These retailers make shopping for your next set of replacement keycaps fast, fun, and easy.

Dipping your toe into the world of mechanical keyboard customization can be a wild experience. There’s so much to choose from and tweak to perfection: switches, lubrication for said switches, stabilizers, cable mods, PCBs. It might be overwhelming for newcomers, but there’s at least one thing that even the greenest and most veteran of keyboard customizers alike can enjoy: The unique bliss of shopping for replacement keycaps.

Compared to the other bits and bobs that make up a mechanical keyboard, keycaps are nice and simple — yet finding the perfect replacement keycaps for a board is almost guaranteed to have an outsized impact on both how the board looks and feels. There are too many choices of keycap replacement options out there to count, so this guide will instead introduce you to the best places to find your next set of choice, as well as the fundamentals to consider before you make your shopping list.

Find the perfect keycaps for every board in your collection with our Essential Guide to Keycaps.

How to find the right replacement keycaps

Most of the mass-market mechanical keyboards available today come pre-installed with a set of keycaps, while the creators behind boutique brands may cater to hardcore enthusiasts with bare boards that are meant to be filled in with your choice of switches and keycaps. The beautiful thing about the modern state of the mechanical keyboard hobby is that the same replacement keycaps will likely fit on either kind and anything in between. As long as your board is compatible with Cherry MX-style switches — marked by the cross-shaped stem on top of the switch — you can mix and match between styles and brands as much as you like.

This isn’t to say all keycaps are essentially the same. That could hardly be further from the truth, as demonstrated by the range of materials, shapes, and visual styles available for keycaps today. You could simply pick a set that looks promising and see how it feels once you get it installed, but more judicious shoppers should consider how each part of a keycap influences its form and function, and how it will contribute to the overall performance of your board.

Here’s a quick primer on elements to consider when shopping for your next keycap replacement set.

• Material: Keycaps are typically made out of standard commercial plastics such as ABS or PBT, though more exotic materials such as rubber, metal, and even ceramic are becoming more common.
• Profile: Most keycaps hew to a set of standardized profiles, which determines the size and shape of each key. Check out our complete guide to keycap profiles to find out more.
• Style: Looks absolutely count for such a central part of your setup, so it’s worth investigating some of the different aesthetic options out there. RGB-friendly pudding keycaps that feature light-diffusing translucent sides are one popular new option to emerge in recent years.

Where to buy replacement keycaps for your board

Now that you know how to find the right replacement keycaps for your keyboard, here are the best places to start looking.

For unique materials and a broad selection: Mechanical Keyboards

If you want a massive selection of replacement keycaps all in one place, the matter-of-factly named MechanicalKeyboards.com should be your first stop. Featuring over a thousand keycap sets, you’re nearly guaranteed to find exactly what you’re looking for. And don’t worry, it also features some excellent sorting capabilities for breaking out results by color, brand, profile, and more.

For curated community favorites: Drop

Drop’s business model is working with community-favorite creators to bring unique products to market, and that’s borne out by its selection of replacement keycaps. You won’t find the cheapest keycaps on Drop’s virtual shelves, nor will you find an endless selection of all the current trends, but what you will find is of universally high quality and immaculate aesthetic.

For a range of prices and styles: Kbdfans

Like many of the retailers on this list, Kbdfans is built to be a one-stop shop for keyboard enthusiasts: You can pick up your board, switches, and keycaps all in one place. You’ll probably have an easy time finding a pleasing keycap replacement for your board, with an ample selection of in-stock caps — and the choices get even grander if you don’t mind pre-ordering a set, or signing up for a no-commitment interest check on models that may return in the future.

For a beginner-friendly selection: KeebsForAll

Named after the community’s affectionate nickname for keyboards, KeebsForAll is built to be welcoming to mechanical keyboard newcomers. That means keeping products in stock at accessible prices, complete with a 14-day return policy. If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by keycap stores with pages full of FOMO-inducing out-of-stock choices, KeebsForAll may provide just the change of pace you need.

For getting into group buys: Mechgroupbuys

All of the keycap sites we’ve covered so far largely trade in keycaps that have already been produced, which you can purchase and have shipped to your home straight away. But to get your hands on some of the coolest and boldest designs on the market today, you’ll need to step into the world of group buys. For that, MechGroupBuys is an invaluable tool. Keep in mind that MechGroupBuys isn’t a store itself, it’s a community-maintained catalog; it’s also good to remember that buying any product ahead of its actual production comes with a certain amount of risk, and you should only buy from sellers you trust.

Honorable mentions: Amazon, Alibaba, Banggood, and other generalists

You don’t have to shop at a specialist retailer to find the perfect set of replacement keycaps. Online general merchandise marketplaces such as Amazon, AliExpress, and Banggood also host scores of keycap options from major brands as well as smaller labels. You just might have to sort through a few pages of gadgets, appliances, and other non-keyboard-related products to find them first.

Don’t end your search at new keycaps alone

If you can appreciate the look and feel of a new set of keycaps on a familiar board, you also owe it to yourself to try out a different breed of high-end mechanical keyboards. The full line of HHKB products is built to provide a fundamentally improved keyboard experience, with community-favorite Topre switches and an intelligently revised key layout. From the bottoms of its height-adjustable feet to the tops of its refined keycaps, HHKB is designed for those who type to live.