MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Feet Replacement

Step 1

Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
Two 2.3 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
Eight 3.0 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your device.

For all the screws you use the P5 pentalobe screwdriver?

Pentalobe is only for the screws on the bottom cover. The Torx screw driver is for the remainder.

I never, ever, ever considered using anything but the correct tool on the Pentalobe screws. Too easy to strip and void your warranty (if still in effect), as well as make it almost impossible to get inside later for another upgrade or repair. The Wiha P5 Pentalobe screwdriver fits like a glove and costs only about $11 (a fraction of your drive's price)at Amazon.com. Get it!

marketing - 29/09/16

I followed this exactly and was able to replace my broken trackpad. I did not have to replace the ribbon OR the battery. However I would suggest getting the ribbon since it’s fairly cheap, as for the batteries I was able to do it with a card only. I didn’t use any heat or the liquid but it takes some time. You really have to work the card in there to release the glue. Also you must be very careful not to bend the batteries or damage them, if you do you must replace with new. This took me about 1.5hrs and my computer works like new. Apple cost for this job was around $450, I did it for $120. Big ups to ifixit for this awesome tutorial, tool set and parts!

On a side note, only use quality tools, the cheap ones will break or strip the screws.

Dustin Steward - 25/02/19

Note that the eight 3mm screws have a shoulder under the head, while the two 2.3mm screws are “full thread”, i.e., there is no shoulder under their heads. It’s important to put the two screws with no shoulder at the hinge of the cover.

All ten screws require a P5 Pentalobe screwdriver, preferably with a magnetized tip to help hold and position the screw.

All of the screws have blue “Loctite” thread locker compound on their threads. This is to help prevent the screws from working loose and falling out. Don’t attempt to clean the Loctite from the screws — leave it in place, and it will continue to help prevent the re-inserted screws from working loose.

When replacing the bottom cover, it is a good technique to insert and BEGIN tightening all ten screws BEFORE fully tightening any one screw. After all the screws have been started, then go around and finish tightening all of them. By doing this, you make it easier to feel that each screw has been started properly, and is not “cross-threaded”.

doubleclutch - 22/03/19

This is what I found on my MBP mid-2014 13” Retina. All 10 used the same screwdriver. I didn’t see the blue “loctite” but I also got my computer refurbished.

Evan Shulman - 15/10/19

A good technique for starting to thread the screws when replacing them is to position and align the screw, and with the driver, gently turn the screw in the REMOVAL direction until you feel and hear a slight click. This click happens when the leading thread of the screw drops off of the leading edge of the thread in the hole — this is the point at which the threads are properly positioned for engagement. You can now turn the driver and screw in the TIGHTENING direction. This technique will help prevent accidental “cross-threading” of the screw, which will damage the threads permanently.

Note that this is a useful technique when installing ANY threaded fastener.

doubleclutch - 22/03/19

Hi peeps,

I have a wifi problem on this MBP 13” early 2015 and was pleasently surprised to find your guide to changing the airport card.

However upon closer inspection it seems that on my MBP (purchased new or so I thought) the 3 antennae seem so have been soldered together at the point where they are clamped to the chassis. I have photos but cannot post here. Can anyone conform that where the 3 antennae wires are held to the chssis by the 2 scew metal support (just before disappearing into the screen hinge), the support is not meant to short the 3 wires together. This makes no sense for 3 seperate antennae wires.

Any advice /close up photos is welcome here.

dom

colonel mustard - 28/02/20

Tip: Use post-it notes to keep track of screws

1. Pack of post it notes

2. Stick screws to the sticky part of the post it note

3. Write on the post it note which step and what kind of screw it is

ibash - 18/03/20

Hi, in order to drain the battery I am running:

yes > /dev/null

in 4 terminals, so the CPU maxes out at almost 99%.

I hope this speeds up the battery draining process.

And the backlight is at maximum brightness :-)

You can see the cpu load in Activity Monitor.

Its draining at 20% per 15 minutes.

Any concerns about draining the battery in this way?

Andre van der Ham - 16/05/20

Something I’ve been curious about, is it possible to upgrade a late 2013 Retina model MacBook Pro, with the improved 16gb ram and i7 processor logic board from the 2015 retina model? I’d be interested to try but not ready to shell out the $500+ to be the first lol

Chat Dawgie - 30/06/20

Without rehashing what others have said, I would highly recommend reading through the steps *and* the comments for each before tackling your replacement for tips. Highlights for me were: only disconnecting what actually needed to be disconnected, rotating the spudger to release the track pad cable, a hair dryer worked perfectly fine, and the pencil outline of the battery before you remove. You got this!

