Difficulty
Moderate
Steps
33
Time Required
30 minutes - 1 hour
- Lower Case Assembly Opening 13 steps
- USB-C and Audio Jack Disconnect 4 steps
- Lower Case Assembly Removal 6 steps
- Audio Jack Board 4 steps
- USB-C Port 2 steps
- Display Assembly 4 steps
Featured Guide
This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.
Introduction
Use this guide to replace the complete Retina Display assembly on your Retina MacBook 2016, including the top shell and Apple logo.
Tools
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Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case:
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Two 1.8 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Four 2.9 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Two 6.1 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Use the flat end of a spudger to press and hold the small gold 'battery disconnect' button.
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If the power LED is lit up, continue holding the button until the LED goes dark, and then release. This may take up to 10 seconds.
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If the LED does not light, release the button after 5-10 seconds. Press and hold it again for 5-10 seconds, and release. Finally, press and hold it a third time for 5-10 seconds, and release.
cannot turn on the led after replacing the new screen, even after following the turn on instructions upper…
on reassembly, I had to plug my laptop in to reactivate the LED light
After reassembly I could not restart my MacBook using the power button or after SMC reset (shift-ctrl-option-pwr). I had to connect my MacBook to its charging cable to get the battery LED to re-illuminate. After that it was all normal.
mine doesnt turn on w anything, i forgot to click the buton to disconnect :_/
Same issue as above peeps. Followed ifixit directions verbatim and wasn't getting anything after screwing everything back in. Plugged in original 45W power block and waited, after few minutes battery LED came on and a min. or two after that, was able to get screen to turn on. Hope this helps somebody else.
May I ask how to get screen to turn on. I cannot get it work..
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Use tweezers to peel back the tape covering the trackpad cable ZIF connector.
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Use a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the trackpad cable ZIF connector.
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Carefully close the MacBook and flip it over once again, so that the Apple logo faces up.
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Lifting from the front edge, raise the upper case/display assembly to about a 90° angle, and prop it up against something sturdy so you don't have to hold it.
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Add a piece of tape near the track pad to secure the upper case and prevent accidental movement.
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Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the battery connector to the logic board.
From my experience it’s important to carefully press and hold the small button above left of the Battery Discharge label. Use a plastic spudger or finger tip. The illuminated yellow LED to the right will go off. I believe this discharges remaining electricity from logic board protecting it during repair.
* I cannot find any documentation to support this, but I have damaged boards by not including this step.
What is with the all plastic end of this cable that appears to just be glued right on top of its connector?
Does the new one just stick back right on top?
(In this photo it is the bottom side of the cable below the white water indicator sticker)
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As an added precaution, you may physically disconnect the battery by inserting a battery isolation pick between the logic board and the battery connector.
What happen if you don’t disconnect the battery? I didn’t and I saw smoke coming out when I connected the pad flex cable and the computer still started up
If you don’t disconnect the battery you might accidentally short something on the logic board since power is still running through everything while you’re working on it. You can complete the repair without disconnecting the battery, but you risk accidentally breaking your logic board. It’s much safer to keep the battery disconnected while you’re working.
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Remove the two screws securing the USB-C port cable bracket:
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1.1 mm Phillips #00 screw
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3.5 mm T5 Torx screw
I’m at this point and the 1.1 mm Phillips #00 screw won’t budge and now I fear it could be stripped? Now what???
You could try to cover the tip of your screwdriver with a thin rubber glove to improve the grip on the screw while applying a little more downward force for the initial jolt. That might loosen the screw.
With my iFixit screwdriver kit, these were Philips #000, not #00.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the USB-C port cable bracket by prying it straight up from the logic board.
At re-assembling, when you reconnect this cable, pressing centre of metal plat is extremely important. You should feel tiny click when it connected properly. I encountered unrecognised external HDD and external monitor through USB-C even though charging in/out was OK, i.e failure of data transmission. I needed to re-open the back cover and pressed the metal plate again, then USB-C connection worked properly.
