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The March 2015 update of Apple's 13" MacBook Air features fifth generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, resulting in slightly increased performance and battery life.

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MacBook Air screws are protruding into the inside of the laptop

I was moving and put my MacBook Air into a box of electronics where it was kept in a laptop sleeve. Today I took it out and I noticed that two screws on the bottom of the laptop are protruding through the laptop and are sticking into the inside of the machine. The machine still works fine however the trackpad doesn’t click down. The screws themselves are protruding through the bracket (not sure if this is the right word to use) that prevents them from being screwed in any further. How do I go about removing the screws?

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Basically the battery is pushing the cover from the inside cause this! Stop using your system and don't bounce it around as the battery inside could explode.

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Yep! swelled battery syndrome! Stop using your system Disconnect the MagSafe charger and place your system someplace safe with nothing flammable until you can get the battery out!

You’ll need to take the system outside and carefully remove the battery. I strongly recommend you have on safety eyewear as well as a good face mask as the vapors of the exploding battery are not healthy to breath in.

Follow this guide: MacBook Air 13" Early 2015 Battery Replacement

As soon as the battery is out place it into a metal container to prevent any damage if it where to ignite.

You’ll likely need a new bottom cover and if you’re lucky the trackpad will come back to life once the pressure is removed from it.

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Hi Anika

Those screws need special screwdrivers; a set (works for Apple’s and PCs) costs only a few dollars. Many dollar shops have them.

Your MacBook is damaged from someone over-tightening the screws, and using the wrong screws it seems.

Is this how you put it in your bag?

Regards,

Adrian.

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6 Comments:

It looks like someone has put a harddrive in there that's way fatter than what the MacBook Air was built for.

And then they've just tightened everything down so much the case bottom has twisted and broken around the screw holes.

Did you have a shop do an upgrade? Did you buy it like this?

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Hi, I haven't had a shop do an upgrade and I didn't buy it like this. The laptop was completely fine and looked normal when I put it in the box with the rest of the electronics when I moved. I have absolutely no idea what happened when I was moving that could have targeted those two screws and pushed them into the inside of my macbook.

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I dont believe that I can take them out with a screwdriver because, as you can hopefully tell from the photos, the screws are jammed past the metal part that keeps them sitting flush. I can only imagine they will need to be forcibly removed but I have no idea how.

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Hi. With the right screwdriver, you shouldn't have a problem turning the screws. Google '2013 MacBook Air screwdrivers;' and you'll see what you need, and where you can get them.

The case is badly damaged though :( Was it left on when you put it away? Perhaps it overheated in the sleeve and the battery swelled up?

I can't offer you any advice given how it looks, other than to take it to an Apple technician. Sorry!

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Hello again- sorry thinking aloud here! I've seen batteries that have overheated and swelled up massively. It could be dangerous to use a battery in that state; they're known to catch fire. Go to an mobile phone screen repair shop - they have them in most shopping centres and should have a screwdriver that fits. For a small charge i guess they can take out the screws to let you see what's happened with the MacBook and what your next steps should be.

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