How to Fix Repeat Letters or Double Spacing Issue on MacBook

With the 12-inch MacBook in 2015, Apple abandoned the traditional scissor-style keyboard switches in favor of the new Butterfly mechanism. Apple aimed to develop a thinner key profile and greater stability on the scissor key system. Due to the butterfly keyboard’s thinner profile and limited space, many users have reported broken keys, stuck typing, repeated words, double spaces, and more. Now, if you’re one of those people and your MacBook is having the problem of repeated letters or double spaces, you’ve come to the right page.

The latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air now use the Magic keyboard (based on scissor keys). Unfortunately, the transition from the Scissor-style mechanism to the Butterfly style did not suit MacBook users. And now we’re back to scissor-style Magic keyboards.

This does not mean that every problem with keyboards that carry butterfly switches is necessarily a hardware issue. Some issues may occur due to software glitches.

Many users with butterfly keyboard report about characters typing twice in a single press. Some MacBooks also have issues with double-space when clicking the spacebar once. Before going to the Apple service center, we recommend that you try the fixes below to see if they have resolved your issue.

Disable Key Repeat

If you’re coming from traditional scissor keys, you may have a habit of pressing the keys harder. If a user tries to apply the same amount of pressure to the MacBook’s butterfly keyboard, they may end up with double characters or double spaces while typing.

With macOS, you can disable the key repeat behavior on the keyboard. Thus, it will not accidentally save the same word twice in one press. To turn off key duplication, follow the steps below.

Stage 1: Tap the Apple logo in the upper left corner.

Step 2: Tap System Preferences to make changes.

Stage 3: Select the keyboard menu and here you will see a number of options to choose from.

Step 4: You will see the Key Repeat option from the keyboard menu. By default, it is set closer to Fast.

Step 5: To turn it off, scroll down the arrow and close the menu.

Now try to hold down any alphabetic key on the keyboard. He will not repeat the word. Write a few sentences to see if the double space or letter repetition issue is resolved.

Clear Keyboard

Tiny dust particles can seep through tiny slides around MacBook keyboard keys. And this can cause the key to appear to have been pressed twice when you should only have touched it once.

Apple recommends using a can of compressed air to blow out any dirt from the keyboard. Follow the steps below to clean the keyboard.

Stage 1: Open the MacBook and hold it at a 75 degree angle.

Step 2: Use compressed air to spray the keyboard or just the affected keys in a left-to-right motion.

Stage 3: Turn the MacBook to the other side and spray the keyboard from left to right again.

Step 4: Keep repeating the action four to five times.

Besides double space and double typing, this method can also fix unresponsive butterfly keys on MacBook.

Note: Use the keyboard keys with compressed air and shut down your MacBook when you’re ready. Do not attempt to use it to clean the speakers or contents of a MacBook. Using random compressed air can damage the MacBook’s internals.

Use Recovery Mode

Recovery mode in macOS allows you to erase MacBook’s drive, fix common macOS problems, reinstall the operating system, restore data from Time Machine Backup, and more. For our guide, we will use Recovery mode to see if the double space issue is hardware related or a software glitch. Go through the steps below.

Stage 1: Tap the Apple logo in the upper left corner and select Restart.

Step 2: Immediately hold down Command + R until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe.

Stage 3: Your Mac will display the Recovery Mode Utilities window with the following options.

Step 4: Select Get Online Help and it will open the Safari browser for you.

Try typing a few sentences into the address bar or any online note app. If you’re still having issues with double typing or double spacing, the problem is with the keyboard itself.

If writing in Recovery Mode works normally, it’s a software bug. Now that you understand this, you can update the app or install any pending macOS updates.

Remove Keyboard Customization

If you are using any third-party keyboard customization or key remapping software, you should try uninstalling it. This may be interfering with the normal function of the keyboard. Any Text Expansion or Key remapping app could be responsible for the glitch. After removing them, restart your Mac and check if the problem persists.

If it’s a hardware issue, you can visit the nearest Apple store and replace the keyboard. Apple is aware of issues with butterfly keys. That’s why MacBook runs the Keyboard Service Program for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

Check the Apple site to check supported MacBook models and other details. The company offers a four-year warranty for the keyboards from the date of purchase.

Fix Duplicate and Double Spaces

Before you go to Apple headquarters, you should use these options to try to fix the keyboard issue on the MacBook, as the guys at Apple will take their sweet time replacing the keyboard. Did the above mentioned options fix the problem for you? If yes, let us know which trick worked for you in the comments section below.

Next: With the release of macOS 10.15.5, Apple added the Battery health management option to increase the life of the MacBook battery. Read the post below to learn more about it and how to enable/disable the option.