MacBook Air 13" Early 2017 SSD Upgrade to NVMe

Written By: Dan
  • Comments: 169
MacBook Air 13" Early 2017 SSD Upgrade to NVMe

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

6

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

    • MacBook Air Late 2010 - Working - High Sierra, Catalina, M2 Samsung Evo 860, Adapter

    • MacBook Air 2011 - Unknown

    • MacBook Air 2012 - Unknown

    • MacBook Air 2013 - Unknown

    • MacBook Air 2014 - WD_black 500 + Sintech adapter, running MacOS Big Sur

    • MacBook Air Early 2015 - WORKING- Mojave 10.14.3 to Big Sur 11.0.1- Crucial P1 SSD NVME, Adapter.

    • MacBook Air 2017 - WORKING - High Sierra, Catalina and Big Sur - Samsung Evo 960, Adapter.

    • MacBook Air 2018 and forward - will not work, No removable drive

    Can confirm also that this same setup works on a MacBook Pro 13” Retina Early 2015. Mojave 10.14.5 with Rivo NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter and 1TB Crucial P1 SSD NVMe

    Before Upgrade from 128GB Apple (samsung) SSD: < 220 MB/s read/write speeds from disk

    After: 1200MB/s read/write with the Crucial P1 1TB PCI channels read as an NVMe device in System Information

    Josh Fiddler -

    Thank you for following up!

    Dan -

    Have some bad news… suddenly started getting frequent kernel panic from this mod.

    when I installed, it worked flawlessly until July 25, 2019 when I started getting kernel panic when on battery.

    I knew I had to replace my battery soon, it was just under 90% of design capacity. But the error was always kicked out by iokit specifically from IONVMeFamily 2.1.0

    Bought an iFixit Battery, installed it on 28 July. Calibrated it according to the instructions. Still get at PPT004 warning in the hardware diagnostics program on startup. (battery not functioning correctly).

    I feel however, based on the 22 July system update to Mojave 10.14.5 to 10.14.6, may be the culprit.

    In the meanwhile, i’ve gone back to the original SSD, will try to properly re-calibrate the battery, as during initial phase, the magsafe disconnected momentarily.

    Thankfully, I have a backup machine to work on, albeit a windows-based one. :-( Anywho, will keep y’all posted.

    Josh Fiddler -

    I just installed the same update last night and also have a Crucial P1 1TB PCI. I will keep you informed. You installed the corrected update not the original right? The original was cause kernel panics across the board. I believe the corrected update came out on July 29th

    Dan -

    Yeah, I’m on the oops-we-casused-kernel-panics-for-everyone-here-try-this macOS update. lol.

    So a strange turn of events…

    In my desperation, after I removed the P1 and put the original back in to see if it was battery or the disk, I made a bootable USB installation of same kernel-panic free updated macOS Mojave 10.14.6, put the P1 back in, ran some diagnostics from USB installation, all clean, and then proceeded to work, KERNEL-PANIC-FREE riiiiight up until yesterday at 10:38:27 (thanks Console.app) while re-syncing my OneDrive account… part of me wonders if I’ve got some corrupt data in there that is causing havoc with the NVMe driver.

    For the time being, I’ve disabled sleep (always happens after it goes to sleep and I wake it up),

    Thanks for the back-n-forth. Will also keep you posted.

    Josh Fiddler -

    UPDATE:

    I had no luck with clearing the battery error with the iFixit Battery after re-calibrating.

    Things worked well for a brief period: 4 days of no KPs. Cannot identify any corrupt data.

    KPs started up again. In desperation, I opened up the case, and reseated the P1. Again noted that the drive seemed almost loose in the key-slot. Tightened the lock-down screw to a bit more than hand tight.

    That was 24 hours ago, and no KPs after suffering 5 or 6 the day before while trying to get some fricking C-code finished. Thanks to the reprieve, got it done. Now trying to make sure everything is okay.

    Josh Fiddler -

    Awesome to hear, I am running 10.14.6 and not having any issues.

    Dan -

    I wonder if this still applies for the 2019 model.

    Max Fiedler -

    You’d have to see if the SSD is removable, the form-factor etc. perhaps the tear-down is a good place to check.

    Josh Fiddler -

    2018 and forward the memory is not removable i’m afraid

    Dan -

    Is the 1TB Crucial P1 SSD NVMe convertible to the Macbook Air early 2015?

    On Apples website it only says that it’s convertible with 512 gb

    Pernille Madsen -

    Yes it should work fine

    Dan -

    Works well with Kingston A2000 250GB… 1GB write / 1.5GB rear /sec

    TB_rep -

    thanks for the feedback!

    Dan -

    From what i read before, for a MacBook Air early 2015, we have confirmed that the following work fine :

    a. One Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD

    b. One M.2 NGFF M-Key SSD Convert Card to Nvme PCI-E.

