Summary

• Customize your keyboard with aftermarket keycaps and cables for a big makeover without spending a lot.
• Tweak the feel and sound of your keyboard by trying out different switches.
• Lubing your switches & stabilizers, and adding foam dampeners can make a massive difference to your typing experience.

There are endless reasons to love mechanical keyboards — satisfying typing and sound, great variety, and easy repairability. But, perhaps, the most fun part of mechanical keyboards is giving them your own touch by customizing and modifying them. Now, keyboard mods can range from the simplest ones that are quick and don't cost a lot to complicated and time-consuming ones that are kind of pricey.

This list will dabble into the easiest keyboard mods that anyone can do. All you need is some time and a few bucks to go from a keyboard noob to an enthusiast. The best mechanical keyboards can cost a lot but with these mods, even your budget keyboard can feel and sound like a custom-built mechanical keyboard.

6 Keycaps

Start from the outside in

Despite the impressive variety in form factors, features, and switches when buying mechanical keyboards, you'll rarely find the same in keycaps. You can choose from OEM, XDA, and Cherry profiles keycaps by shopping around for different keyboards, but in terms of looks, there are not many choices except white, black, and a few other colors (unless you consider expensive artisanal boards). This is why I recommend switching to some aftermarket keycaps to give your keyboard a big makeover.

For $15-$25, you can score some of the best keyboard keycaps from Amazon.

You don't need to spend around $50 for a set of keycaps from sites like Drop or Glorious. For $15-$25, you can score some of the best keyboard keycaps from Amazon. Whether you fancy some gradient keycaps with side-printed letters, pudding-style keycaps with RGB, or Matcha tea keycaps for earthy vibes, there are endless options you can browse for hours.

5 Cables

Wired keyboards can be fun, too

Adding custom cables is a relatively newer keyboard mod. Thanks to a wide range of beautiful and affordable cables on the market, it's hard to resist switching your boring cable for an aftermarket one. You might even sacrifice wireless functionality in favor of a gorgeous coiled cable that enhances the looks of both your keyboard and your desk setup.

Some of the best wireless keyboards come with a detachable cable.

Adding a custom cable to your keyboard is super simple — you just need your keyboard to have a detachable cable. For those without one, you can still add a custom cable with some soldering, but that hardly counts as simple. Some of the best wireless keyboards come with a detachable cable for when you need wired usage, so you can have the best of both worlds.

4 Switches

You've got a lot of "switching" options

Outside of mods like lubing and adding dampening materials, switches provide some of the easiest ways to modify the feel and sound of your keyboard. Check if you currently have blue or red stock switches that came with your keyboard. If you'd like to try switches that are less "clicky" sounding than your blue ones, you can switch to brown switches. They're less noisy than blue switches but still provide satisfying tactile feedback.

Switch preferences can vary drastically from person to person.

Similarly, you can switch from brown switches to red, yellow, or one of many other "linear" switches if you don't care for tactility but want a faster typing experience. Again, these are all my experiences, and you'd need to try out a few switches before reaching your own conclusions, as switch preferences can vary drastically from person to person.

The best gaming keyboard switches can be a good starting point when you're new to experimenting with mechanical switches.

3 Stabilizers

Add some stability to your life

Your mechanical keyboard might already have stabilizers for the largest keys like the spacebar, Shift, and Enter. These metallic supports reduce the unwanted movement of the keys and the rattling sound when typing. If you remove your keycaps and find no stabilizers, you can add some yourself to result in a more stable and deeper-sounding keypress.

A good set of stabilizers can turn your large keys from a noisy mess to a "thocky" delight.

While stabilizers might feel like an advanced mod due to the application and cost involved, they are one of the most impactful mechanical keyboard modifications you can make. A good set of stabilizers can turn your large keys from a noisy mess to a "thocky" delight.

2 Lubing

It always helps!

Lubing your stabilizers and switches can have a huge impact on the sound and feel of your keyboard. By reducing the friction between the individual switch parts, you end up with smoother, less scratchy keystrokes. Similarly, lubed stabilizers help reduce the rattling noise that can often ruin your typing experience.

You'll appreciate the heightened quality of your typing experience

Lubing might look like a complicated process, but is actually quite simple. You just need to be patient with the process and not overdo the grease. Once you complete lubricating all of your switches and stabilizers, you'll appreciate the heightened quality of your typing experience.

1 Foam dampeners

Simple yet effective

If you're adding stabilizers and lubricants to improve the sound of your keyboard, you should also try adding a dampening material to your PCB for a more comprehensive solution. Packing foam is one of the simplest ways to do this as it's often lying around the house or easily available as $10 rolls from Amazon.

You can experiment with other materials like kinetic sand, Play-Doh, cork boards, and even garden sand.

You just need to cut one to size by measuring it against your keyboard's PCB and then firmly insert it inside. You'll almost always get a deeper, fuller-sounding keyboard with a foam mod. In fact, you can experiment with other materials like kinetic sand, Play-Doh, cork boards, and even garden sand. But packing foam is probably the simplest to start with, as it's easily removable if you don't like the result.

Keyboard modding: A wholesome community

The world of keyboard modding might look intimidating from the outside but when you've got such a welcoming and helpful community, it's so much fun to pick apart and tweak your mechanical keyboard. Customization is one of the biggest reasons to buy a mechanical keyboard, and if you haven't tried it out yet, you're missing out.

You can learn about switches, keycaps, form factors, and more, and find out reasons to build your own mechanical keyboard from scratch. Check out the best budget wireless keyboards for some awesome options to get you started with a new and reading hobby.