N DesRochers - 07/03/21

Installation of replacement AirPort card was easier than I had expected thanks to this guide. Thank you.

chaslaw -

I use replaced SSD and it was super easy and working great. I can finally upgrade Mac OS with plenty of room to spare and no more low memory alerts. Well worth investment and didn’t have to buy new laptop

Pete James -

It's interesting that this tutorial is rated Moderate even though you need to remove the battery. The battery removal tutorial which is basically the same but with fewer steps is rated Difficult.

Marv Ruona -

when i pulled the screws out i arranged them in the same way they were in. the top 2 middle screws appeared to be shorter than the rest. in order to keep them in place i got a square of packing tape sticky side up, taped both sides down with 2 other pieces of tape. and then put the screws head down in the order i pulled them.

Jason Wade -

Excellent instructions although checking battery and speakers aligned before fixing batteries into place is essential. MacBook good as new!

John Foreman -

I find it helpful to spread a soft, slightly fuzzy cloth (like flannel) over my workspace before doing something with small parts. It keeps screws and things from rolling or bouncing away. A towel might be too plush, though, as a screw might get lost in it.

Richard KeslerWest -

I cannot get the two screws (that are different than the other ones) out and now they’re stripped. Any idea what to do without using a drill?

Honeybee94 -

DO NOT REMOVE SPEAKER CABLES!! The connectors are fragile. Just remove speakers and bend attached cable away from battery. Same for trackpad cable connector at front side. This cable crosses the middle of the battery. Just remove the one connector on the back side - leave front side connector attached and fold cable toward front of computer out of way of battery.

Paul Lebow -

Step 2

Wedge your fingers between the upper case and the lower case.
Gently pull the lower case away from the upper case to remove it.

This takes a bit more effort than you might expect. Put your fingers where shown and lift about 3inches. With enough upwards pressure the plastic holders will “pop free” and the bottom will come off easily.

hamiltont - 15/05/19

To reattach bottom case I found it helpful to line fingers up with clips under case should snap easily

Peter Stoll - 28/05/20

If your old battery has swollen, the lower case may “pop” open. Don’t lose your screws!

Maxine Loveman -

Step 3

The lower case is connected to the upper case with two plastic clips near its center.
During reassembly, gently push down the center of the lower case to reattach the two plastic clips.

This wording I found quite confusing. They just mean when putting the lid back on that you just removed in the previous step, push here.

Mmm ttt - 06/05/19

I took my pointer and thumb (which are luckily long enough) to feel where the studs are on the back panel, and then as I put the back panel back on, I pushed in the spot I had marked with my fingers to ensure I was applying pressure only on this part.

Evan Shulman - 15/10/19

If you’re doing an iFixIt battery replacement, the replacement battery has two rubber nubs which are right where the clips are that receive these studs. Folks have been saying it’s hard to get the studs to clip back in after replacement, and I had the same issue. I trimmed the top of these rubber nubs, which are a bit bigger than those on the original battery, with some side cutters. That made the fit much better.

Rob Gorbet -

Step 4

Peel away any stickers from the backside of the rear case covering the feet you have chosen to replace.
Any stickers you remove will most likely be unsalvageable for re-use. That's okay! Your MacBook does not need them to function.

If you take an exact knife or similar and trace out a section around the feet, you can leave the rest of the sticker in tact. I found it easier to remove a small section of the sticker as it was fairly well adhered.

Stephen Chan - 25/01/19

@Stephan Chan - Your suggestion was perfect. Cutting away the small section of sticker where the feet go is definitely the way to do it.

seattlehudson - 04/06/20

I agree with you @gusto5 (Stephen Chan) - cutting out a small circle in the sticker with a craft knife is much easier. Just to be on the safe side, since it did expose a little of the aluminum of the case, after I’d stuck the replacement foot and held it in place for 30 seconds, I put a small piece of Scotch tape over the hole I’d cut in the sticker on the back.

Owen Edwards - 06/10/20

Received a quicker delivery of the feet replacement kit. Followed the suggestion and was quicker and boots (feet) flashed fit on bottom case.

Albert Evangelista -

If, like mine, all your feet have sheared off, you may be able to pry the center bit of plastic left in the lid at each foot out with tweezers. Obviously don't go digging deep or forcing things, but if you are lucky like I was then you don't need to remove all the screws and the lid. My new feet went in well and seem really well stuck. Make sure you clean the surface of the aluminium extremely well.

