Introduction
Follow this guide to replace the heatsink and fan in your Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch).
If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
Some photos in this guide are from a different model and may contain slight visual discrepancies, but they won't affect the guide procedure.
What you need
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Close the screen and lay your laptop down with the rear case facing up to access the four rubber feet.
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The back feet recesses are closest to the back edge of the laptop.
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The front feet recesses are closest to the front edge of the laptop.
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Insert one arm of your tweezers into the recess of one of the feet.
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Twist your tweezers and pry up to separate the adhesive and unclip the foot from the laptop.
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Remove the foot.
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Repeat this process on the remaining feet.
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The rear feet have a single center clip.
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The front feet have three clips and can only be reinserted one way.
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If the existing feet no longer adhere to the frame, remove the old adhesive and apply a small amount of Tesa Tape where the old adhesive was.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the four 3 mm screws securing the upper case.
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Grip the top edge of the upper case above the keyboard and lift straight up to release it.
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Lift the bottom edge of the upper case up and away from the laptop, taking care to not strain the ribbon cable underneath.
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Insert the pointed end of a spudger under one edge of the magnet connector and pry up to disconnect it.
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Remove the upper case and set it keyboard-side down on a clean surface.
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Use the flat end of your spudger to scrape away old thermal paste from the top of the SSD and the underside of the upper case.
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Apply a few drops of highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) to the SSD and upper case. Wipe away the residue using a lint-free or microfiber cloth.
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Replace the thermal pad with one that's the same size as the SSD sticker.
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Heat the tape with a heat gun or hair dryer to soften its adhesive.
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Use tweezers or your fingers to remove the tape.
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Insert the pointed end of a spudger in one of the gaps on the top edge of the heatsink shield.
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Gently pry up to release the clips securing the shield.
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Repeat this process along the right edge.
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Insert one arm of your tweezers under the bottom right edge of the heatsink shield.
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Gently pry up to release the remaining clips.
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Use the pointed end of a spudger to flip up the locking flap on the fan cable ZIF connector.
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Grip the fan cable pull-tab with tweezers and pull the cable straight out of the connector.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the nine screws securing the heatsink:
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Two 2.5 mm screws
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Two 2 mm screws
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One 3 mm screw
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Two 4.1 mm screws
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Two 3.4 mm screws
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Align the heatsink with the centering peg on the motherboard.
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Tighten the four CPU tension screws in an "X" pattern: top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left.
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Insert your spudger under the left heat pipe.
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Pry up to release the left section of the heatsink.
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Repeat this procedure for the right heat pipe and the CPU screw mounts until the heatsink is completely separated from the motherboard.
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Lift the heatsink and fan over the alignment peg in the upper right corner.
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Slide the heatsink and fan toward the front edge of the laptop and remove it.
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Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.