    But which adapter ? There are several brands ranging from €10-€40 … Any thoughts ?

    Can anyone confirm the overall length of the original M2 ssd on the above MacBook air ? The Crucial M2 states total length of 80mm. Has anyone the length of the adapter that fits ?

    Also will the above work on a MacBook Air early 2015 with latest High Sierra 10.13.6 ? I am not ready to migrate to the new file system on Mojave.

    Dimitris Nikolopoulos -

    High sierra should not be an issue as others has confirmed this working, the adapter is “Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade

    Dan -

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JPC...

    robinprior -

    Can anyone help out ? I installed the Crucial P1 ssd with the adapter, i booted with the option/alt key and the ssd is not present, only the bootable usb ! On a MacBook Air early 2015

    Dimitris Nikolopoulos -

    I have the same problem of Dimitris. Please someone could help us?

    Thank you very much

    Dani -

    I can confirm using the SinTech long adapter with a Western Digital SN720 256 GB (aka WD Black) NVME SSD works great with sleep and hibernation being flawless. On my early 2017 Macbook Air. Im getting 1700MB/s Read, and 1400MB/s write speeds. My original 128GB Apple SSD was getting about 800 MB/s read and write. Make sure to use the screw that came with the adapter. I don’t see any extra battery drain either. I was running OSX Catalina 10.15.3 and used a bootable USB and Time Machine backup. Formatted my WD SN720 with APFS. My 2017 Air came back right where I left off.

    Abe m -

    Thanks for the update!

    Dan -

    I try it with:

    - Macbook Air Early 2015 13’’.

    - Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD

    - QNINE M.2 Adaptador convertidor NVME SSD para MacBook Air Pro Retina Mediados de 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017, Kit de actualización NVME/AHCI SSD para A1465 A1466 A1398 A1502

    - Catalina 10.15.3

    It doesn’t work. The Macbook Air doesn’t see the SSD.

    Tomás Lucas -

    Did the bootable disk see the SSD?

    Dan -

    In the MacBook Air 2017 and the Catalina 10.15.5 can you upgrade the ssd using the Samsung evo 960? And if you use the Samsung evo 970 will it work? Always with the adapter, thank you for your help

    bbreia -

    Sorry for the late reply, I cant see why it would not work, did you give it a shot?

    Dan -

    works with WD_black 500 + Sintech adapter on MacBook Air 13” early 2014 running MacOS Big Sur

    Muwa -

    Awesome to hear|!

    Dan -

    Will this all work with earlier versions of Mac OS? I prefer to stay at Sierra level and no higher.

    Mark T Galyean -

    This worked for me:

    - Macbook Air Mid 2017 “MacBookAir7,2“

    - macOS Big Sur

    - Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 . (I checked that it had latest firmware 2021 Oct. For how to do that, go youtube “970 evo plus firmware update“)

    - Adapter: “Rivo NGFF M.2 Adapter“ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z87N85Y https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07N4HS69S (even though product description did not mention MacBook Air 2017) Also adapter physically fit fine. Did not cause MacBook Air back cover to bulge

    shin -

    Thanks for sharing!!

    Dan -

    Macbook air early 2015 with ssd crucial P1 nvme

    Hi to all,

    I bought a crucial P1 ssd nvme with this adapter: ++https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z87N85Y++ and I make a bootable disk with mojave in usb.

    When I restart the mac, and when I go to Utility disk, my new disk there isn’t.

    I also putted the P1 in an external case and in this case the new ssd therre is so I formatted in apfs from here. But when I put it inside there isn’t.

    Could someone help me please?

    I’m becoming crazy!!!!!

    Probably it depend from operating system?

    Dani -

    Make sure you click show all drives

    Dan -

    Pour l'adaptateur, 4,31 euros :
    https://www.amazon.fr/bubbyleyy-16Pin-M-...
    Pour le SSD, fiable, 1T à 45 euros :
    https://www.amazon.fr/Samsung-SSD-Intern...
    Et en plus, il chauffe moins que celui d'origine à 128 gb...
    Pour moins de 50 euros, votre MacBook a une nouvelle vie !

    Francois -

    Which version of NVMe does MacBook Air (Early 2015) model support?....I'm interested to upgrade the SSD from present 128 GB to 1 TB...pls help

    Satyakam Chakraborty -

    I tried with the Samsung 1 TB 990 PRO SSD with an adapter but it didn't work..could not detect the SSD...

    Satyakam Chakraborty -

    970 Pro plus works. 990 has more lanes I believe.

    livfe -

  2. ntWnApPFnVyDIwGF

    • Before proceeding, power down your MacBook. Close the display and lay it on a soft surface, top-side down.

    • Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove ten screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:

    • Two 9 mm screws

    • Eight 2.6 mm screws

    Pulling the fan cable out was terrifying but you actually just pull on the cable itself. No way to get any leverage at the connector to dislodge it. Did come out easily but like I said, scared me!

    allison -

    Draai de schroefjes voorzichtig los en leg ze op een stabiele plek neer en let erop dat de schroefje een verschillende lengte hebben.

    bwgvanderveer -

    I thought I could replace my 256 Gb SSD with 512? regards

    ola m -

    Do you have good Test Point Voltages? It appears there are silver colored Test points on the I/O Board. I am working on a water spill and trying to troubleshoot if both the I/O board and the Logic need replaced.

    andrew -

    It's probably not necessary but may be a little safer to completely discharge the old battery before replacing it.

    Larry Smith -

    tell a model that was not inferior to the speed of the one in the laptop.

    Thank you

    ilyabuhov -

    Do i need to order tools separately to replace the battery i just ordered?

    anne uhlir -

    im looking for a Logic Board for a

    Apple - MacBook Air® - 13.3" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Flash Storage (Latest Model) - Silver Model: MQD32LL/A

    Any help is appreciated.

    Jamie Comstock -

    P5 pentalobe screwdrivers are too big! The correct size for these screws are p4 pentalobe. P5 pentalobe was just able, with difficulty, to turn some of the screws. If the screws were at all tight, my p5 was unable to get them out, and started to strip the screws. A p4 screwdriver fit better and removed the screws with ease. (I was using high quality Wiha brand screwdrivers.)

    William Skinner -

    I had same experience (with MacBook Air 13-inch Mid-2012) … had to get P4, which worked swimmingly

    eric -

    Very simple installation. The screwdriver heads were exactly what we’re needed, one head for the outside case screws, the other for the screws holding the battery in place. The computer started right up. Now to see how the battery holds up, but I have a good feeling about this!

    Dennis Eaton -

    My P5 and the T5 worked perfectly with my early 2015 Air 13”! And it is super fast! Thank you iFixit!

    Pennny Beach -

    The supplied kit and instructions worked perfectly!

    Nikolay Andreev -

    Comments that the P5 pentalobe are too large are absolutely spot-on. There is no way the P5 pentalobe bit I have will work with the MacBook Air without destroying the screws. Hard target search for P4 pentalobe bit in progress…..

    joemoog -

    Bonjour j’aimerais changer mon SSD de 128 Go pour en mettre un de 512 Go. Je ne sais pas ce qu’il faut prendre car il faut qu’il soit compatible avec le macbook air A1466. J’aurais vu un Samsung Evo 970 500 Go mais si je ne me trompe pas, il faut un adaptateur.

    Merci pour votre aide.

    chicco33 -

    oui, vous aurez besoin d’un adaptateur, pour completez le changement.

    Dan -

    The tool kit should include tweezers for re-inserting the battery connector.

    Andre Clement -

    P5 pentalobe worked perfectly for me. Instructions were spot-on. Antenna connections were a bit fiddly to refit but got them in ok.

    michaelquinnell -

    Maybe the problem some are experiencing is that the designations are confusing (blame Apple rather than iFixit). the P2 is also known as PL1. The P5 is also known as PL4. The P6 is also known as PL5. So it is possible to mistake the P6 (PL5) for the P5 (PL4), meaning it (P6-PL5) will be too big, while the P5 (PL4) will be just right. Sort of a 3 Bears explanation, but it is very confusing.

    Thomas Lewis -

    To add to this. In searching for the P5 screwdriver to buy in UK, as far as I can tell, it is also known as

    Pentalobe 1.2(mm)

    also

    P4 = 0.8

    P6 = 1.5

    Just unscrewed the back case of MacBook Air 13” mid 2011, with no problems using Pentalobe 1.2

    nijafe -

    I have not replaced a display on the A1369 but have done many A1466 which is a newer 13” model. They seem really similar and its not clear why one needs to remove the logic board to remove the display. The antenna cables on the A1466 dont have to rest under the logic board but can be tucked in the hinge crevice. Cant this same thing be done with the A1369?

    Sean Love -

    Did mine today - but new battery wasnt charging. Went back in and noticed the battery connector cable was not quite 100% “seated. It was sticking out by less than a millimetre! - you need to give it quite a firm push in to get it seated properly. Otherwise - all ok .

    John Brennand -

    Just installed on a MacBookAir6,2 (13-inch, Early 2014).

    Was very easy.

    New iFixit battery looks great so far:

    Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4922 -> 7333

    Jonathan Cross -

    can you tell me which size of screwdrivers you’ve used to crack it up, please? I have the same model and size,

    hawk_lpc -

    Screw P5 Pentalobe 1.2

    Mario Verlent -

    Install went flawlessly. Only challange was reattaching blue tooth antennas. Those sockets are so tiny.

