MacBook Trackpad Not Clicking? Causes, Fixes and When to Repair

Clicking has to be one of the simplest parts of using a laptop. All you do is move a finger and press. When your MacBook’s trackpad decides it’s had enough and leaves the chat, you’re left at a loss. Because what are you supposed to do now?

A little bit of guidance goes a long way, even if only to help you decide when it’s time for a repair. We’ll cover some common reasons a MacBook Air or Pro’s trackpad isn’t clicking, lay out some quick fixes and give you an idea of what repairs could cost.

Why Your MacBook Trackpad Is Not Clicking

Before going more in depth, here are some of the common visual and sensory cues, what they may stem from, how to test for them and possible fixes. We’ll go into more detail on each below and point out when a professional MacBook repair may be necessary.

Quick Fixes to Try First

Start with a visual test. Any swelling or bulging of the keyboard or trackpad points to a swollen battery. That’s a serious safety hazard, so if you see that the trackpad is raised, stop using your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro immediately and bring it in for repairs.

Before moving on to software, do a touch test. Dirt and grime can build up over time and cause erratic trackpad behaviour. If the trackpad feels sticky or stuck, try a gentle external clean. Power off your MacBook first. Then, using a dry cloth, wipe the surface; a very lightly dampened cloth is also fine.

If the problem persists, the debris may be too far beneath the surface for a cloth to reach. A professional cleaning is advised.

Before moving into software fixes, quickly check your peripherals. It’s surprisingly common for a Magic Mouse buried in a backpack to go haywire.

Software Settings: What to Look For

There are a number of software toggles that could be causing your trackpad not to click. Before checking those, make sure there isn’t a macOS update waiting to be installed.

Go into System Settings, click General, then Software Update. If there is a pending update, install it.

If there’s no software update, or if that doesn’t get the trackpad working again, try these System Settings fixes. Go through them one at a time and test before moving to the next one:

• Go to Trackpad > Point & Click > Click pressure. Move the toggle to Light and test whether clicks are registering now. If that works, try moving the setting to Medium for a more comfortable click sensitivity.

• Force Click and haptic feedback are also in the Point & Click panel. If the setting is enabled, try disabling it and then test the trackpad.

• Tap-to-click can cause phantom clicks. If it’s been enabled, unintentional touches may be causing erratic mouse behaviour. See if disabling it helps.

• If none of these work, go to the More Gestures tab and check that all the settings are correctly configured.

SMC Reset

This is another quick fix to try. Your MacBook’s trackpad could be affected by a glitch in the System Management Controller. Apple provides a step-by-step guide for doing an SMC reset on Intel and T2 chip MacBook models.

On a newer MacBook powered by an M1 or M2 chip, there is no SMC.

Swollen Battery: The Most Common Hardware Cause

If you notice that your trackpad is bulging, the cause is likely a swollen battery.

Batteries naturally degrade over time. The signs are quiet at first: draining a bit quicker, fans getting set off more easily and ‘Service Recommended’ messages. Consistent MacBook overheating accelerates degradation.

Regardless of how it happened, it happened. That swollen battery is a safety hazard and a fire risk. Bring it in for a battery replacement as soon as possible.

Failed Force Touch Mechanism and Trackpad Cable Faults

A swollen battery is an easier hardware problem to diagnose because there is an obvious visual cue. Other hardware failures can be more difficult to pinpoint.

Force Touch Not Working

MacBooks have been using Force Touch since 2015, meaning that clicks are registered through pressure sensors and haptic feedback rather than a physical clicking mechanism. If Force Touch isn’t working, clicks stop registering.

Force Touch may stop working because of software glitches or because the sensitivity setting is too high. At the hardware level, the Force Touch mechanism can wear unevenly on MacBook Pros. Falls can also cause Force Touch problems. A trackpad replacement usually resolves the issue.

When the Trackpad Cable Needs Replacing

The trackpad cable, an internal ribbon cable, links the trackpad to the logic board. These are some signs that it’s failed:

• The trackpad is clicking all over the place but not where you’ve pressed.

• There’s no response to physical touch at all.

• System Settings doesn’t recognise the trackpad.

A repair is required to replace the cable or the whole trackpad.

Keyboard and Trackpad Both Not Working: What It Usually Means

If your MacBook’s keyboard and mouse are both not working, there are a few possible causes.

This is a common problem with MacBooks where the trackpad needs to be recognised for the keyboard to work. If the trackpad cable is faulty, both aren’t recognised.

Swollen batteries can also be to blame. In addition to looking for swelling of the trackpad, also look at the keyboard. It might be sitting unevenly. If the machine feels warm, that’s another sign. The same advice about bringing it in for professional repair as above applies here.

These are some other causes:

• software glitches

• liquid damage

• a corrupted or frozen SMC

If the fixes outlined above don’t work, it’s worth bringing your MacBook in for diagnostics.

Trackpad Stopped Working After a Spill

If your MacBook Air recently took a plunge in the pool, or if your MacBook Pro was treated to a spilled cup of coffee, that could be why your trackpad has become totally unresponsive. Alternatively, it might be working, but your gestures don’t register properly.

Even if it didn’t happen today, water damage can leave you with a corroded logic board and problems that a force restart and quick fixes won’t resolve. A full-board liquid recovery, including an ultrasonic clean, inspection under microscope and component-level repair will help save your MacBook.

What Trackpad Repair Costs in South Africa

Some MacBook repair costs are easier to provide a benchmark for than others:

• Battery replacement: MacBook Air – from R2,000 to R3,100; MacBook Pro – from R1,800 to R4,500.

• Liquid damage: MacBook Air – from R1,000 to R6,500; MacBook Pro – from R1,500 to R6,500.

• Trackpad repair: We assess the MacBook first, then provide a written quote.

These are some estimates of trackpad-related repairs; the final amount depends on the model and type of fix.

How the Repair Works at iAssist

At iAssist, every MacBook repair starts with a free diagnostic. We then provide a written quote before starting work. If you need a new trackpad, we replace the entire assembly with OEM-grade parts and recalibrate the haptic engine. If the damage stems from the battery, we fix that, too.

If you’d like to know more, send us a WhatsApp message and tell us about the problem and your MacBook model.