Difficulty
Difficult
Steps
20
Time Required
45 minutes–1 hour
- Lower Case 2 steps
- Battery Connection 2 steps
- AirPort/Bluetooth Assembly 8 steps
- Display 8 steps
Featured Guide
This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.
Introduction
Use this guide to replace a broken display assembly.
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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.
yes - as with disassembly of any electronic component you have to remove any power source. You don't want to accidentally turn the Mac on
khull -
Sooo the track pad is under the battery...you kind of have to remove it to get to the track pad.
This step is not really required. Apple does not recommend it.
My Battery does not get recognized after i disconnected it, screw this site!
Did you properly ground yourself to the case before putting the spudger to the connector/logic board? Did you use a spudger or something else that is non conductive...or did you use a flat blade metal screw driver instead and compound your error by not grounding yourself before touching the logic board? All kinds of variables here but the bottom line is iFixit provided you a guide to fix your computer. Lots of others have followed this guide without trouble. Your battery issues are not their fault. They did say this guide was moderate difficulty...maybe it's just a little beyond your skill level. We should all know our limits!
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!
Switch off your Mac and continue without disconnecting the battery. Don't know how it will switch on by itself.
This comment made me think that disconnecting the battery was no point at all, because really - how would the computer be able to switch on by it self. So... I had my mac flipped around and was fiddling with the last part of the guide when I all of a sudden hear the start up sound! Don't know how and why it did. I turned it around with it guts open and guts hanging out. Screen was on. I forced it to shut down by keeping the power button down. Turned it back and first thing removed the battery cord.
Luckily the computer started up just like normal. But hearing that sound was just too scary.
BTW I had been cautious to de static myself multiple times.
wassberg -
Definitely do this step. It's an easy disconnect anyway and also easy to reconnect later.
I removed the battery cable for the repair. When I plugged in the MagSafe adapter after the repair, the Mac turned on automatically without pressing the power button and I was a bit worried, but after a restart everything worked fine again. I did have to reset date and time in Preferences. The battery was recognized OK.
Okey, I skipped this battery disconnection part. Did not do anything like this before in my life, changing the cable was super easy!
The official Apple guide to replacing the RAM says nothing about disconnecting the battery but it does recommend touching metal inside to discharge static. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201165
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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.
I put some tape between the connector and socket while working on the drive.
That's a good tip
Anrothan -
One other note: The screw heads fit flush with the curvature of the case -- which means that they aren't exactly horizontal. In other words, they aren't perpendicular to the table that the computer is resting on. Don't try to force them straight in vertically, because you'll risk cross-threading them. (nearly ruined one screw hole myself!)
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.
N.B! Thank you very much all you here on iFixit! Some IMPORTANT notes. Be very careful BEFORE prying the connectors up and down. They are very fragile and the picture could actually be seen as showing a bending loading in their weakest direction, AROUND its slender axis. The connector is slender and inserted on the logic board, so the gentle "walking" up and down should be done ALONG their slender direction and WITHOUT touching the adjacent connectors. If bending is done around its axis the soldering comes apart and the cable is done and gone. Just happened. These flat cables are one of the weakest design spots in my experience. They are a major time, money and geist consuming reason for malfunction like Wi-Fi connection problems, HDD, SSD not found internally but externally from USB issues et al being found on different forums. Thanks again and again.
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Carefully pull the camera cable out of its socket on the logic board.
I ripped the camera cable where can I buy a new one
Be very careful at step 6!
I had the same problem with the model "Late 2011" and I doubt to step 6 because the camera cabel connector was plugged very tight in the board-socket. So I cannot believe it is so easy to unplug the connector.
I bought a new camera cable on eBay.
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Carefully move the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable out of the way as you peel the camera cable off the adhesive securing it to the subwoofer and the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
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De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
What adhesive is suitable for reattaching the foam tape and wires that were removed from their normal routing?
I want to know that too!
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Use the tip of a spudger to pry the antenna connector closest to the logic board up from its socket on the AirPort/Bluetooth board.
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De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
Can someone explain me what this "antenna cable" is for? I changed my Topcase and this antenna did break during the procedure =(.
The problem is i can't find this cable anywhere to buy and i don't even know his function. WIFI and Bluetooth are working just fine.
Can someone please help me?
Same here, I was removing the display and once i put it back on the three little antenna cables fall off. Any idea how to replace it or find it?