    Joel Sebastian -

    Installation was a little challenging at first because the instructions on this site did not perfectly match my model (late 2013 to early 2015).

    Found this video on YouTube which described the procedure perfectly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lue6lVWh...

    Also the Ifixit kit I received was well put together with everything I needed and more. The calibration went perfectly and I am very pleased. Will buy again!!

    Donald Niamath -

    Gently pulled out connector of old battery, then pressed and held the power switch for 1 minute. Unscrewed and removed the old battery. Pressed and held power switch for 1 minute again. I know from previous work that this helps drain charge from spontaneous recharging as the dielectric recovers. Gently “fine tuned” leads from new battery to connector till connector stuck out at right angle to the edge of battery. Held the battery by the edges and let the connector slide into the socket. Set the battery down and put the screws in all the way. Then checked that the connector was completely seated before tightening the screws. The laptop come on immediately and showed 98% charge and registered normal (checked in “About this Mac”. Very happy to this point. Now for calibration.

    Amir Zaidi -

    Thank you very much for the guilde. My MBA2011 had reborn !

    Billy Wong -

    Allow for electrostatics, otherwise you may cook components on the logicboard /motherboard (like I did with one of these!)

    See great advice: Electrostatic Discharge

    Fletcher Cole -

    … und wenn du eines von diesen wirklich kleinen Schräubchen vermisst: bevor du den Boden aufkehrst oder mit einem starken Magneten absuchst, schau mal am seitlichen (magnetischen) Ladekabelanschluss nach … ?

    ... and if you miss one of these really small screws: before you sweep the floor or search it with a strong magnet, take a look at the (magnetic) charging cable connection on the side … ?

    Blatt -

    Fot All People ha ing trouble finding their SSD

    DONT PRESS CMD +R + POWER

    instead press

    OPTION+CMD+R +POWER

    I just installed Monterrey with WD black sn 770 SSD in m'y macbook air 2015

    Albert -

    IFixit just had me submit "my story" re. fixing my MacBook Air 2013.

    This repair was NOT difficult. The battery is enclosed in a plastic frame. It is NOT glued in like the newer models of Apple laptops. And unlike older laptops, the battery is not totally enclosed in a plastic housing. So once you remove the screws holding the batterie's frame, you can remove the battery.

    Follow the instructions. Read the comments. Also read the comments re. installing a new battery.

    Good luck. - Eric J.

    ECJohansen -

    On the back of the laptop, notice that each screw is angled a little bit inward, aiming toward the middle of the laptop. Keep your screwdriver lined up with the screw (angled a bit outward as seen at 01:23 in the video: https://youtu.be/tToAwO6f-SY&t=83). This will help you get a good bite on the screw to get it out and avoid stripping the head of the screw.


    Use the same angle when putting each screw back in. If the screw is in line with its hole it should not feel like you are fighting to screw it in. If it does, check your angle and back up a little; you should feel the screw fall into line.

    Rich Garella -

    IFixit just had me submit "my story" re. fixing my MacBook Air 2013.

    This repair was NOT difficult. The battery is enclosed in a plastic frame.

    shrhh -

  3. AuaSrWoUvoATMoyN

    • Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

    There is a nub on the inside of the case which is attached to the battery. When you try to pull it open, it appears to be attached to the plastic casing of the battery, which sometimes splits. I gently unhooked the nub from the battery before removing the case fully. This seems to happen if the battery has suffered some drop damage (plastic parts broken around screws and parts of plastic frame split). Just an FYI in case your lower case doesn't pull away easily.

    Jeannie Crowley -

    To add - the slim 1cm tab “nub” is on the centre of the back cover & fits into a hole in the battery frame. I ran my fingers around the whole of the cover to eventually here it click out.

    nijafe -

    When closing this back up make sure that the antenna cable is tucked away neatly

    Gabriel -

    So this is a legit back cover for MacBook Air?

    ASHANTI SMITH -

    What about disconnecting the battery?

    Luke -

    I bought the part and tools from iFixit and followed the directions. The mechanical part went smoothly - maybe 10 minutes to disassemble/replace/reassemble.

    Getting Catalina (the current MacOS) to install was not working until I used Cmd-Opt-R (as noted in the OWC paper sheet that came in the box) which brought up the proper installer - I believe from a pre-prepared bootable SD card but it’s hard to say. From there the install succeeded taking ~1.5 hours.

    Beware that (a) the install requires a working internet connection for verification and updates, and (b) the system must have been running at least macOs 10.13 (High Sierra) before the install in order to have an EFI BIOS that recognizes the SSD.

    Lance Berc -

    As noted by others, be a bit careful removing the lower case. There is an oblong black plastic locator very near the center of the lower case. Unless you gently pry the bottom cover pretty much straight up, you will break the ends off of the locater.

