Parts
Introduction
Use this guide to replace a broken trackpad.
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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.
This step is not really required. Apple does not recommend it.
My Battery does not get recognized after i disconnected it, screw this site!
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!
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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.
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Remove the following two screws:
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One 5.6 mm Tri-wing screw
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One 13 mm Tri-wing screw
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I assume that REPLACING a new battery is the same steps but in reverse? Nothing special we need to look out for?
Also, please add some comments about watching out for STATIC ELECTRICITY. Other videos and websites make it seem frighteningly dangerous and recommend other tools to prevent static electricity discharge. If you could address this issue, I would greatly appreciate it.
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Carefully peel the battery warning label off the upper case between the battery and the optical drive.
Probably to help you remove it? Not sure, but I used it along with the clear tab to pull the battery out. Worked pretty good.
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Use the attached plastic pull tab to remove the battery from the upper case.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry the trackpad connector up from its socket on the logic board.
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Open your MacBook Pro and set it on a table as shown.
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While holding the edge of the trackpad closest to the logic board with one hand, remove the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws highlighted in red.
I ordered some tools from iFixit for replacement of the trackpad but the Phillips #00 Screwdriver named above is still too big for the (tiny) screws of the trackpad. Shouldn't that be a Philips #000?
A word of caution if you are replacing your trackpad due to a bulging battery. This guide assumes that the original mounting tabs are not damaged and it does not look like the iFixit trackpad replacement kit comes with new tabs. My MBP had a bulging battery, which pushed up on the bottom of my trackpad, deforming one of these tabs. Now that I have removed the battery, the trackpad still works, but it is not flush with the case and the physical clicks are not as responsive as I would like. Does iFixit sell just the replacement tabs?
Same here luckily the trackpad still works but the taps have deformed. Anyone find a place to pick up just those tabs? Edit: found them MacBook Pro Unibody (Mid 2009 through Mid 2012) Trackpad Mounting Screws
iAndrewC -
Be careful with this step. The very tiny screws are very hard to remove with a #00 screwdriver. I tried with mine and I mashed the srews heads, it was then very very hard to remove it. Better to use a #000 screwdriver. If the heads are mashed like me, I suggest you use a 0.1 flat screwdriver, it worked well in my case.
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If necessary, carefully dislodge the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by pushing it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.
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Carefully push the trackpad connector and cable down through the slot cut into the upper case.
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It may be necessary to use a spudger to help get the trackpad connector past the edge of the logic board.
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Once the cable has been completely pulled through its slot in the upper case, pull the trackpad away from the outer edge of the upper case and remove it from the machine.
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Next, reinstall the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws along the inner edge of the trackpad.
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Check the alignment of the trackpad on the keyboard side of the upper case. Once you have centered the trackpad in the upper case, tighten the four Phillips screws all the way.
My trackpad was driving me up the wall, bouncing all over the place. Ifixit Trackpad comes with extra screws, hinge and adjuster. You won't believe how tiny these screws are! If one falls in the carpet-it's GONE! Bless you Ifixit! To center when re-installing adjust by sliding a thin piece of paper (scotch tape?), under bottom of trackpad, let Trackpad rest on it's own weight and then tighten one top and bottom screw a little bit, and eyeball it, just the tiniest crack of daylight on each side. I strongly suggest the highest quality magnetic screwdriver you can find. The little torx screw disc is an adjuster. If too tight, trackpad won't 'click.' On a Mac, click is not really essential as long as tap and slide are working right. Needs a small amount of clearance. When properly installed you can 'feel' the click if it's right. Probably won't need to mess with it at all. Now my trackpad works like it should, I am a happy camper!
I replaced the trackpad with a new one: the arrow moves but was not possible to click. I putted back the old trackpad and it works with. The solution: the eleventh picture shown a gray Torx type screw to the left of the connector where there is the recess in the back of the mouse. This screw is used to increase or decrease the depth of clicks. in my case it was too screwed and it was as if I held continually pressed the truckpad: therefore, it was enough to loosen it. At this point I ask myself since in the old truckpad I had problems with the physical click, I probably would have been enough to adjust the screw.
ifitit is once again amazing. My trackpad just stopped working on my four year old machine. Bought a new trackpad from iFitit, followed the guide and now I have a functional laptop again. One thing to note. 1.2mm is small very, very small. The screws for the trackpad *will* get lost if they fall of the table. Make sure that doesn't happen.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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2 Comments
These are just the steps to remove the battery. For the trackpad itself see the Early 2011 Trackpad guide.
any tips on adjustment of the height screw?
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.
skimmilk05 -
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