Those are the WiFi antennae..
auadix -
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Using the method described in the last step, disconnect the remaining three antenna connectors.
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De-route their cables from the slots cut in the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
What are these? Like in order? I broke the middle one and am trying to find a replacement. The mac actually functions quite normally, currently using it to type this ahaha, anyways, only difference I've noticed is that the speaker sounds a bit weird/off. Internet is fine, display is fine, everything is fine at the moment besides the speaker. And in case you're wondering how exactly broken it is, its not connected to begin with since it ripped ahahaa...
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Remove the following five screws:
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Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws
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Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws
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One 5 mm Phillips screw
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Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.
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Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly, minding the fragile antenna contact near the corner of the upper case.
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Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right side of the display to the upper case.
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Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.
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Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the following two screws:
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One 8.6 mm Phillips screw
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One 5.5 mm Phillips screw
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Remove the display data cable retainer from the upper case.
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Remove the piece of foam tape covering the display screws near the MagSafe DC-In board.
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Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the left side of the display to the upper case.
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Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.
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Place your opened MacBook Pro on a table as pictured.
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While holding the display and upper case together with your left hand, remove the remaining T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.
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Remove the last remaining T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.
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Grab the upper case with your right hand and rotate it slightly toward the top of the display so the upper display bracket clears the edge of the upper case.
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Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.
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Lift the display up and away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.
I used this guide to tighten the hinges; screen was all wobbly because the four screws that hold the screen in place had worked themselves loose. Surprised that getting at the screws required the full removal of the display. One thing that's helpful in putting it all together is in regard to adjusting the position of the hinges; with the screws loose, there is a lot of play in the hinges, and if you just torque them down, the lid won't fit right. I snugged up the screws then put the display back in place on the body & inserted one screw into each side, then loosened the hinge screws to align the screen. That has to happen before replacing the black plastic cover over the bottom edge of the display.
My Macbook Pro developed a severe wobble in the display so I took it in to the Genius bar to see what could be done. They told me that fixing it would involve replacing the whole display because the problem is due to a piece of plastic inside breaking off. I suspected it just needed to have the hinge screws tightened so I brought my laptop home and gave it a go using this guide. Well, it turns out I was right! The Torx screws joining the hinges to the the display had come loose at both sides. To fix this, I got the hinges lined up straight on the display and tightened them down. To attatch the hinges to the body, I tightened one screw on each side half way and closed the display to line it up with the body. I then proceeded then to tighten all of the Torx screws on the body. Thank you for the great guide, Philip! I love this site!
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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7 Comments
Thank you Phillip for providing this Guide. I used it to replace a bad LCD assembly after a water spill damaged it. The last Step 20 is very difficult. I had the worst time trying to separate the two parts after I removed the final Torex screw. It took a while, trying different angles, but I finally got it. Putting in the new one was a trivial exercise...
Hi
I messed up on Step 6 and have broken the cable.
I was wondering how I could fix this?
I went into apple and they said they need to replace the whole display and I don't want to do that since it cost more than I can afford.
Is there a way just to replace the camera cable itself?
If so where can I buy them and how do I replace them?
Phillip, thank you so much for this excellent guide. I have no technical background at all but I found it very easy to use - and it saved me hundreds of dollars on a professional repair job. Keep up the good work!
Hi my name is Daniel, I have a MacBook Pro i5 late 2011 ..... But my display is broken..... I searched in "mercado livre" in my country Brazil and found one display for MacBook Pro early 2010.... My question is ..... Is it possible to assemble it in my computer???
Hello Phillip,
My magic mouse connects to IMAC and gestures, but not the cursor. I think you recommended putting a soldering iron to it somewhere. Do you have a utube or instructions on this somewhere online? Thank you for your help! Rachael
Does the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 have the same ability to unglue the glass? The display is working correctly. I just the damaged the glass.
The 2010 guide at:
MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Front Display Glass Replacement
I can easily replace the glass if it is the case.
Thoughts?
Thank You
Doug
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.
Seji the veggie -
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
I have one stripped screw... How opening without drill it?! Any suggestions please?
rodrigosady - Reply
I used 3 eggcups to hold the screws ;>) They are very fiddly and easy to drop on floor so keep the MacBook away from the edge of the surface you are using to avoid accidentally dropping a screw off the edge of a table, etc.
Stephen Smith - Reply
A screw does not come out, how can I get it out? Many thanks in advance for your help
Wilder Torres - Reply