    BobY -

    Thanks for the detailed photos. When repairing equipment, I don’t really like to disassemble plastic parts, they can be damaged, but your screenshots help a lot. For my studies, I am writing an essay comparing the reliability of laptops from various manufacturers and the complexity of their repair, maybe it will be useful for someone to check the essay for plagiarism here essay checker, when comparing different manufacturers, I understood why people love Apple so much. The minimum number of failures. Of course, repairing it in an official service is not cheap, but with the help of such detailed instructions, you can do it yourself and save a lot.

    Nexus -

    The screwdriver bit to use on these case screws is not named, but I found that my "CR-V 1.2" did the job nicely.

    The driver for the screws inside the case are named, as "T5".

    Jim Henderson -

  4. PYUUb4TcQTb6LsgV

    • Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

    I'm using a T5 Torx screwdriver to remove the SSD retaining screw but it's simply not working, the screwdriver seems slightly too big and I even tried plyers to grab the ends of the screw and turn it but that didn't budge. Are the screws super tight or something? I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong

    smokey9112filmz2 -

    I would also like to know that, i have the same problem tried using a standard T5 Torx and the Pentalobe P5 screwdriver, but the both dont work/fit

    facebookvincent -

    I opened mine with a T-6.

    airshack -

    I ended up using the T5 with a rubber band in between. I wish I would have done this earlier. I stripped a little bit of the screw. You live you learn.

    Senh Mo Chuang -

    After reassembly, press and hold cmd-opt-R immediately after hitting power button

    bob.lombardi -

    T4 worked for me.

    Rafael Sánchez Treviño -

  5. tCMTKeFOtDJLXQ2d
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    • Gently lift the end of the SSD about half an inch and pull it straight out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Don't lift the SSD more than half an inch—doing so may damage the SSD or its socket on the logic board.

    • When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

    Am I able to upgrade my Macbook Air early 2015 from 128Mb SSD to the SSD Samsung 960 (EVO or Pro) 1TB or 2TB?

    If so, do a need special adapters?

    Ruben Dominguez -

    Is there an adaptor cable or external housing that allows me to transfer the information on my SSD to my other laptop that has a SATA drive?

    Redwood Man -

    There are several available at Other World Computing.

    NerdsLimited -

    OWC 480 GB ssd says, early 2015 MacBook Pro needs thermal pad. what kin of pad is needed before SSD can be replaced.

    rasi_tip -

    Can you recommend an adapter to use a regular m.2 ssd?

    zepa -

    I really don’t recommend using M.2 SSD’s!

    As someone who services Mac’s I tend to see the failures and I’l warn you I see a lot of these M.2 drives with adapter with problems. As one of the first diagnostic processes I pop in my custom Apple Samsung SSD to see if the system works with it. If it does I recommend the power to replace the SSD.

    Dan -

    If I’m ordering a 1TB ssd what exactly should I be asking for ?

    i looked up a replacement for my 2015 Air and the ssd they sent had the slot in the wrong place. Will I need an adapter?

    why did they suggest it would be compatible (it’s an m2)?

    Colin Gray -

    Seems cheap isn’t good

    Colin Gray -

    Is the same procedure suitable for a macbook 13” early 2014?

    RvS

    robert van spronsen -

    Hey robert, the procedure is exactly the same for the 2014 MBA! You can check out our MacBook Air 2014 SSD replacement guide to check for yourself.

    Taylor Dixon -

    Shouldn’t you disconnect the battery before removing the old SSD? Guide lacks instructions for this so not sure if necessary/ recommended. I recall HDD upgrade guide for my old MBP 2010 included disconnecting the battery, surely same for MBA?

    David Shanahan -

    Yes, always disconnect the battery first before removing other components.

    (Edit: I only skimmed, looking for chat about adapters and such. It’s there.. Step 3. At least, it is now. Maybe it was added after your comment) :)

    Ashlar -

    I’ve got Macbook Air 2012, which has been upgraded with Samsung 860 Evo M.2, I am looking to buy a MacBook Air 2017 and swap its’ original SSD to one which currently sits in my Air 2012. Is MacBook Air 2017 compatible with Samsung 860 Evo M.2?

    Rob Fox -

    My mid-2013 Air has crashed to the point of being unrecoverable - I get the folder with a question mark upon startup and there is no disk to recover from when I finally get to disk utility. After a couple phone calls with Apple, they determined they couldn’t do anything. I’m wondering if I can remove my SSD from the laptop, if I can use an adapter cable to make the files accessible via a cable (preferably to USB C) on my new MacBook Air mid-2020. I appreciate the help, thank you.

    Jack Tynan -

    is there any software updates that need to be done to configure this to work properly or is it a plug and play type of thing?

