Introduction
Use this guide to replace a broken display.
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Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove ten screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:
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Two 9 mm screws
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Eight 2.6 mm screws
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Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
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Remove the lower case and set it aside.
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Grab the clear plastic pull tab attached to the battery connector and pull it toward the front edge of the Air to disconnect the battery from the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector upward out of its socket on the I/O board.
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While gently pulling the I/O board cable upward near its connection to the logic board, use the tip of a spudger to pry upward on alternating sides of the connector to help "walk" it out of its socket.
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Remove the I/O board cable.
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Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the fan cable ZIF socket.
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Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the upper case:
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One 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw
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One 2.7 mm T5 Torx screw
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One 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw with a short head
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Lift the fan out of the upper case and carefully pull the fan ribbon cable out of its socket as you remove it from the Air.
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Disconnect the I/O board by pulling the power cable away from its socket on the logic board.
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Pull the camera cable parallel to the face of the I/O board toward the hinge of the Air to disconnect it from its socket, using the tip of a spudger to help push the connector out of its socket.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap securing the microphone ribbon cable to the I/O board.
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Use the tip of a spudger to remove the volume button ribbon cable from its ZIF connector on the I/O board.
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Carefully lift the I/O board from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
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Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:
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Three 6.3 mm T5 Torx screws
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Two 2.4 mm T5 Torx screws
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the trackpad ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Use your spudger to help pull the cable out of its socket.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the right speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
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Gently push the tip of a spudger under the black plastic flap stuck to the display data cable lock to make the lock pop upward and away from the socket.
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While holding the lock away from the socket, use the tip of a spudger and your fingers to gently remove the display data cable from its socket.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both antenna cable connectors up and off their sockets on the AirPort/Bluetooth card.
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Remove the inner two 4.9 mm T8 Torx screws securing the antenna cable retainer and left clutch hinge to the upper case.
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Push the antenna cable retainer away slightly and remove the 3 mm T5 Torx screw securing the end of the heat sink to the upper case.
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Carefully remove the logic board assembly from the upper case, minding any cables that may get caught.
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Remove the inner two 4.9 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right display hinge to the upper case.
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Open the display until it is perpendicular to the upper case and place it on a table as shown.
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While holding the Air steady, remove the remaining 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.
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Push the upper case slightly toward the display assembly, then rotate it away from the front of the display assembly.
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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.
17 comments
I have just comletd this process and installed a new screen assembly to my macbook Air. It is now completely unresponsive. When I press the power button nothing happens.
I completed the process exactly as described, I had no troubles and all went very well.
Before I tear it down again I was wondering if there might be some very obvious thing I may be overlooking
Help?
Did you ever figure out the problem, I am having the same issue.
zshad -
You did exactly as the instruction means you might mess up the board. There is about 20 steps you can skip just to change assembly. I will buy your dead mac and take the diodes and resistors from the board.
Having performed this repair several times, most of these steps are completely unnecessary. After you take the back off, still disconnect the battery, but you can essentially skip from step 3 to step 31. Just add a note about unplugging the LCD cable, the Camera/Mic cable and the Antenna cables before unscrewing the 6 hinge screws and you are done. Removing everything else is a huge time sink that is not need and adds a ton of complication.
alex -
There are a lot of extra steps not required to access display assembly. It make people think like rocket science and some might screw up their mac.
I totally agree
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 -