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MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement, Lower Case: step 1, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
    P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver Retina MacBook Pro and Air
    $5.99
    Buy
    • Shut down and close your computer. Lay it on a soft surface top-side down.

    • Remove the following ten screws:

    • Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    • Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    • The special screwdriver needed to remove the 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

    When you say:

    Remove the following ten screws:

    Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    Do the 8mm & 2.5mm dimensions refer to the LENGTH of those screws, or the size of the pentalobe? That is, are there other sizes of pentalobe drivers like there are for hex, phillips and torx? When only one dimension is provided, it is usually the socket/driver size, not the screw length, maybe since the length cannot be seen when the screw is installed.

    Can I suggest that you clarify your instructions so folks are confident they are only in need of _one_ pentalobe driver?

    Nerdily yours,

    Larry (whose iPhone 4S can now get through a day without 6 recharges thanks to ifixit.com ;-)

    larryleveen - Reply

    The 8mm and 2.5mm are the length of the screws. One pentalobe P5 screwdriver suffices for all the screws (P5 is implicitly the size of the pentalobe screw heads).

    Michael Welham -

    I sourced all the parts from ifixit, plus a magnetic project mat which I found to be very useful for organising the teardown and reassembly.

    Allen - Reply

    The magnetic mat is

    GERARD SZAREK -

    Keep the 2.5mm tiny screws away from the MagSafe connector as they will be attracted and sucked in to the magnet.

    Frank O'Carroll - Reply

    A tip an old bench tech taught me that has saved me many times: I put clear “Scotch” tape over the case screws as they became “free”. The tape kept them in place while I lifted the lid off, cleaned it etc.

    Michael Mee - Reply

    Thank you for a really smart tip! I will be using that countless more times!

    Lilljedahl -

    I’m confused about internet recovery and installing MacOS. Is all of this done before placing in the new ssd card or after. I don’t have any files that I would like to safe/transfer, is all of this necessary, if I don’t do it before placing new ssd, will I still be able to instal/upgrade macOS afterwards.

    It’s an old Mac and now it won’t start or charge, I know I will have to replace battery and put new battery first and turn on Mac before doing the ssd stuff. Since it won’t effing start.

    I’m really clueless about backing up old ssd, since I don’t need any files, besides MacOS(software) ,and is that related to the ssd?

    AMG - Reply

    The answer to your question: You need to insert your SSD into the computer before internet recovery. If you start the recovery before inserting SSD, it won’t affect the setup, you won’t damage anything. But your SSD will not be detected (as there isn’t one inserted.)

    Also, a little tip: If you bought a used SSD, go into Disk Utility and format the drive with the highest security level to permanently remove all of the previous files.

    Also a FYI: Internet Recovery will load up Mac OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks, so I would recommend making a recovery drive from a Big Sur (or desired version) through another Mac, and a USB. You can visit this support doc: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

    Hope this helps! -Dan

    danielwen -

    I got a macbook air with a damaged and swollen battery. I could remove all screws, except one 2,5 mm screw. I’m afraid it got damaged while attempting to remove it, I have no grip with the P5 pentalobe screwdriver. How can I proceed?

    Robert Hermans - Reply

    Hi Robert!

    Try some techniques found in this stripped screw removal guide. Good luck!

    Arthur Shi -

    Hello I have a macbook air they are say they do not have parts for my laptop macbook air 11 inches 2013 mid need to replace battery which one to buy

    vensilver - Reply

    Hello! This is the part you want—maybe we’re not able to ship it to you if you’re out of the United States. The battery in your MacBook Air should be the same for all 11” between mid-2011 to early-2015.

    Arthur Shi -

    The smaller screws went in more easily when I put back all the screws along the hinge edge first.

    Rachel Slatkin - Reply

  2. MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

  3. MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • In this step you will disconnect the battery to help avoid shorting out any components during service.

    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.

    • Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally bend back and make contact with its socket.

    When reassembling the connector wire needs to be bent to fit.

    GERARD SZAREK - Reply

  4. MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement, SSD: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

  5. MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Early 2014 SSD Replacement: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • Lift the free end of the SSD just enough to get a good hold of it.

    • Do not excessively lift the end of the SSD.

    • Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.

    • When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

    Which type of SSD used in it…is it PCIe??

    rakesh kumar rout - Reply

    Which type of SSD used in MacBook air 11inch..mid 2013 model???PCIe??

    rakesh kumar rout - Reply

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

46 other people completed this guide.

Sam Goldheart

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6 Comments

can I use my HD SSD from MB Air 2011MID / 13" to this one, EARLY2014 / 11" ??

gustyn2000 - Reply

To keep my files from my old SSD, I backed it up using Time Machine and restored from that backup during OS installation. Wish this guide was more clear on that, but I’ve successfully upgraded my system!

Daniel - Reply

Agree with Daniel on OS installation and transfer of files from old disk. This last step needs to be in this guide for sure, otherwise it is an incomplete fix.

Z

Ezekiel E Cortez - Reply

The repair itself went smoothly; the advice to make sure the replacement SSD was properly seated was appropriate.

However, the essential step of transferring the OS from backup was challenging. The replacement SSD (OWC Aura Pro) requires that the computer run High Sierra (macOS 10.13) because of needed firmware, but my computer was running Sierra (macOS 10.12). I installed 10.13 on the SSD that I was about to replace, but this was not sufficient. The replacement SSD was not recognized. The backup from which the system is to be restored also has to run 10.13. I resolved this impasse by booting the computer in target disk mode with a new machine that is running 10.13 and cloning the system from that machine.

The instructions that came with the OWC Aura Pro SSD say, “MacOS 10.13 High Sierra … must be installed on the host computer before installing the OWC Aura Pro SSD.“ This information, along with the fact that the backup must also run High Sierra, should be on this website.

Nancy D Morrison - Reply

excellent set of instructions. thank u

Amigo Foodie - Reply

Hello I’m wondering if I can put my ssd drive from MacBook Air 2015 into a MacBook Air 2014 or 2013? My 2015 laptop was damaged and had to take out ssd. How to do it I know. Thanks

juljoo - Reply

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