Difficulty
Easy
Steps
6
Time Required
15–30 minutes
- Lower Case 2 steps
- Battery Connection 2 steps
- RAM 2 steps
Featured Guide
This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.
Tools
Parts
Introduction
Upgrade the RAM in your Mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" Unibody.
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Remove the following ten screws:
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Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws
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Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws
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Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws
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Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.
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Remove the lower case.
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Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
This step is not really required. Apple does not recommend it.
My Battery does not get recognized after i disconnected it, screw this site!
Don't know what the deal is with the battery, but this IS a necessary step to keep from frying the logic Board if you accidentally touch something and short it out. I did this step every time during my troubleshooting and The battery was ALWAYS recognized by the system the next time I turned the MBP on. So be safe and don't fry your logic board in the process...
Prying the battery connector off does not take much force. I did exactly what the guide suggested (walked it off back and forth) with the spudger without any problems. Just be very gentle, much like with anything inside laptops, they are very fragile and need to be worked with carefully. A+ instructions, battery replacement was a success.
Installed/upgraded 4gb RAM to the system maximum 16gb and installed a 500 gb SSD today....DID NOT disconnect the battery cable....no issues at all when I powered back up. Then did a clean install of OSX Yosemite....next I used a time machine backup to put all my stuff back on the new HD. From start to finish it took about 4 hours. Macbook boots up right at 16 seconds now.
Easiest to use two spudgers, one on each short end, I found.
Its a lot easier and safer (corner wise) to pry it using the flat side of the black spudger directly in front of the connector (don't go/use the corners) very easily you will be able to pry it further by inserting the spudger into a better and thicker plastic section of the connector
DON'T remove the Battery Cable, you risk the battery NOT being recognised when you start the Mac up again, or breaking it!! More to the point, APPLE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THIS, so don't do it! I Installed 2x 8GB ( 16Gb total) of Crucial Mac RAM at 1333Mhz for my Late 2011 MacBook Pro, and it works beautifully, fully recognised and working well. I followed these instructions, but as Apple didnt recommend disconnecting the battery, I skipped this step, and as well as taking less time, nothing was damaged or broken, and everything works perfectly!!! Just make sure that you DISCHARGE ALL STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM YOUR HANDS, by touching a metal surface in the Mac. Apple recommends the edge of the Optical Disk Drive ( Big silver thing ) before touching any parts. Also, Take care removing the RAM out of its packet, DO NOT touch the Gold connectors, and hold the RAM by the edges. Finally, be PATIENT, GENTLE and it should all go perfectly. I managed it first time, with no technical ability, so follow my advice. Good luck!
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Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.
What are the changes of it broke when i bend it?, after i disconect it does not work anymore
The guide worked perfectly, as it has in the past (our family has three Mid-2012 Macbook Pros that have been separately upgraded with RAM and SSD).
The PH00 screwdriver fit perfectly.
One note on getting the screws to seat easily and thread perfectly...always turn them gently a couple turns to the left (CCW or Anti-Clockwise) until you hear a small click. That's where the threads will grab. Works with any screw, but when threads are fine, this will help ensure that the screw is at the correct angle and will grab and seat perfectly.
Great guides. Thanks!
Got RAM in but only one slot is working and now I can't remove! The RAM won't pop up like before and tabs don't seem to do anything. Please advise.
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Pull the two RAM retaining arms away from the center of the RAM chip.
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Pull the RAM stick out of its socket.
After replacing the RAM my macbook did not start anymore. Only if I take out one Ram it works. Does anyone knows why.
Hello Joelcroese, have you a issue about your problem, because i have actually this problem ? ... Thanks for your feed back.
Make sure both your RAM chips are running at the same speed - don't know about the Macbook but it will cause other machines to not recognize the RAM at all or only pick up one stick -
Is the channel configuration of your ram sticks correct? Mac needs 9-9-9-24 channel configuration. Something like Corsair Mac Memory or the kit that iFixit provides are in the correct channel configuration.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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11 Comments
Just replaced my 4GB with 16GB of PNY from Best Buy. AWESOME difference in performance!!
Could you please specify the memory chip that you bought? I need more details in order to get the right one, thanks!
Lin -
Any memory kit that is either validated by Apple or that has the proper channel configuration (9-9-9-24) is okay to use. If you are looking for pure performance RAM, a kit of Corsair Vengeance RAM is okay to use (again, check the channel configuration), but most people will benefit from a kit of Corsair Mac Memory or the kit that iFixit provides in the volume of your choice.
Please note that the Apple says that this MacBook pro is using 1600MHz DDR3 memory. Instructons suggestinf an old memory for some reason.
Great learning tutorial, it helps me in upgrading the RAM of my Mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" Unibody that too without the help of technical person. All I was needed to follow the steps one by one and I got success. Thanks iFixit staff for making my MacBook ready in 25 minutes.
IThis great I actually added 16GB ram into mine. I purchased from bestbuy. Got a great deal! They price match!
