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MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 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, power down your MacBook. Close the display and lay it on a soft surface, top-side down.

    • Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove ten screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:

    • Two 9 mm screws

    • Eight 2.6 mm screws

  2. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive 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.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

  3. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive Replacement, Battery Connector: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • As a precaution against accidental discharge or shock, disconnect the battery connector from the logic board.

    • Grab the clear plastic pull tab attached to the battery connector and pull it toward the front edge of the Air to disconnect the battery from the logic board.

    • Be sure to pull the connector horizontally toward the battery, and not straight up from the Air, or you may damage the socket on the logic board.

  4. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 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.

  5. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Solid-State Drive Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 2
    • To avoid damaging its socket, do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.

    • Slightly lift up the end of the SSD and pull it straight out of its socket on the logic board.

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

Conclusion

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

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Andrew Optimus Goldheart

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17 Comments

I understand this is probably a noob question, but can somebody explain what is preventing anybody from swapping a 128GB SSD for a 256GB?

Eugene General Ed - Reply

Eugene - nothing, I just followed this guide to upgrade from 256GB to 512GB. It's just that MBA 2012 SSDs are pretty hard to come by. I had to lurk on eBay for quite some time.

Julian - Reply

How do I get the operating system on to SSD?

perarve - Reply

You should be able to transfer the os installer into an 8+ gb thumb drive via DiskMakerX. You do need a working mac with something that works with the mac app store installed and enough space to download the os from the app store. Afterwards, just boot up your mac with the alt key, and install.

diskmakerx.com

Eugene General Ed - Reply

Are you certain it's a P5 pentalobe driver? We found the P5 doesn't fit, and have always used a Wiha 267IPR / 4IPR x 40

Mac Justice - Reply

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