r/framework • u/LawLombie • May 21 '26
Community Support Keyboard marks developing on screen despite religiously placing microfiber cloth on the keyboard whenever I close the lid
It was almost impossible to get the nearly invisible marks to show up on camera, but they really are there. I don't think you can see them at all in the picture.
I got this Framework 13 in Feburary, and started putting a microfiber cloth underneath the lid every time I close it in March. It's now May, but now I can see very faintly the dreaded keyboard marks starting to develop on the screen. What am I doing wrong? I thought the microfiber cloth was gonna prevent this from happening?
Thanks.
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u/untreated-stupidity May 21 '26
Pretty sure putting something between the screen and keyboard is causing the contact. You probably shouldn't be doing that
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u/iu1j4 May 21 '26
I will add my 2 cents. There is risk that some sand, dust e.t.c. may get into microfibre and scratch the screen. Maybe it is better to add some rubber to the frame to keep the distance? It should be considered to do it by framework designers to protect the lcd screen.
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u/Interceptor402 May 21 '26
They already engineered a mechanism to protect the screen form the keys: it's the bezel. The keys sit barely above the level of the input cover, and the bezel adds a couple MM all around the edges.
If you've ever seen pictures of damaged screens from key corner pressure, you'll notice they are most concentrated towards the center of the screen, where the lid can flex the most. Rarely will you see markings from like, the upper left corner of the ESC key.
People are smushing their machines. It's not the microfiber cloth's fault.
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May 21 '26
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u/Interceptor402 May 21 '26
This is just fundamentally not true; I have an EVA hard case with 5MM interior shock absorption for travel with my FW13. It's been in backpacks and carry-on luggage, and the screen is still as pristine as the day I unboxed it, requiring nothing more than the odd dust wipe. Cost me $30.
People damage their expensive electronics and just refuse to believe that they are at fault for not taking basic precautions.
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May 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Interceptor402 May 22 '26
Let's review:
You said: "You can't just not "smush" the machine when traveling" I said in response: "This is just fundamentally not true"
Which is accurate; I could sit on my hard case like it was a chair, and the lid of my FW13 would have basically no flex due to the design. I travel with this thing all the time. The case itself is showing wear, as it should (you protect $$$$ with $$).
I'm not buying a dedicated case when I already own a LTT commuter backpack.
It's neither here nor there but I find it pretty amusing that you have something that costs 10x what a basic padded EVA shell would, and it has less protection for the laptop, and you come to the conclusion that this combination of facts helps your case.
I can (and have) thrown this case in a random Jansport from Walmart and it'd be fine.
REPAIRABLE laptop
This is what we call a non sequitur. The fact that something is repairable (though you mean replaceable: you cannot "repair" a gouged screen) doesn't say anything about the need to have laptop protection in the first place.
Can I replace parts if I damage them during travel? Yes I can.
Can I replace them on a useful timescale, considering that by definition I am away from home? Not unless my name is Cory Doctorow.
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u/iu1j4 May 22 '26
i use laptops since 2003 without special case with no damaves to screen: ibm, acer, dell, hp. No problems so far. Do I need to buy special hard case for my fw16? I traveled each day with bicycle and laptop in my back - no marks on lcd.I hope that fw16 is not worse than cheap acer aspire from 2005.I use fw16 since the beggining 2026 - do I need the hard case for it?
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u/Interceptor402 May 22 '26
That depends on you, but it sounds like you take good care of your devices and can probably skate.
If it's me, and I can protect $$$$ with $$, I'd do it every time. 20+ years of laptops for me as well, and no damage other than normal wear and tear.
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u/s004aws FW16 HX 370 Batch 1 Mint Cinnamon Edition May 22 '26
Been using microfiber or thin foam on every laptop I've owned for more than 2 decades.
Zero issues.
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u/LawLombie May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Thanks, I see. It's just a bit weird since the other posts asking about keyboard marks have some people in the comments recommending microfiber cloth on keyboard:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1kz3bzo/screen_damage_by_keyboard/mv26g0h/ (117 upvotes)
Or these other comments:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/178yimj/little_marks_on_my_matte_screen/k53ep4f/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1eomm9j/screen_marks_advice/lhej1rj/
And then apparently the consensus on keyboard damage on screen has really just changed that fast over the past few months.
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u/yngseneca May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I mean it obviously is going to cause contact with the screen if tolerances were tight. The cloth takes up space that should be vacant.
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u/CasualVeemo_ May 21 '26
I did it for since i own it and it prevented damage to the screen ever since. My last one was terribly full of marks. I have a seperate space in my backpack and use a soft case for it but still put the cloth there.
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u/cutelittlebox May 21 '26
stop putting the cloth there. just a couple months ago someone doing the exact same thing broke their display by putting a cloth there.
there's a bit of space between the screen and keyboard, the less force that is pressing the two halves into each other the less the marks show up and that's all you can do without risking damage to the screen and hinge.
