By Walter Galan • Difficulty: Moderate
Replacing your hard drive is easy! Also, you can upgrade to a higher capacity drive for more storage space.
- Remove ten Phillips screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Air:
- Six 2.8 mm screws
- Two 3.8 mm screws
- Two 5.4 mm screws
- Slightly lift the lower case near the vents and push it toward the rear of the computer to free the mounting tabs.
- Disconnect the battery connector by pulling it straight out of its socket.
- Remove the following nine screws securing the battery to the Air:
- Four 2.9 mm Phillips.
- Four 3.8 mm Phillips.
- One 7.2 mm Phillips.
- Lift the battery out of the Air.
- Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Then, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
- If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook's SMC.
- Disconnect the port hatch ribbon cable from the logic board by pulling it straight up by its black pull tab.
- Pull the audio out ribbon cable off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
- Use a spudger to pry the audio out ribbon cable connector board off the hard drive bracket.
- Disconnect the audio out cable from its socket on the port hatch ribbon cable.
- Use a spudger to pry the hard drive cable connector up off the logic board.
- Use the sharp end of a spudger to de-route the microphone cable from the hard drive bracket.
- Remove the cosmetic screw cover from the adhesive securing it to the hard drive bracket.
- Remove the four Phillips screws securing the hard drive assembly to the upper case:
- Two 4.7 mm screws.
- Two 3.9 mm screws.
- Lift the hard drive assembly out of the upper case.
- Use your thumbs to push the hard drive away from its bracket.
- Peel the rubber shock isolator off the perimeter of the hard drive.
- If present, remove the small piece of black tape covering the ribbon cable connector.
- If you have the original MacBook Air (A1237), use a spudger or your thumbs to flip up the ribbon cable retaining flap TOWARD the cable (seen in picture 1).
- If you have the A1304 version of MacBook Air, use a spudger or your thumbs to flip up the ribbon cable retaining flap AWAY from the cable (seen in picture 2).
- Pull the hard drive cable straight away from its socket.
- If you need to, transfer the foam from your current hard drive to the new one. The foam does come off by using a spudger and some patience.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.