MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Solid-State Drive Replacement

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Apr 09, 2019 - 04:56:07

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Introduction

Use this guide to upgrade or replace the solid-state drive in a MacBook Air 11” Late 2010. This MacBook Air uses a proprietary storage drive connector, and is therefore not compatible with common M.2 drives without the use of an adapter.

Before you perform this repair, if at all possible, back up your existing SSD. Then, either familiarize yourself with internet recovery or create a bootable external drive so you’ll be ready to install macOS onto your new drive and migrate your data to the new SSD.

Finally, we strongly recommend installing macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or a later macOS) before replacing the original SSD from your MacBook Air. Most new SSDs require updated storage drivers not found in versions of macOS prior to High Sierra.

What you need

Step 1 Lower Case

MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Solid-State Drive 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

Before proceeding, close your computer and 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 eight 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

Step 2

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
Remove the lower case and set it aside.

Step 3 Battery

MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Solid-State Drive Replacement, Battery: step 3, image 1 of 2

MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Solid-State Drive Replacement, Battery: 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 contact its socket.

Step 4 Solid-State Drive

MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Solid-State Drive Replacement, Solid-State Drive: step 4, image 1 of 1

Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

Step 5

Use a spudger to help lift the free end of the SSD just enough to grab it with your other hand.
Do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.
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.