Introduction
Use this guide to replace the trackpad.
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Remove the following ten screws:
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Two 9 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Eight 2.6 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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The special screwdriver needed to remove the ten 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.
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Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
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Remove the lower case and set it aside.
There is a nub on the inside of the case which is attached to the battery. When you try to pull it open, it appears to be attached to the plastic casing of the battery, which sometimes splits. I gently unhooked the nub from the battery before removing the case fully. This seems to happen if the battery has suffered some drop damage (plastic parts broken around screws and parts of plastic frame split). Just an FYI in case your lower case doesn't pull away easily.
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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.
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Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:
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Three 6.3 mm T5 Torx screws
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Two 2.4 mm T5 Torx screws
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Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
Two Questions and a Comment:
1) “Allow the battery to drain overnight” - Should the computer shut down automatically (during the first drain, as well)? If not, what percentage should the battery reach before charging it to 100%?
2) While the battery is draining, can I use the computer?
When installing the new battery, I found it much easier to insert the battery connector before screwing in the battery.
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the trackpad ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Pull the trackpad ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the rear edge of the Air.
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While carefully lifting the keyboard ribbon cable with one hand, use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Pull the keyboard ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the front edge of the Air.
the trickiest step on re-assembly is reinserting this back-folded cable into the socket and then making sure the retaining flap (now hidden) is firmly down again. You can tell if it is still up (and so the cable loose) if the cable does not feel flat when you run your finger lightly over it.
A magnifying glass and bright light can help immensely in this step. The retaining flap is tiny and difficult to see while the cable is still connected.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully lift the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by lifting it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.
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Remove the trackpad from the upper case.
I suggest leaving the brackets attached to the trackpad until after removing the trackpad from its recess, and then attaching the brackets to the new trackpad before replacing it in the recess. Otherwise, the loose trackpad will drop onto the screen.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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4 Comments
Great write up. Where can I find the keyboard ribbon cable? (the wide one that doesn't make any 90s. I tore mine with metal tweezers. Can't find the wide cable anywhere.
shhhhh, it's called ie bAe eYe
even a 65 year old can do it! (with magnifying glasses) Thank! Fixed the dirty, sticking trackpad!
Step 10 should not be done! This is a pure adjustment screw for the clickpoint. Only readjust there, in case clicking does not feel okay after a change of the trackpad. Usually no adjusment is necessary. The trackpad comes out easily after Step 8
Schritt 10 ist falsch! Diese Schraube dient lediglich der Justage des Druckpunkts des Klicks. Sie muss nur verstellt werden, falls der Klick nach dem Wechsel des Trackpads nicht mehr ok ist. Das Trackpad lässt sich aber bereits nach Schritt 8 problemlos entnehmen.
These pentalobe screw sizes can't possibly be right - not even close. Should they perhaps be 0,8 mm and 1,2 mm?
Rulle Boer - Reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentalobe_...
Arlen Abraham -
My Wiha P5 screwdriver was too big for these screws, but my P4 worked fine.
BrianM -
The pentalobe screw size is 1.2 mm for Macbook Air.
Jose Gustavo Abreu Murta -
The screw sizes refer to the length of the shaft, not the diameter of the head or socket. P5 is the standard pentalobe size for all these screws, regardless of length.
I agree that the notation is a little confusing. I think it's because, with standard sized hardware like for your house, you have shaft diameter (say 1/8" or 3mm) and shaft length (say 3" or 7.5cm). So we're programmed to think of small numbers like that as diameter. But in this case, they're length.
budpegasus - Reply
Pulling the fan cable out was terrifying but you actually just pull on the cable itself. No way to get any leverage at the connector to dislodge it. Did come out easily but like I said, scared me!
allison - Reply
Draai de schroefjes voorzichtig los en leg ze op een stabiele plek neer en let erop dat de schroefje een verschillende lengte hebben.
bwgvanderveer - Reply
I thought I could replace my 256 Gb SSD with 512? regards
ola m - Reply
Do you have good Test Point Voltages? It appears there are silver colored Test points on the I/O Board. I am working on a water spill and trying to troubleshoot if both the I/O board and the Logic need replaced.
andrew - Reply
It's probably not necessary but may be a little safer to completely discharge the old battery before replacing it.
Larry Smith - Reply
tell a model that was not inferior to the speed of the one in the laptop.
Thank you
ilyabuhov - Reply
Do i need to order tools separately to replace the battery i just ordered?
anne uhlir - Reply
im looking for a Logic Board for a
Apple - MacBook Air® - 13.3" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Flash Storage (Latest Model) - Silver Model: MQD32LL/A
Any help is appreciated.
Jamie Comstock - Reply
P5 pentalobe screwdrivers are too big! The correct size for these screws are p4 pentalobe. P5 pentalobe was just able, with difficulty, to turn some of the screws. If the screws were at all tight, my p5 was unable to get them out, and started to strip the screws. A p4 screwdriver fit better and removed the screws with ease. (I was using high quality Wiha brand screwdrivers.)
William Skinner - Reply
Very simple installation. The screwdriver heads were exactly what we’re needed, one head for the outside case screws, the other for the screws holding the battery in place. The computer started right up. Now to see how the battery holds up, but I have a good feeling about this!
Dennis Eaton - Reply
My P5 and the T5 worked perfectly with my early 2015 Air 13”! And it is super fast! Thank you iFixit!
Pennny Beach - Reply