Q&A · MacBook Keyboard Replacement Dubai
Function Keys Not Working on Mac? Fix F1 to F12
F1 to F12 changing brightness instead of app shortcuts? Flip one keyboard setting, check app overrides, then test for a failed key, or book a check.
4.9 · 645 reviewsTwo Dubai workshopsMon-Sat 9AM-7PM19 years in Dubai
Quick answer
- Main workshop
- Concord Tower, Media City
- Second office
- IT Center Building, Bur Dubai
- In Dubai since
- 2007
- Google rating
- 4.9 from 645 reviews
- Hours
- Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM
- Enquiries
- WhatsApp or use the quote form on this page
In short
What this service changes
Three things first, the detail below.
Global toggle
F1 to F12 first, media controls behind Fn, in one switch.
Per-app rules
Standard F-keys in Photoshop, Xcode or games only.
External keyboards
Fn Lock or the maker's utility governs third-party boards.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
By default the top row of a Mac keyboard controls brightness, volume and media; F1 to F12 need the Fn key or a settings change.
One toggle under Keyboard Shortcuts, Function Keys, makes F1 to F12 the default and moves the media controls behind Fn.
Per-app behaviour can be set in the same panel, so a design or coding app can get F-keys while everything else keeps media keys.
If the row does nothing at all, not even brightness, the fault is the keyboard hardware or, on 2016 to 2019 Pros, the Touch Bar.
A dead Touch Bar takes the entire virtual F-key row with it and is replaced as a unit.
External keyboards need their own Fn setting; the Mac's toggle does not always apply to third-party models.
If that did not fix it
A dead top row after Safe Mode
Plug in any external keyboard. If its F-keys work, macOS is fine and the fault is inside the laptop: the top row shares a line in the keyboard grid, so a cracked trace or a liquid mark in the membrane kills the whole row while the rest types normally. On 2016 to 2019 Pros the strip is the Touch Bar.
Tell us whether Escape and Fn still respond, because that narrows it to the keyboard or the Touch Bar before the machine is opened. Keyboard row faults mean a top-case replacement; Touch Bar faults mean the strip or its cable. Both start with a free bench check.
How the top row works
The keys are the same, the Mac just decides which meaning comes first.
Every key on the top row has two meanings: a hardware control such as brightness, and a function-key code such as F5. macOS sends the hardware control by default and the F-key when Fn is held. The Function Keys setting swaps that order, and the per-app list swaps it for named apps only.
On Touch Bar MacBook Pros the row is a small display, so the same rule applies but the keys are drawn by software. When the Touch Bar's own controller fails, the row disappears entirely, and no setting brings it back until the strip is replaced.
F1 to F12 first, media controls behind Fn, in one switch.
Standard F-keys in Photoshop, Xcode or games only.
Fn Lock or the maker's utility governs third-party boards.
Keyboards, ribbons and Touch Bars replaced at both Dubai workshops.
The full answer
F-keys do brightness instead of F1? Or nothing at all? Here are both fixes.
By default, the top row of Mac keys controls brightness, volume, and media - not F1 through F12. To make them work as standard function keys, open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Function Keys, then toggle on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys". Now F1-F12 behave as expected; hold the Fn key to access brightness/media. You can also customise per-app behaviour in the same panel.
If the keys don't respond at all (no brightness, no F-key, nothing), it's hardware or driver. Try: 1) Restart the Mac. 2) Reset NVRAM (Intel only). 3) Boot into Safe Mode. 4) Check the keyboard isn't physically stuck.
On MacBooks 2016-2019 with the Touch Bar, the F-key row is virtual - if the Touch Bar is dead, the strip won't respond. We replace Touch Bars and keyboards at our Dubai workshop.
Make F1 to F12 work as standard function keys
- 1Open System Settings and choose Keyboard.
- 2Click Keyboard Shortcuts, then Function Keys in the sidebar.
- 3Turn on Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
- 4Hold Fn when you want brightness, volume or media controls.
- 5For a single app, stay in the same panel and add the app to the per-app list instead of switching globally.
When the row does not respond at all
If brightness and volume keys do nothing either, the problem is below the settings. Restart the Mac, then boot into Safe Mode to rule out a software conflict. On Intel Macs, reset NVRAM. Check for a stuck key by pressing each one gently. If the whole row stays dead, the keyboard ribbon, the keyboard itself or, on Touch Bar models, the Touch Bar has failed and needs a bench repair.
Touch Bar MacBook Pro specifics
On 2016 to 2019 MacBook Pros the F-key row lives on the Touch Bar. If the strip is blank, frozen or flickering, restart first; a persistent blank strip usually means the Touch Bar display or its controller has failed. We replace the Touch Bar assembly and, where the digitiser has gone, quote it before any work.
How Azizi Technologies handles this in Dubai
- Free intake diagnosis at our Dubai Media City or Bur Dubai workshop (or via WhatsApp photos).
- Written AED price quote before any work begins - no surprises, no hidden fees.
- Apple Certified Mac Technician on every Mac job; brand-trained technicians for Windows and Linux.
- 90-day parts-and-labour warranty on every repair.
- Walk-in only, no appointment: Media City for Marina, JLT and Jumeirah, Bur Dubai for Karama, Deira and Downtown.
- Same-day service on most common jobs walked in before 11:00.
