Introduction
Use this guide to replace the display adhesive in your Apple Watch and reseal it.
This is a general resealing guide based on an Apple Watch Series 6 44 mm. The resealing procedure for the Apple Watch Series 5 and newer models is more or less the same, despite slightly different inner workings.
You’ll need replacement adhesive to reattach the display when reassembling the device.
What you need
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Apply a little bit of isopropyl alcohol (>90%) to a cotton swab, or Q-tip (or use a cleaning pad) and gently remove the old adhesive on top of the watch frame.
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Flip the Apple Watch upside down so the display lays flat and lift the watch body.
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Gently remove the old adhesive on the rear side of the display.
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Use a pair of tweezers to carefully remove the replacement adhesive (including the blue protective film) from the backing paper.
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Hold the replacement adhesive diagonally and thread it over the display.
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Slightly tilt the display forward to align the adhesive with the frame.
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Position the replacement adhesive on the watch frame, where the old adhesive was located.
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Apply a little bit of isopropyl alcohol (>90%) to a cotton swab, or Q-tip (or use a cleaning pad) and gently remove the old adhesive on top of the watch frame.
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Gently remove the old adhesive on the rear side of the display.
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Use a pair of tweezers to carefully remove the replacement adhesive (including the blue protective film) from the backing paper.
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Hold the replacement adhesive diagonally and thread it over the display cables.
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Slightly tilt the display cables forward to align the adhesive with the frame.
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Position the replacement adhesive on the watch frame, where the old adhesive was located.
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Lay your display flat on your working surface.
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Hold the watch body in an upright position and grab the display cables with a pair of tweezers.
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Align the display cables parallel to the ZIF connectors and push them in.
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Use the pointed end of a spudger and fold down the black flaps on top of the ZIF connectors to secure the cables.
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Carefully adhere the old heat dissipation stickers to the ZIF connectors on the rear side of the display or apply new heat dissipation stickers where the old ones were located.
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Use tweezers and a pair of scissors to lift and cut a corner of the protective film.
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Remove the film from the display adhesive.
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Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
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