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The larger of Apple's MacBook Air laptops featuring dual microphones and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.

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Replacing (or repairing) Clutch Cover on 13" MacBook Air (2012-2013)

The clutch cover on my wife’s 13” Macbook Air (I believe it’s a 2013) is cracked.

I haven’t seen a repair guide that specifically addresses it. Do I need to remove the display? That means taking apart pretty much the whole thing, which doesn’t thrill me. Also, the screen replacement guides on iFixit don’t seem to discuss the actual removal and re-installation of the clutch cover, which may be straightforward but I don’t feel like fumbling my way through it without knowing what I’m doing.

I hate to take the whole laptop apart to replace a $10 piece of plastic. Alternately, is there a reasonable way to fix the plastic piece from the outside without messing up the hinge?

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I would first order the replacement part so you can see what I’m about to tell you.

If your crack is along the horizontal plane you have a good chance popping off the damaged cover and carefully snapping on the new one. But you do need to be careful! As you don’t want to damage the antenna unit underneath it. I’ve done this quite a few times but it’s not what I would recommend for the first time.

The safe way is to pull the display off once you do you can slide the cover along the length of the display the short distance for the catches to clear and then you pull the cover straight up. Think how a bayonet connector works same idea.

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