7 December 2015: Successfully used this guide on my new BTO Mid 2012 i7 13" - really nice to have this tutorial up on my iMac while I did this - nice to "check off" the steps.
I remembered from somewhere that one at least used to have to reset the PRAM/SMC, but, it recognized the new RAM amount of 16 glorious GB with no problem.
I think disconnecting the battery had the same effect, as the Date reverted not quite to 1969 - that also updated with no problem.
Thanks!
Hello!
There is a photo of inside of lower case?
i buy second-hand mbp mid 2012 13" with 16 Gb RAM, and HWMonitor shows memory module 1 temp around 75 - 77 celsium, who is a bit too high, i think.
open lower case, clean off dust, and see on a lower case inside, in place, where is memory modules, is additional insulation foam layer. dont know - that is from apple, or previous owner put that on its own?
in any case 77 celsium on memory is too high temp, i think. have also 2011 late mbp 13" also with 16 Gb ram, and there typical temp on mem module 1 shows about 52 -55 celsium - almost as half lower than on mid 2012....
can we change from 4 gb ram to 8gb ram??
Does void the warranty?
jfondeur - Reply
No, it does not void the warranty. More specifically: http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/display...
oakdragon12 - Reply
How much weight can I save by removing the optical drive?
gunes314 - Reply
You can save a lot of weight if lets say your installing a solid state drive or putting in a second hard drive but if you know that you use the CD/DVD disc drive a lot then you might just want to leave the drive alone.
Marshall WahlstromHelgren -
Also wondering how much weight I'd save by just removing. My drive is broken for ages, but I have not needed it in ages. The HD was already replaced by a cheap SSD (second best thing after upgrading to 8GB), so I'd appreciate losing some weight. I mean, the computer. Although I could lose some too... erm... well, anyway, I guess the lack of the DVD would not interfere with anything, right? Opinions?
Carlos Duarte do Nascimento - Reply
Apple has meticulously balanced the MacBook's weight from left to right, and removing the optical drive may off-balance the Mac.
skimmilk05 -
What so you think that a removing the optical drive which weighs less than a AA battery will unbalance a MBP making it unusable? LOL!
Unless you use the MBP on a high wire (an even then I have my doubts) you'd never notice the weight difference.
pmhparis -
I'm thinking you'd probably be OK losing the DVD drive without a problem. Just make sure the optical drive cable is secured or you might hear it rattling in there from time-to-time.
John Adam Wickliffe - Reply
Hey guys,
this website is amazing. I read it to guide me on fixing my mac book pro, but on the video, the girl gives a wrong information.. She says that is not possible replace just the keyboard... But I managed to replace only my keyboard. It is boring because I have to remove approximately 70 screws but it is possible. Thanks a lot! You guys helped me save about US$300 thats because in Brazil some technicians would charge me with that amount!
I posted some pictures on your facebook page..
renatumb - Reply
Tip: Use one of those weekday pill holders to have a cheep way to store screws you remove and each day of the week can be for different sizes or parts. It has been handy to have (much less expensive than the magnetic mat.
Robert Wacker - Reply
Great tutorial. I found that using a Phillips #0 in lieu of the #00 worked much better.
kschmesk - Reply
I tried the PH #00 for the 10 screws that hold the bottom case and it's too big, instead PH #000 works perfectly. Are you sure this screws are #00?
Alex - Reply
The likely problem with your wifi is not the card but the antenna leads that go into the plastic clutch
. Ifixit don't have a guide to change this as it it includes the isight camera so the screen has to be disassembled which is fairly hard
I got round it by using the camera cable from the old set and cutting off the new one
brian whittle - Reply
Hello MacWorld,
Just want to say that this site is a great resource for repairing or upgrading your Mac. I had a bad SATA cable in my MacBook Pro and after ordering a new one from the "IFIXIT" site I received the cable within two days, replaced it and was up and running again in no time. Thanks IFIXIT for you help!
wer 10/5/15
tayseer999 - Reply
I have found that my MacBook Pro 13 Late 2011 has five shouldered screws and not four. I am not sure exactly where it goes but I have put it in the top left corner of the picture as it is the odd one out.
GotMac - Reply
Hello, where can I buy the screws I need in case I lose one of them?
taylornya - Reply
iFixit sells a kit: Macbook Pro 13" and 15" Unibody (Mid 2009 through Mid 2012) Lower Case Screw Set
Darrell Johnson -
on my device the #00 screwdriver was a bit too small. a #0 was the perfect one
Maximilian Klotz - Reply
I found with mine that the shouldered and un-shouldered screws were reversed (the three un-shouldered screws going where the orange colour indicates). Also, I found that the front four screws went in at an angle.
gilded yak - Reply
I need to know why my party can't hear. Me on my android phone
Tina Porter - Reply
Because that party is inside your head Tino. Just close your eyes and enjoy the tunes
Snuf Box -
Are you sure the short screws are different? The set sold here just says “Seven 3 mm Phillips #00 screws.”
Jack - Reply