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MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Display Replacement

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Written By: Phillip Takahashi (and 5 other contributors)
  • Comments: 40
  • Favorites: 65
  • Completions: 80

Featured Guide

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

20

Time Required

45 minutes - 1 hour

Sections

4

Flags

1

Featured Guide

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.

  1. Remove the following ten screws:

    • Remove the following ten screws:

    • Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws

    • Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws

    • Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws

    • When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don't go straight down).

    Edit

  2. Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent. Remove the lower case.

    • Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.

    • Remove the lower case.

    Edit

  3. Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board. It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket. Be careful with the corners of the connectors, they can be easily broken off.

    • Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.

    • It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket. Be careful with the corners of the connectors, they can be easily broken off.

    Edit

  4. Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

    • Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

    Edit

  5. Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.

    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  6. Carefully pull the camera cable out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Carefully pull the camera cable out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board. Pulling it upward may damage the logic board or the cable itself.

    Edit

  7. 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. De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    • 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.

    • De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    Edit

  9. 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. De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    • 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.

    • De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    Edit

  10. Using the method described in the last step, disconnect the remaining three antenna connectors. De-route their cables from the slots cut in the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    • Using the method described in the last step, disconnect the remaining three antenna connectors.

    • De-route their cables from the slots cut in the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

    Edit

  11. Remove the following five screws:

    • Remove the following five screws:

    • Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws

    • Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws

    • One 5 mm Phillips screw

    Edit

  12. Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.

    • Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.

    Edit

  13. Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly, minding the fragile antenna contact near the corner of the upper case.

    • Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly, minding the fragile antenna contact near the corner of the upper case.

    Edit

  14. Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right side of the display to the upper case.

    • Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right side of the display to the upper case.

    • We purposely have you leave one screw attaching the display to the upper case to aid in future steps.

    Edit

  15. Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer. Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board. Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

    • Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.

    • Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

    Edit

  16. Remove the following two screws: One 8.6 mm Phillips screw

    • Remove the following two screws:

    • One 8.6 mm Phillips screw

    • One 5.5 mm Phillips screw

    • Remove the display data cable retainer from the upper case.

    Edit

  17. Remove the piece of foam tape covering the display screws near the MagSafe DC-In board.

    • Remove the piece of foam tape covering the display screws near the MagSafe DC-In board.

    Edit

  18. Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the left side of the display to the upper case.

    • Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the left side of the display to the upper case.

    • We purposely have you leave one screw attaching the display to the upper case to aid in future steps.

    Edit

  19. Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.

    • Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.

    • Place your opened MacBook Pro on a table as pictured.

    • While holding the display and upper case together with your left hand, remove the remaining T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

    Edit

  20. Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your left hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.

    • Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your left hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.

    • Remove the last remaining T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

    Edit

  21. 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. Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case. Lift the display up and away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

    • 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.

    • Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.

    • Lift the display up and away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

    Edit
Conclusion

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

80 other people completed this guide.

Author

with 5 other contributors

Phillip Takahashi

Member since: 08/22/2011

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6 Comments

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Step 18 and 19 is easier if you place the bottom keyboard down, with the display hanging over the edge of a table. This stabilizes the bottom assembly, making teardown and reassembly easier for one person

pedsurgkb - Reply

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...

fasthans - Reply

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!

Simon Mundy - Reply

Thank you so much for going to the effort to explain the steps. It worked out perfect. I work as a Lean Engineer developing Standard Work, which is exactly what you have done. I couldnt have done it any better. Thank you if you ever come to Ireland I owe you a pint :)

Noel Kelly - Reply

I wanted to thank you so very much for your posting.  I performed it slowly and methodically detaching and installing a new screen.  The only difficulty I had was with re-inserting the camera cable - I figured out that I had it upside down because  it wouldn’t go into the connector.  Everything else went smoothly.  When I completed all the steps and turned on my MacBook, a beautiful screen appeared.  Thanks so very much for your hard work in posting this detailed guide!  Jim Bieberich - October 17, 2018

Jim Bieberich - Reply

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