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Disconnect the audio jack board ribbon cable by pulling it straight back out of the ZIF connector.
Make sure at reassembly that you insert the ribbon cable in to the jack board fully. It seems to take an extra push. The white line should disappear when it is seated properly. I didn’t get it in all the way by a fraction of a mm and had no sound (internal speakers weren’t even recognized). Went back and seated the cable fully and sound was back.
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Use tweezers to peel back the tape covering the display cable connector.
I won’t have my daughter’s MacBook with its banana encrusted USB-C port until she returns home during spring break — just doing some homework before then. But if the case can lie flat after the audio board ZIF cable is detached, why do you need to detach the display cable connector (Steps 19-24)? It seems that you could jump straight to Step 25 to replace the USB-C port and avoid those steps.
Hi John, disconnecting the display cable is not necessary, but is recommended to avoid accidental damage to the cable during the rest of the procedure. If you feel confident in the safety of the cable then you can skip ahead. Good luck with the repair!
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Carefully slide the flat end of a spudger underneath the display cable to separate the adhesive holding it to the lower case.
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Disconnect the display cable by gently pulling it straight out of its connector.
I’m pretty sure I understand the instructions here, but I had to think about it a little longer because “… must remain closed when the cable is reinserted during reassembly …” was not clear to me right away. The retaining flap I discovered, is super delicate, and hence my paranoia, so I wanted to point this out in case anyone else felt like me: ''''Is it correct to assume that your instructions could be interpreted as:
“After disconnecting the cable, close the retaining flap for now to avoid damaging it. When reinstalling the cable, flip up the retaining flap once again, realign and slide the cable with gold contacts facing down.”
I bent the USB-C corner of the lower case from a short drop onto laminate flooring, so in I went to shape it so the edge wouldn’t snag or scratch things. I am typing on my MacBook that received the body work.
Thank you for your guidance!
For @seriouslyjohn and anyone else who might be wondering: “the flap must remain closed when the cable is reinserted” means keep it closed. Do not reopen the flap to insert the cable; just insert it carefully while leaving the flap closed. I know it probably runs counter to the procedure you’re used to, but Apple’s documentation is very clear on this, and I have to think it’s for a reason. My advice is to follow the instructions as written and don’t try to reinterpret them ;) Congrats on a successful repair!
Oops! I most definitely did NOT reinsert the cable into a closed connector. We can only wonder why Apple instructed this step to be counter-intuitive. I’ll pay closer attention to any weirdness that may arise, but the MacBook has been traveling and performing as it should; I’m going to avoid reopening the case, as easy as it is, until I have a good reason to do so. Thank you for replying and updating the guide!
I would argue that you should NOT close the retaining flap. I followed the directions to the letter, and when I started up the MacBook, the display did not register since the I wasn’t able to reseed the cable fully without worrying about tearing the cable. I did hear the computer charging and saw that the keyboard lit up, so I knew the MacBook was working besides the display. I looked up another video on Youtube that left the retaining flap open when reinstalling, so I took apart the Macbook again and tried it that way, and IT WORKED! The cable wasn’t fully reseated with the retainer open and I’m not sure if that was my fault or not, but with the retainer flap open, it was easier to see that. My 2 cents. Good luck everyone!
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Use a spudger to flip open the ZIF connector retaining flap for the dual microphone assembly ribbon cable.
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Disconnect the microphone assembly ribbon cable by pulling it straight out of its connector.
Does anyone know were I can buy the “microphone assembly ribbon cable“? It is the most delicate cable and cant seem to find spare part.
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Remove two 2.5 mm Phillips #00 screws securing the USB-C port.
As with my comment above, for me, these were #000 not #00. Other than that, if you work slowly and deliberately, you will find the right angle. It does go in without any force, but you have to find the right way.
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Use tweezers to lift the USB-C port just over the hinge screws.
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Slide the port out and up over the display hinge to remove it.
