole glass of water or just splashed a little on the keyboard or screen, it’s easy to panic and assume your device is inevitably ruined.

Spilled water on a MacBook doesn’t have to be the end of the world though. It doesn’t even necessarily mean a hefty repair bill. With some quick-thinking steps, you can minimise damage and troubleshoot the problem before the water causes any long-term issues for your machine. These steps will help you limit MacBook water damage and hopefully get your tech running as good as new.

Power down your MacBook

If you’ve spilled water on a MacBook, it’s important to fully power the device down straight away. This is to try and prevent ongoing damage to the electrical circuits inside the Mac. Make sure that you press the power button for a full five seconds so that it completely switches off and shuts down.

If your MacBook is plugged in, ensure that the plug socket itself and your hands and sleeves are dry and unplug the MacBook from the wall. This is to stop any water from meeting live electrical currents and prevent potential fire hazards in your home. If you’re worried that the plug socket has sustained water damage, you can also use the circuit breaker in your fuse box to turn off the electricity. 

Remove charger and USBs from ports

As well as making sure your MacBook is unplugged from the wall, you should also promptly remove the charger from the MacBook port. This will help ensure that the MacBook is fully shut down by cutting off the power, although you should still try to shut the device down manually using the power button first. 

Once you’ve done this, you should also pull out any USBs that have been inserted into the MacBook ports and remove any connected external devices. This will prevent water damage to these devices and help protect any files you have backed up on them – something that could be a lifesaver if you have caused serious MacBook Pro water damage.

Mop up any water on your MacBook 

If you’ve spilled water on a MacBook, it’s very important that you don’t move the device before you have mopped up the liquid and thoroughly dried the keyboard. Most spills onto laptops occur from the front or side while the laptop is open. You’re most likely sitting at your desk with a drink beside you when you knock something over, causing liquid to splatter across the screen and base and seep underneath the laptop.

Tilting your MacBook while there is still water on the keyboard can cause liquid to run into the vents at the bottom of the screen. When this happens, you will let water into your machine’s logic board, which is a surefire way to cause serious MacBook water damage and possibly even break the device completely. 

Instead of immediately trying to move your laptop to a dry spot, you should carefully mop up any water on the keyboard with a paper towel or a dry microfibre cloth. If no water has reached the vents, you can also try to cover them with paper towels to stop any accidental leakage. 

If any water has reached the vents or has dripped down the sides of your MacBook and entered the USB or HDMI ports, you can also dry these to help prevent further damage. Gently use a cotton swab or the corner of a paper towel to wipe the vents/ports dry. Don’t forcefully poke anything into the vents or ports as this can cause damage to the logic board or the ports themselves. You can also use a cotton swap or a dry cloth to gently clean around the edges of your touchpad.

Let your MacBook thoroughly dry 

When you’re sure that you’ve cleaned all the visible liquid off the exterior of your MacBook, it’s a good idea to place it somewhere to dry and drain. Try to absorb any liquid caught on the underside of your laptop first by placing it on a dry cloth or paper towel and letting it sit for a few minutes so that any water can drain out. 

Once you’ve done this, you can turn the laptop over and allow water to drain out from the other side. If you feel that a lot of water might have got inside the MacBook, you can also remove the back panel and allow it to drain like this. To do this, you will need a small screwdriver to untwist all four screws at the back. You can then lift the back panel away and leave the laptop to dry. 

You can also take the internal battery out of your MacBook. You’ll need to take the back panel off first to do this. The internal battery on your MacBook is located on the logic board and can either be lifted up and disconnected by hand or, if you have a newer MacBook model, using the in-built flex cable. Don’t be tempted to use your screwdriver to disconnect the battery as this could damage the MacBook’s internal mechanism.

How to deal with water in your MacBook screen?

While protecting your keyboard and preventing any water from entering the laptop’s logic board should be your top priority, you will also need to take steps to dry your screen if it has been exposed to liquid. If you spill water on a MacBook screen, water can enter behind the glass and leave watermarks that can obscure your display. 

To prevent water in your MacBook screen, you will need to keep your screen as flat as possible and try not to move the laptop too much. You can lie the screen face down on a towel with the base hanging over the surface edge. This should allow the water to sit in the same place behind the glass and dry out, rather than running down the display and creating streaks. Just be extremely careful not to jolt or bump the laptop in this position as the base is heavier than the screen and could easily tip your MacBook up and cause it to fall – the last thing you need when trying to deal with MacBook water damage.

How to deal with water damage to your trackpad?

Even if a spill is mostly contained to your trackpad, you should still remove the back of your MacBook and dry the logic board. Water can seep inside your laptop around the edges of the trackpad and this can cause the trackpad to become unresponsive. 

Dab your trackpad carefully with a dry cloth to clear any water off the exterior, then turn your MacBook over to dry it inside. If either your trackpad or keyboard fails to respond even after thorough drying, you should take your MacBook for professional repair.

How to tell if a MacBook has water damage?

If you’ve seriously drowned your MacBook or dropped the whole thing into deep water, you’ll probably see some obvious signs of water damage straight away. Your MacBook probably won’t turn on or respond correctly to button presses, or you might notice serious watermarks behind the screen. 

However, MacBook and MacBook Air water damage can also show up days or even weeks after the event. This delayed damage can be caused by rust build-up in the internal mechanism. This is more likely to occur if you don’t dry your laptop properly after a spill.

Why is a refurbished MacBook a great choice?

Choosing a refurbished device can save you money and give you access to great deals. When you shop for MacBook products on Back Market, you can find second hand MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Air products at affordable and competitive prices, starting at as little as £129. Back Market tests all products before sale to ensure they are 100% functional. Buying refurbished devices is also great for the environment and helps support sustainable tech.

How to get a student discount on Back Market? 

Do you have a student card and looking for a new piece of tech? Back Market offers a £20 discount code to all UK students who are currently enrolled in full-time higher education. To claim your student discount on Back Market, create or sign in to your Back Market account and fill out the student form to receive a code. You can then use this code on items with a value over £250 on one purchase per year. Perfect for finding great deals on all your back-to-school supplies.