Setting or hardware
F-keys doing the wrong thing vs F-keys doing nothing
The two symptoms look alike and have opposite causes.
| Wrong behaviour (a setting) | No response (hardware) | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | F1 changes brightness instead of acting as F1. | Nothing happens, not even brightness or volume. |
| Fix | Toggle Use F1, F2 keys as standard function keys. | Keyboard, ribbon or Touch Bar replacement. |
| Where | System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Function Keys. | Bench diagnosis at Azizi Technologies. |
| Per-app control | Available in the same panel. | Not relevant. |
| Touch Bar models (2016 to 2019 Pro) | Touch Bar shows F-keys when Fn is held or the setting is on. | A blank or frozen Touch Bar means the strip or its controller has failed. |
| Time | Under a minute. | Usually same day with parts in stock. |
Vendor neutral
Platforms We Support
The device maker and the component vendors behind the repairs on our Dubai bench. Parts are named because grade matters more than the price on the sticker.
- AppleMacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio across Intel, T2 and Apple silicon.
- SamsungNVMe SSDs for upgrades on older Intel Macs, and the NAND we recover data from on soldered boards.
- CrucialSSD and memory upgrades on the Macs that still take them, with the data migrated as part of the job.
- KingstonSSD and memory alternatives to the Samsung and Crucial parts.
- Western DigitalExternal and NAS drives we use for pre-repair backups and as migration targets.
- SeagateBackup and archive drives for the data we copy off a device before it is opened.
Finding us
Office 45, Concord Tower
You will find our main workshop at Office 45, 10th floor, Concord Tower, in Dubai Media City, with a second Azizi Technologies location at the IT Center Building in Bur Dubai. Concord Tower sits by Dubai Internet City metro, and has visitor parking if you drive in (first 15 minutes free, then paid).
No appointment is needed during workshop hours, Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM, Fri break 12-2PM · Sun closed. Walk in with the device for a free diagnosis. Repairs are walk-in only; send photos on WhatsApp first if you want the likely cost before the trip.
Walk in, no appointment
Free diagnosis at either Dubai workshop during workshop hours. We no longer collect repairs; businesses on an AMC can hand devices to the engineer on a scheduled visit.
How a repair runs
Diagnosis first, then a written quote before any work starts, then the repair, tested and returned with the work covered by our warranty.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
9 direct answers from the Azizi Technologies team.
How do I make the F-keys work without pressing Fn on a Mac?
Can I set function keys for one app only?
Why does my Touch Bar not show function keys?
Why do the top-row keys do nothing on my MacBook?
Do external keyboards follow the Mac's function key setting?
Why does holding Fn with a key do nothing either?
Can a frozen Touch Bar be reset without a repair?
Do macOS updates switch the function key setting back?
What are your workshop hours and locations?
Explore more from Azizi Technologies
Official sources
Non-competitor sources we use for standards, platform rules and regulatory context.
Talk to the team
Next step
MacBook Keyboard Replacement Dubai
Need help with your Mac or laptop? Contact Azizi Technologies - Dubai's trusted repair experts since 2007. We respond during workshop hours with a written AED quote and the nearer of our two walk-in workshops.
Two Dubai offices, both walk-in
Concord Tower in Media City and the IT Center Building in Bur Dubai, Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 19:00.Find our offices
IT AMC Dubai: one written SLA for the whole estate
IT annual maintenance contracts with response times in the contract, for offices with or without in-house IT.IT AMC in DubaiGet a quote
What needs fixing?
Four short steps, about a minute. Tell us the job once and we reply on WhatsApp with a price or a written scope, not a call-back.
4.9 stars from 645 Google reviews. Most enquiries answered within minutes during opening hours.
Read them on GoogleMeet the engineers
Real engineers. Real accountability.
Every job is handled by a certified engineer, the same people clients name in our Google reviews.
IT Support Lead
Usman K., thanked by name in our Google reviews
Microsoft Certified
10+ yrs experience
Senior Apple Repair Engineer
Shafeeq Ur Rehman, owner, on the Mac repair and micro-soldering bench
Apple-certified diagnostics · Board-level repair
12+ yrs experience
Network & Security Lead
Infrastructure and firewall team
Cisco CCNA
14+ yrs experience
Data Recovery Engineer
Drive imaging and board-level recovery bench
PC-3000 toolchain
9+ yrs experience
Finding us
Find your nearest Azizi Technologies workshop
Walk in to either Dubai branch for a free diagnosis, or book a visit. Visitor parking at Concord Tower (first 15 minutes free, then paid) (Dubai Media City).
Dubai Media City
Concord Tower, Office 45, 10th floor
Dubai Media City, Dubai
Find us in Concord Tower, Dubai Media City. Visitor parking at Concord Tower (first 15 minutes free, then paid).
Opening hours:
Mon to Sat: 9:00 to 19:00, Friday break 12:00 to 14:00
Sun: closed
Bur Dubai
G 58, IT Center Building, 21 21A Street
Bur Dubai, Dubai
Find us on the ground floor of the IT Center Building, with the walk-in repair counter.
Opening hours:
Mon to Sat: 9:00 to 19:00, Friday break 12:00 to 14:00
Sun: closed
Azizi Technologies
The numbers behind the Media City workshop
- Google rating
- 4.9★
- Verified reviews
- 645
- In Dubai since 2007
- 19 years
- On-site response SLA
- 4 hours
- Remote first response
- 15 minutes
- Dubai walk-in offices
- 2
Verified Google reviews
What MacBook Repair customers say
“Fast, convenient and effective service. They fixed my MacBook keyboard issues in less than 24hrs”
Luu, MacBook keyboard repair · Local Guide
“I spilled a whole glass of water on my MacBook and Azizi technologies fixed it so quickly in one day at a great price and it’s as good as new”
sarah, MacBook water damage · Google
“Shafeeq is an incredible technician! This has been completed within 24 hours of me asking for a replacement screen. Really good service, I highly recommend their services!”
Ritchie Thomas, MacBook screen · Local Guide