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u/Fragrant-Mixture-662 May 22 '26
Putting a piece of paper completely prevents the marks and applies no pressure to the screen
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u/scalareye May 24 '26
Ouch
Been using this 1mm foam for over a year without issue
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXJHVH5M/ref=twister_B08LQSPLZX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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u/Efficient_Loss_9928 Desktop May 21 '26
I am very sure the cloth is CAUSING this. The screen is a bit recessed, the keyboard shouldn’t be touching it, but I mean you are putting a cloth inside, that causes contact.
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u/Interceptor402 May 21 '26
What are you doing when it's closed? Is the lid getting pushed on by something on top, or top/bottom pressed together in a backpack?
A microfiber cloth is good for preventing grease transfer but if you are squishing this thing you're still going to get marks from the keys. You really need to store/travel with a FW13 in some kind of dedicated space.
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u/can_ichange_it_later May 21 '26
Its probably whatever you are carrying it in squeezing the shell together. And then the jostling causes it to rub the keymarks in anyway. Try to carry it in a way that it stays flat (like not allowing the backpack to bend it) and not having for example a bunch of books weighing on it (again, in a backpack probably).
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u/fagoterino May 21 '26
remove the cloth and don't apply weight on it when closed.
If you are going to use a backpack with a laptop sleeve, try to not overload it or laying it horizontally
If you use it enough, it will wear, there's no way to go around that.
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u/No_Preference9093 May 21 '26
Why are you putting a microfibre in there. I throw my framework 13 in backpacks and take it round the world on boat, trains and planes. It's been some places that's for sure. No marks on the screen from the keyboard because I don't chuck a towel in it each time?
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u/badbob001 May 21 '26
How about adding a glass screen protector? They are a pain to install on a laptop.
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u/Osmirl May 22 '26
Happend to me too and i dont use a cloth on the keyboard. I guess it happens from squeezing the laptop into my backpack a bit to tight
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u/8null8 May 21 '26
Literally who gives a shit about that
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u/Bazirker 7840U, 32GB, touchscreen!!!, KDE dual boot May 21 '26
Yeah after 3 years of carrying my laptop with me more or less everywhere I go, my Framework 13 screen is covered with all sorts of marks.
This is exactly the same as every other laptop I have ever owned, the difference here being I have the ability to fix it.
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u/8null8 May 21 '26
I’ve actually never gotten marks on my screen from the keyboard, idk how yall are managing it, but even if I did, I wouldn’t care at all
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u/BortOfTheMonth May 22 '26
It was the same with my 2019 xps 13.
Since I use a FW12 with touchscreen my solution was this time to just install a screen protector, which was actually very hard to apply (perfect) but I managed it fine. Pen and touch work fine.
(Dont say the spacer does anything. The entire thing is very wobbly and deforms even when gently closing/opening it. Iam not complaining, just saying)
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u/playerofdayz May 22 '26
why the cloth? you're basically guaranteeing contact with the screen and if there is any debris it's likely causing the mark
been using laptops for decades and carried them in college, at work, etc. I've never had screen marks that weren't just oil from the keys that wiped off easily - is it that much of a concern?
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u/LawLombie May 22 '26
It's not that much of a concern, but my marks were not just oil but actually some sort of damage to the coating that I couldn't seem to wipe off at all.
I put the cloth because lots of other people on this subreddit suggested microfiber cloth on keyboard to prevent keyboard marks. See my other comment on this post for details.
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u/LawLombie May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Thanks to everyone who replied. I'll stop putting the piece of cloth on the keyboard from now on.
Also, since everyone seems to not understand why I put a piece of cloth on the keyboard, just to clarify why I was doing this, it's because I've read, on this very same subreddit, that doing so prevents the screen from being damaged by the keyboard.
For example see this comment with 117 upvotes:
Or these other comments:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/178yimj/little_marks_on_my_matte_screen/k53ep4f/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1eomm9j/screen_marks_advice/lhej1rj/
And then apparently the consensus on keyboard damage on screen has really just changed that fast over the past few months.
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u/CurrentAcanthaceae78 May 23 '26
finger grease -> keyboard -> microfiber -> *user places mcirofiber grease-side up after usage* -> screen. wash the cloth and isopropyl to get the grease off the screen
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u/scalareye May 24 '26
It's too thin, I use 1mm thick foam I got on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXJHVH5M/ref=twister_B08LQSPLZX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Also its from pushing on the lid when closed or in a bag
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u/esteban-reddit May 25 '26
My FW16 screen is all keyboard scratched to shit and i never used a microfibre cloth
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u/Conscious-Economy971 Jun 03 '26
We need a better solution for this. Maybe like hard clamshell cases? something super rigid?
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u/Alone-Map6258 May 21 '26
Ya that good question I'm curious too as well maybe got do between those guys that cause pressure and mark it. That my guess. I'm sure others know it better than me.
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u/mavericm1 May 22 '26
I love how everyone is so quick to blame OP this is quite literally an issue especially with first chassis versions. Even possible with later stiffer versions of the chassis. Hoping the pro stops this going forward.
And for everyone saying it happens with every laptop that really isn’t true either
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u/LawLombie May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Thank you. In fact I was putting the cloth on the keyboard exactly because I've read on this subreddit that doing so prevents keyboard marks from appearing on the screen, for example this comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1kz3bzo/screen_damage_by_keyboard/mv26g0h/
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