I didn't find any need to cut the plastic backing. I found that each foot easily came off the backing and I grabbed it with the tweezers.

I put a pencil mark on the lid showing the position of the little "key" nub and made a mark on the foot too, showing its position. This allowed me to align the "key" nub with it's hole easily.

frostyfriday - 01/04/22

After pealing away any feet, be sure to remove the clear film after applying the adhesive remover. I found this easiest to do with my finger name and then double checked that all four feet recessed areas were free of the clear plastic adhesive backing from the prior removed feet.

Frank Dries -

The black stickers are for electrical insulation. I patched mine with black insulating electrical tape.

Steve Lamb -

Does removing all the black stickers hurt the MacBook in any way?

luisshr -

The adhesive actually peels off quite easy. I didn't need the adhesive remover, it peeled off like a thin plastic film.

Francisco Daza -

Step 5

Remove any broken or damaged feet.
If the foot you are replacing is still intact, you can use your tweezers push it out from the inside.
If the old foot is difficult to remove, use a hair dryer or a heat gun to apply some heat to the area and loosen the adhesive.

There are large black stickers in the way of removing this little piece on my A1502 Early 2015 MBP. How do we proceed from here?

Jason Protzman - 01/01/19

Hey Jason! You can remove those stickers entirely, or just peel them back enough to remove the foot and then cut away the peeled part of the sticker.

Taylor Dixon - 02/01/19

Is the larger feet shown in picture 1 of this section for the MacBook Pro. I am assuming the second picture refers to the Retina MacBook Pro?

Khushal Varsani - 11/03/20

All the pictures and text in this guide refer to the Retina MacBook Pro! The The Unibody MacBook Pro has its own feet replacement guide.

Taylor Dixon - 26/03/20

I think what Khushal meant was that picture 1 doesn’t represent the lower case foot hole of the Retina model, the hole left after the removal of the foot is too big. While the 2nd picture seems indeed accurate.

fbianchife - 04/11/20

Can the macbook walk? 🤣

Yanny 57 -

Step 6

Scrub the foot cavity with adhesive remover to remove any remaining adhesive.

The adhesive is on both sides of a clear plastic sheet that sits in the foot cavity. It is easily missed but appears shiny when holding the case up to light after removing the rubber foot. If you look at the image in Step 9 below you can also see the sheet on the case side of the rubber foot (note this is not the same thing as the plastic sheet that the feet are attached to, this one is very thin and has adhesive on both sides). I applied adhesive remover twice and let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve the adhesive under the pad, then scrubbed with a bit of pressure to get that clear sheet removed from the foot cavity, but am glad I did.

James - 25/04/20

For me, the adhesive remover was not strong enough, but I was able to apply acetone nail polish remover to remove the remaining adhesive before wiping it down with alcohol.

Joseph Wilk - 17/05/20

Thank you so much, James, for mentioning the clear adhesive! I would’ve completely missed it had I not seen your comment!!

Tina Nakai - 24/09/20

My adhesive remover didn't work, but what did work was gently scraping with a knife. This is for the clear adhesive mentioned by James.

olive long -

Step 7

Wipe the foot cavity with an isopropyl alcohol prep pad to remove any cleaner residue and prep the area for the adhesive on the new foot.

I used a paper towel (or a tissue would work) to mop up the bulk of the adhesive remover first. And then I went back with the alcohol swap to get any remaining adhesive remover and let the area air dry.

Frank Dries -

Step 8

Peel a replacement foot from the plastic backing.
The adhesive is fairly strong—make sure that you are peeling the foot up, not tearing the plastic backing.

Step 9

Align the new foot inside the cavity.
Make sure the alignment nub on the foot is lined up with the small hole near the perimeter of the pad.
You may want to use a pencil to lightly mark where the alignment nub is located. Be careful not to scratch the lower case with your pencil.
Lay the foot down while keeping it properly aligned.
Check for proper alignment from the inside of the case. The alignment nub should be slightly visible through the alignment hole.

Matching the alignment nub with the small hole is easier if you align the point of the tweezers with the nub. The tweezer tip then acts as a reference point for matching the nub with its hole.

Paul Jacobson - 28/02/21

Step 10

Press the new foot into place firmly with your finger, then apply pressure by pinching the foot from either side of the case with your finger and your thumb.
Maintain pressure for 30 seconds to set the pressure-sensitive adhesive.
Repeat the last seven steps for any remaining broken or worn feet.

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Feet Replacement

Introduction

Tools

Parts