    Martita Sharlow -

    as long as your on a modern OS version Catalina or higher its plug and play

    Dan -

    I swapped out a larger (non-OEM) SSD in my MacBook Air. Everything works fine except now when I wake my computer from sleep, I’m just given a black screen and the logon screen doesn’t load. I usually have to force shutdown and restart whenever waking from sleep, kind of annoying. Any hints as to what may be the issue?

    Cameron Miller -

    Swapping the SSD is pretty straight forward if you have the needed tools. Took me less than 15 min. including cleaning the the interior with compressed air. Thanks for the tutorial.

    St. Maier -

    Tutorial looks great! My worries are what to do once I have put the laptop back together again. If I swop my 500 GB to a 1 TB SSD (w/o adaptor), can I just start it up with my Time Machine Backup? Or do I need to reinstall Mac OS?

    I have a MacBook Air Early 2015, running High Sierra 10.13.6.

    Fredrik Barkenhammar -

    Where can I get the adaptor for the ssd. Also if I am taking the ssd from the 2017 air and just trying to read the info on it on a 21 14" mb pro. Is there anything I should know. The 2017 air has got a firmware lock on it. I bought it used for my what's now ,ex. I don't know if she put the firmware password on it or the og owner who I have no way of getting back in touch. His account is no longer active on fb. So im kind of screwed. The only thing I could think of was to remove the ssd and put it in an we enclosure and see if I can read the info on the drive. My ex refuses to give me the pw so it has me curious. I figured I woukd take a look before I wipe it.

    Jon Tracey -

  6. V3oS5PcUhXXUBCpU
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    • Carefully insert the new SSD into the adapter, using the length of old drive as a reference for when the SSD is fully in the adapter. The lengths should be the same.

    • Insert the SSD and the adapter into the Socket, pushing inward in a straight fashion.

    • When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

    • NVMe Drives can cause kernel panics due to sleep /hibernation issues. This can be turned off with the following command.

    • From a Terminal, use the following command to disable hibernation: ----"sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0" ---- If you later want to enable hibernation, use: "sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 3"

Conclusion

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

Author

Dan

Member since: 19/02/19

4180 Reputation

62 comments

I have a Macbook air 2017 1466this model https://support.apple.com/kb/SP753?local...

macOS Mojave ver 10.14.6. will your manual work?

l.cichon85 -

Yes, this Manual will work for your Device.

Greets - Maik

Maikp735KR -

Thanks!

A little observation: the time estimate for the operation is 5 hours, is an error?

Blacy -

5 hours will include the time needed to install OSX on the new drive. Swapping the drive is extremely fast

Dan -

Hi!.. Does anyone knows if the crucial SSD will work with the Macbook Air 13” 2017?

Thanks!

Francisco Rojas -

It worked with the samsung Evo drive, so it should work with crucial as well. please let us know after.

Dan -

i just installed a crucial 500 GB link below and work terrific

https://www.newegg.com/crucial-p1-500gb/...

Daniel Armenteros -

Hi Francisco,

I have the same SSD drive, but I’m not able to see the drive in disk utility. Did you have to do anything special to format the drive? Could you post the link for the adapter you used?

Thanks for your help!

Gene

coylegenec -

Hi, be warned that there is a clearance issue with the Crucial P1 + the adapter on the 2017 Macbook Air 13”. I had to trim the notch for the screw to fit.

Max -

when I boot with the new ssd will it come with mac os already? or do I need to install it in some way?

Rodrigo Sousa -

You will need to do a fresh install

Dan -

Hi, i’ve got a macbook air 2017 13”(++https://support.apple.com/kb/SP753?local...

I’m from argentina and is difficult to buy from amazon

So, is this the same?

https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA...

https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA...

If so, where can i found information about how to install the OS?

Thanks!

Matias Bais -

my spanish is weak but that looks similar. for installing the os either use a bootable disk ( UBS) or you can try internet recovery, http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/02/25/...

Dan -

Hi Dan,

In 2015 MBA guide, you noted that:

“The 2015 MBA only has 4 PCI-e lanes so you will not be able to take full advantage of NVMe drives*”

How many PCI-e lanes are there in 2017 MBA?

I’m wondering if the 2017 MBA would be able to take the full advantage of the NVMe drives.

Tyson

trueng -

Update: MBA 13” 2015 4 PCI-e lanes

I did a google research.

Seems that both MBA 13” 2015 and MBA 13” 2017 both has 4x PCI-e 3.0

The blog written about this classify MBA 2015 and 2017 as “Generation 4”.

See “Generation 4” section in this blog: https://beetstech.com/blog/apple-proprie...

