August 13, 2025, 11:19 am | Read time: 3 minutes
You’ve probably done it before: Space in your bag is tight, and to avoid creasing a document or letter, you place the paper inside your laptop. But you should definitely avoid this! A thin piece of paper is enough to damage the device.
Apple already warned against this mistake in 2023 and even dedicated a specific entry on its support page to it. While the manufacturer doesn’t explicitly mention a sheet of paper, it warns against using camera covers, palm rests, or keyboard covers. These should be removed before closing the display; otherwise, it could be damaged.
“To enable the sleek design of Mac notebooks, the gap between the display (screen) and the case is constructed with extremely low tolerances,” Apple explains. “If material is on the display, keyboard, or palm rest, it can interfere when closing the display and cause damage.”
Paper Postcard Causes MacBook Display to Shatter
Some users have already experienced this. Among them is Heidi, who placed a postcard between the display and keyboard of her MacBook Air and closed it, causing the glass surface of the screen to crack. Surprised by this, she shares her experience under the username classicheidi on TikTok. The team at “Golem” discovered the post.
There are also numerous entries on “Reddit” on the topic. Various users wonder whether they should use a keyboard cover on their MacBook at all. The forum responses are mixed. Many report that such precautions to protect their device have had the opposite effect and caused damage. “Anything that better protects the keyboard and screen when closed puts stress on the hinges. There’s really no need to cover the keyboard,” warns one user.
Others, however, have not had any issues using a cover. They do suggest, though, that you only place very thin materials like a napkin on the keyboard to protect the display from smudges and marks.
Not Just a MacBook Problem
In the current case of TikToker Heidi, the video suggests the greeting card was made of somewhat thicker paper. Additionally, she apparently placed it very high up near the hinges, where there is the least space. This was enough to not only shatter the thin glass layer of the display but also damage the LCD Retina screen.
MacBook Air models are designed to be slim, leaving little space between components. This also applies to laptops from other manufacturers. Whether it’s LG with the Gram SuperSlim, Asus with the ZenBook S 13 OLED, Samsung with the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 or its Chromebooks, or the HP Spectre—all these models are only between 9.9 and 12.7 millimeters thick. For comparison, the current MacBook Air (M4, 2025) is 11.3 to 11.5 millimeters thick, while the 2022 model with the M2 chip is 11.3 millimeters.
If users place a cover between the display and keyboard on these models, the laptop may not close properly. It is therefore advisable to avoid doing so to protect the device.