Successful completion of USBC in 20 minutes with following notes
1 the replacement part has to have the ribbon folded to match the original or will it foul the display case large screw. You know this when you can’t put the two big Pentalobe screws in on the final case install
2 my USBC part looks identical to the original, but the port has some motion even with the screws tight. I’m wondering about this a bit. I’m confident I did not cross thread the screws.
i measure the thickness of the original USB C port board at the two Phillips screws as 325 microns +_25 umicrons
I found the same problem with the new part moving a lot after installation even with the screws tight, and realised the problem is the new part does not come with the black rubber seal that goes around the connector (you can see it in pic 3 step 25). I moved that across from the old part to the new one and now it seems very tight.
Step 25 only has one pic
John M -
He means 3rd pic of step 26.
dmjenks -
If you are removing the screen (to replace the top case, for example), do this step afterwards. It is much easier this way.
No luck, the port seems to be wedged in behind the computer’s hinge. But you need to remove USBC port BEFORE you remove the display. Soooooooo any other tips?
The screws on the hinge aren’t in the way, it’s hitting right up near the edge of the computer itself.
remove the two screws under the rubber piece to disconnect the display. I didn’t have to completely remove it, just enough to slide the pieces in and out
totally worked! saved me about $550 doing it myself so you have my eternal gratitude
I found it impossible to remove the USB type C port during this step and instead continued with the next 2 steps and after separating the display found that the USB type C port was effortlessly removed……hope that helps someone
I think it’s a pretty $@$*!& tutorial. Sorry to be blunt.
It is essentially missing about 3 final steps that show the replacement piece so one can appreciate it.
I read the tutorial, thought it’s all clear and then bought the piece except it was an incomplete piece. Since the tutorial is missing the last three steps, I could not judge the piece and essentially got lured buying an incomplete piece.
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Remove the two 3.3 mm T5 Torx screws securing the display cable assembly.
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Holding the display assembly with one hand and the upper case with the other, push them together slightly to move the hinges out of their recesses in the the upper case.
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Push the upper case forward while pulling back gently on the display.
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Once the two display hinges have cleared the upper case, remove the display and set it aside.
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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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9 Comments
Hi, I did the tutorial and everything worked out except for one thing. My Macbook isn’t detecting when I close it and open it. I would like some help, does anyone know how to solve it?
will a 2015 screen work on a 2016 machine?
I followed the instructions, seemingly without problems, but the laptop won’t power up now. I have disassembled and reassemble twice, but haven’t found anything obviously missed or out of place. Any ideas on what might be preventing it from charging and restarting?
hi E.D. I had the same problem,but i got it to reboot with the help here https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/ma... this
Thank you. Although I had plugged the computer in for 30 minutes and tried the SMC reboot several times unsuccessfully, I left it plugged in. After charging all day, it is actually working again. Phew! I assume that in my reassembly I tightened/connected something better and it needed the full charge to get it operational.
Terrific guide! I was able to replace a broken display with a used one from eBay for $200. I purchased the iFixit essential toolkit. The only step that gave me trouble was step #29. I had to remove the screws from the hinge, as recommended. However, there was still not enough room. I just wiggled it for a while until it magically got free. Putting it back in was the same problem.
Isn’t the rest of the disassemble missing? This just shows how to take the top part off, far from showing how replace the LED panel, glass or other elements of the display assembly.
This is to replace the entire ‘display assembly’ not elements of it.
I cracked the screen on my laptop by dropping it. Ordered a replacement off ebay and used these instructions to change. These are really good instructions. I was a little nervous since it didn’t have the instructions for putting the new one on, but once you take it off, it makes sense how to put the new one on. I was afraid it wouldn’t turn on given some of the comments, but I plugged mine in for about 30 minutes and then it booted up with no issues! Thanks so much for such great instructions!
IMPORTANT. You’re not removing the bottom, yet. This step is solely to separate the panel from its clips, permitting inside access.
Chris Leeds - Reply
The screws go in tangent to the curve of the case. If you aren’t used to handling small hardware try turning the screw counterclockwise while you feel for the hole until you feel it drop, that means the threads have aligned. It takes only light finger torque when they are threaded correctly
abscate - Reply