The blog further commented that for MBA 13” 2015 and MBA 13” 2017, the hardware is PCIe 3.0, but this product line doesn’t support PCIe 3.0 (See “MacBook Air (Early 2015 - Mid 2017)” section): ''

- “The 13″ MacBook Air used the same Gen. 4A drives as the rest of Apple’s product lines, but didn’t support the PCIe 3.0 connection the newer drives were capable of. “

- MBA 2015 (PCIe 3.0) only had a modest improvement over MBA 2013/2014 (PCIe 2.0): “Early 2015 release still saw read/write speeds that were 90-120% faster than the 2013/2014 models”

Do you think it’s true that MBA 13” 2015 and 2017 cannot support PCIe 3.0?

Did you hear of success stories of upgrading MBA 13” 2015 or 2017 to NVMe?

trueng -

Update 2: Massive performance boost in write speed after upgrading upgrading

I’ve found blogs that suggests there’s a performance boost in write speed…

- Write speed (Before | After speeds): 703 to 1,290 MBPS

- Read speed (Before | After speeds): 1,336 to 1,527 MBPS

Sources:

Before upgrade (posted 06/23/2017): https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacB...

After upgrade (posted: 3/9/2018): https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac...

trueng -

Hey Tyson, you will certainly notice a speed difference, depending on the drive you chose some more than others, but sadly all the MBA only have PCI 2.0 you will achieve solid perforce but it will not be the same as the claimed speed by the drive maker.

Dan -

Hi,i don’t know if this the right place for this question.

I’m going to this and i’m wondering if i could use the ssd that i’m taking off my macbook in an old laptop that i have

I guess i need an adaptor to sata, but i dont know what port macbook use. Would you help me out?

Matias Bais -

you certainly can, you will need to format it and buy an adapter, internal adapters are harder to find, but an external one would be the easiest.

Dan -

First of all thats a lot for the effort. I got 2 questions tho.

1- If i purchase the following SSD, would it work on my Macbook Air 2017 ?

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-480GB-Sol...

2- How do i install the MacOS after installing the new SSD ?

Thanks in advance.

Rako BURAK -

Hey Rako, that one wont work, needs to be PCI - E style, see the one linked at the top

Dan -

Hallo. Zal Samsung Evo 970 werken

David Kola -

Doesn’t anyone know 2013 air ssd will work on 2017 air? Want to move the ssd from old to new air

jullittleana -

I did this with a Crucial P1 500GB with the adapter from Sintech linked above (btw you can find it much cheaper on Sintech official website link: http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd... ). Just be aware that there is a clearance issue, I had to trim the notch at the end of the SSD for the screw to fit. I also ordered a 28pin to M-key adapter from Sintech and a external SSD enclosure from Orico but they don’t fit together. Did someone found a solution to put the old SSD in a external enclosure ?

Max -

Thanks Max, what are you computer specs?

Dan -

Thanks for great guide.

Remember that you can create a Time Machine backup on a removable hard(flash memory or external hard) before installing new hard drive then after installing your new hard insert removable hard and turn your laptop on and restore the backup. It’s a great time saver.

Mahdi Mirzaei -

Hey! I have a Macbook Air 2017 Model with Cataline OS v10.15.2

Will this replacement of SSD work on my mac?

vibhorbedi -

Why does a certain large online reseller (and manufacturers) say that both NVMe and AHCI SSDs are compatible with this 2017 MBA? Isn’t it just NVMe, only? Thank you!

Tom Feiza -

Will WD SN750 work for Macbook Air 2017?

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07MH2P5ZD/ref=...

Bobby -

Thank You very much Dan for Your repair instructions!

I upgraded my Macbook Air 2017 (MQD32D/A, A1466, 1.8 i5 DC 5. Gen., 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Catalina 10.15.6) with a Crucial P1 500GB without any Problems yet.

Here my links to the german Amazon about the items i used (adapter and SSD):

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07S9Q6...

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07J2WB...

The SSD with adapter fits exactly to the length of the original SSD!

Walter Rembrandt -

additionally good to know, the 500gb Crucial P1 performs in my Macbook Air 2017: 1gb/s.write and 1,4gb/s read

Walter Rembrandt -

Many thanks, Dan. Worked a treat. Very easy. I already had the Pentalobe tool from doing the same upgrade to a previous model.

Aloysius Snailchaser -

I have bought OWC Aura P12 480GB M.2 NVMe SSD accidentally. I am using MacBook Air 2017, A1466, model 7,2. Could you please let me know how can I connect this ssd to my MacBook? Which connector is suitable and where it is available

mahesh shinde -

Hello, i have Macbook air 17-inch 2017, with MacOS Catalina 10.15.7, does this guide work with this particular OS? Thank you.

alessandro.reali1 -

Bonjour, si j'ai envie de transferer toute mes donné de mon ancien disque ssd. Je fais comment ?

Titi -

where can i find how to install the OS on the new ssd?

Cristian Boscolo -

Hi!! I have a Macbook air 2017 1466this model

macOS Big Sur. This manual still work?

