Are you looking to spruce up your mechanical keyboard and make it stand out from the crowd? Changing your mechanical keycaps is a great way to add a personal touch and make your keyboard the envy of your friends! With a few simple steps, you can change your mechanical keycaps and give your keyboard a fresh look and feel. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of changing your mechanical keycaps, from removing the original keycaps to adding the new ones. With the help of this guide, you’ll be able to change your mechanical keycaps like a pro in no time! So, let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

People replace their keycaps for all sorts of reasons. To make their setup more ergonomic with keycaps for gaming. Or even simply decorate their keyboard with custom keycap designs from TV shows and anime.

Before we get right into this there are a few items that you’ll need to successfully change your mechanical keycaps:

Mechanical Keyboard: You’re changing the keycaps, not the board. Make sure you have a mechanical keyboard if you want to change the keycaps. Sometimes it can be confusing as membrane keyboards resemble mechanical keyboards. But note that these use different mounts for their keys and are significantly harder to remove. So they won’t be compatible.

Keycap Puller: This is used to remove the current keycaps from your mechanical switch. You can buy one online or at any computer or electronics store. This isn’t essential to removing your keycaps as many people manage to fashion tools or improvise with cutlery. However, if you want to reduce the risk of damage to your keycaps during the removal process then a keycap puller should be the way to go.

New Set Of Keycaps: This is a set that comes with keycaps, another switch (for MX boards), or whatever switches you’ve ordered. Keycaps can be found at plenty of different online retailers with thousands of different designs. You can get everything from beautiful artisan keycaps to even lewd ahegao keycaps, anime fans will know what talking about. Make sure that you replace your keycaps within the same day. Leaving the switches exposed for long periods of time allows dust and dirt to accumulate within the keyboard which can impact its function.

Keyboard Cleaning Supplies: Make sure to buy a cleaning kit with a brush and all-purpose cleaner that’s meant for keyboards. This is to ensure that your keyboard stays clean and lasts as long as possible.

Keycap Storage: After you’re done changing your keycaps, you can store your keyboard in an appropriate place. Make sure the place you store it is clean, dry, and free of dust. Dust is the number one enemy of the mechanical keycap so storing it somewhere clean is important.

Step 1: Removing the Original Keycaps

Removing your mechanical keycaps isn’t rocket science as they are made to be taken off and replaced. However, if it is done recklessly you can cause damage to the keys or worse the switches that they’re mounted on. The easiest way to take the keys off will be using a keycap puller. These can be found in any local or online tech retailer. If you’ve got nimble fingers it’s also possible to remove caps by using your index and thumb.

This get’s a lot easier the more keys you remove as you get space to get a good grip on the keys. If you plan on removing and replacing every key on your keyboard your fingers might get a bit sore so bear that in mind.

The number one rule when taking mechanical keycaps off of your keyboard is, do not twist! Keycaps are not made to twist and doing so will damage or break the switches underneath. Only apply a vertical pulling motion to remove the keycaps straight up off of the switch.

Step 2: Cleaning the Keyboard

The second step in this process is to clean the keyboard. You can use cleaning supplies that are meant specifically for keyboards. Make sure to remove the keycaps before cleaning the keyboard. There are two ways to clean the keyboard:

Vacuum Cleaning: Hold the vacuum cleaner a few inches above the surface of the keyboard and turn it on. This will get rid of any dirt and dust that might be on or below the keyboard surface.

Manual Cleaning: Get a soft-bristled brush and a cleaning solution that’s meant for keyboards. Wipe down each key on the keyboard with the cleaning solution. Next, use the soft-bristled brush to scrub away the grime and dust that are on the keyboard. Although most keycaps are oil resistant it’s not a bad idea to use a little bit of warm soapy water to give them a light clean if they’re greasy.

Step 3: Adding the New Keycaps

The third step in this process is to add the new keycaps to the keyboard. Place the new keycaps under each switch. Make sure the keycap is properly aligned with the switch below and press it down with moderate pressure. Once it’s on give it a few clicks to make sure that it’s been attached securely.

Step 4: Testing and Troubleshooting

The fourth step in this process is to test and troubleshoot your mechanical keyboard. First, plug in the keyboard, and make sure that it works as intended. After you’ve made sure that the keyboard works as intended, you can test it with different games, applications, and typing tasks. If something doesn’t work as intended, you can troubleshoot the problem by pressing another key. If the problem lies with the key you pressed, you can press the key with an original keycap. If the problem lies with the key you put on your keyboard, you can switch the key with one that you like more.

Tips and Tricks for Changing Keycaps

Make sure that you keep the original keycaps so you can switch them back if you don’t like the new keycaps. If you’re changing your keycaps because they’re broken, make sure to clean the broken keycaps before you replace them with new ones. This will help keep any existing dirt and grime away from your new keycaps. When cleaning your keyboard, make sure to clean the surface, the sides of the keys, and the switch. This will make button presses smoother and clicks just as satisfying as intended.

Hopefully, our step-by-step guide has demystified the process of how people get these fancy keyboards. So go out there and get some keycaps for yourself!