Orkein Lee -

alguien sabe si funcionan las unidades NVMe WD Black?

Daniel Guinto Sanchez -

First of all, really great stuff, you guys save my Mac and my wallet. I went to an iPlace ( in Brazil ) and they were chagrin me around 600$, to change the SSD. With your help not only I manage save my Mac, I also got an upgrade to a 1TB SSD. But i’m not getting the speed advertised, is there anything I need to on the MacOS to make sure its using the whole potential of the SSD ?

Thanks

lisandronicoletti -

What SSD and MacBook do you have? I think the issue is that you got an SSD with a newer, faster, interface that is bottlenecked by the one used in your MacBook. If you tell me I will check for you.

Daniele Carminati -

I have put two new SSDs and the disk utility does not recognize any of them, one was the same motherboard as the original and another with dapatador and nothing like that macbook air 2017

alfonso_lic -

Hi guys, thank you for your efforts! You’re the best!

Can you let us know which is the SSD that performs the best write/read speeds on an MBA 2017 until now?

Thank you for letting us know!

kerodaku -

As stated at the beginning of the guide, samsung 960 evo are tested to be workng. You can try a later samsung ssd or the pro version of such evo sdd.

Daniele Carminati -

Hi.

you make this sound easy :-)

are there any limits to the size of the new ssd? 512gb will do, but why not choose 1tb… I’m planning to do this on my sons 2017 air with 128gb ssd.

Thanks

nreuther -

there are no limits, only the sky! unless you are an astronaut…

Daniele Carminati -

Does the drive recommended for the MacBook Air (2017), Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD, require an adapter? And if so, what adapter would need to be bought?

ALI AMINI -

All standard M.2 NVME drives require an adapter in order to work in an Apple device.

I just bought one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09P... and it works just fine.

David Fear -

Easy upgrade, below is what I used, with the above guide:

MacBook Air 13” 2017 (MBA7,2)

- WD_BLACK 1TB SN750 SE NVMe

- Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card

- Bootable macOS 12.1 Monterey USB thumdrive

Initial r/w speeds:

- R: 1283 MB/s

- W: 1210 MB/s

Jay F -

Hi, which adapter did you use?

https://www.amazon.pl/Sintech-Karta-aktu...

https://www.amazon.pl/Sintech-adaptera-a...

Jakub L -

What functionality will I lose after running "sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0" Does this disable sleep when I close the lid? When I select sleep from the “Apple” menu in the upper left corner of the screen? Or is this only disabling power-saving hibernation? MBA7,2 2017

Bill S -

Will the Crucial P2 (CT500P2SSD8) work?

Joshua Hopkins -

Bonjour,

Merci pour le tuto. Pour réinstaller l'OS et récupérer les données du mac, il suffit juste de démarrer le Mac avec la commande Command+R puis de récupéré les données via une sauvegarde TimeMachine ?

Theo Saulais -

Does somebody has installed NVMe SSD in MBA 2017? It works fine? Or is there any secondary problem with its operation? I want it to work perfect.

Alex Robles -

I have MacBook Air 2017-A1466. What’s the maximum SSD storage compatible with this model?

Shivang Gulati -

Max size is 128 PB (see: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-th...).

David Fear -

I want to upgrade my Macbook Air 2017 (128gb, intel i5, 8gb ram) with: Samsung 970 Evo Plus or Samsung 980. Both of them with 500GB version.

Will they be compatible with my Macbook?

I want to connect it with this adapter:

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01CWWA...

Is this a good adapter? Will it be compatible with this SSDs?

How about functions in Macbook, will everything be working the same as before?

Jakub L -

I just bought one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09P... and it works a treat. No issues.

I don't see any reason why the adapter or SSD you've selected won't work.

David Fear -

Whats the maximum capacity ssd that can be upgraded can i ise 2tb,4tb?

Don Sam Vechoorkaroot -

This site sells drives up to 4TB:

https://www.flexxmemory.co.uk/storage/fl...

Max size is 128 PB (see: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-th...).

David Fear -

Hi there,

I just wanted to let you know that I installed a 1 TB Crucial NVMe (PCI3 3.0 M.2 SSD9 with this Adapter from Amazon (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B097HBHFYB?psc=...) (ANYOYO NGFF M.2 NVMe SSD Convert Adapter Card für Upgrade MacBook Air 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 und Mac Pro Retina 2013 2014 2015). Before that I just cloned the original 256 SSD.

MacBook Air 2017 (A1466)

Seems to work without problems so far.

Chris Cross -

Hi there,
I have a MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017). I'd like to know whether this Samsung SSD and adaptor would work in my notebook.
SSD> https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B09J159SWL/ref=...
Adaptador> https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B09QHRR...
Thanks in advance for your attention and good tips!

Diego Gomes -