iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display Hard Drive Replacement

Written By: Evan Noronha

Comments: 125

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Follow the steps in this guide to upgrade or replace the hard drive in a 21.5" Retina 4K Late 2015 iMac. Note that if you are upgrading your drive, you will need to clone your existing hard drive onto the replacement prior to performing this upgrade to keep your files and operating system.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

With the hinge free to move, the iMac will be unbalanced and hard to work on. Repairs are fast and easy with an iMac service wedge, but can be completed without one.
If you are using the iFixit cardboard service wedge, follow these assembly directions to put it together.
Before beginning any work on your iMac: Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for ten seconds to discharge the power supply's capacitors.
Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply. Only handle the board by the edges.

The wedge is an extremely tight fit for this model. I was worried that the amount of force needed to use it as shown might damage the stand, so I used it with the long side down instead. It worked fine that way and didn’t need anywhere near as much force to insert.

roberttrevellyan - 19/09/17

Here’s a good YouTube vid on upgrading the RAM: Can a Normal Person Upgrade the RAM in the 2017 21.5" iMac?

Dan - 12/02/18

Here are a couple tips from me:

1) Expose the adhesive to extreme temperatures. I did this by transporting my iMac in my car, screen-down on a piece of cardboard on a cold February morning (in Chicago). When I went to pick up the iMac, the screen practically fell off the chassis. I would have been distraught by this if I hadn’t already planned this replacement. So it was a happy accident.

2) Remember to expell the residual power from the power supply by pushing the power button while the iMac is unplugged. This does NOT guarantee it’s safe to touch, but when I accidentally brushed the solder and exposed capacitors, I didn’t get shocked.

jerrid_foiles - 31/03/19

Instead of using the wedge, I placed the iMac faced up with the top side (web cam) facing me while I ran the pizza roller around. It worked out great!

Sam Fung - 06/06/19

“All iMacs also come with a traditional hard drive” mine doesn’t!! it’s HDD bay is completely empty, no SATA cable or anything. I guess I’ll have to upgrade the PCIe SSD instead.

Chris Hughes - 10/11/19

There is no replacement glass for this model, it is part of the LCD and impossible to remove or replace- the entire LCD has to be replaced unfortunately if the glass is cracked or damaged. You will have to Google search for a replacement. Also be careful with some of the lock tight tork screws as I broke one of my screw mounts taking one out.

Phil Tesone - 18/01/21

I used this service wedge but also found it a very tight fit. The same stabilization can be achieved by using a big rolled up towel.

Ernst -

While this is a good instruction guide, I recommend to also look at OWC’s instruction video about drive installation, before starting the exercise. Those install videos are very detailed and useful.

Ernst -

Main advice: TAKE YOUR TIME with the pizza roller.

Make several passes, until you really feel like there's no more sticker in the way. Stay away from the camera though (approx. 1inch / 2.5cm on both sides). This will reduce the work left with the plastic card. Adhesive is really on the edge of the screen so there is absolutely no need to go any further than the recommended 1cm / 3/8inch depth.

Where are the sensitive parts?

Facing your iMac, imagine you're looking at a watch. There are antennas on 1, 2 and 4 o'clock. Do not insert any metal piece there (nor anywhere else, btw). Other than that AND the screen cables underneath the camera, not much danger.

Froggy Manny - 23/03/23

Step 2

Starting on the left of the display, near the power button, insert the iMac Opening Tool into the gap between the glass panel and the rear enclosure.
The hub on the iMac Opening Tool will keep you from pushing the wheel in too far. If using a different tool, insert no more than 3/8" into the display. Otherwise, you risk severing antenna cables and causing serious damage.

Don’t get too worried about starting exactly where the picture says. The glue is stronger in some parts so just start wherever is easier and then work slowly and patiently around in the direction shown.

Richard Cook - 15/02/19

As this guide doesn’t cover replacing the adhesive strips, I found referring to the following was useful (noting that it’s not for the same model of iMac, so the modification they mention wasn’t necessary): iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2544 Adhesive Strips Replacement

Alan Digby - 24/06/20

It is very easy to crack the glass in front of the LCD during this step. I used the guitar pick, maybe it was too thick… crack is just on the frame but anyway it is disappointing :(

Nikolay - 30/06/20

This part of the exercise should be done with extreme patience. I took my sweet time with the opening tool, rolling it through the entire panel and enclosure gap over and over again, until I was very sure no parts were sticking together anymore. And when I thought I was I done, I decided to do it over again.

Ernst -

You can "warm up" the adhesive before try to cut it with the tool using a hair dryer. Heat the edges for about a minute, keep moving it so you don't cause stress in the glass. Also the above note.. use the tool and then the cards. Do not use a guitar pick or other objects as the thickness will cause you to break the front glass, which is a bonded part of the display (expensive).

Carl Schultz -

Merci pour ce conseil

bry nicolas -

Step 3

Use the tool like a pizza cutter—roll it along through the gap, and it will cut the foam adhesive through the center.
Be sure to always push with the handle behind the cutting wheel. If you pull, the wheel might get pulled out of the handle.
Run the tool up along the left side of the display.

Erreur de traduction: "de bas en haut" et non de" haut en bas" sur le côté gauche de l'écran

Moreau - 15/04/17

If re-opening a screen that was opened and re-attached using iFixit’s adhesive strips, I would strongly recommend heating it first with an iOpener, heat gun or hair dryer. 20 minutes after attaching with the iFixit adhesive I tried to open it again with the pizza slicer to fix something and cracked the screen on the left-hand side.

plasticpool - 08/12/20

Step 4

Continue running the tool up around the top left corner.

Ne pincez pas l’écran avec l’autre main. Vous exercez une pression inutile sur le verre et empêchez la roulette de couper le joint.

phfoglia -

Step 5

Cut the adhesive along the top left of the display.

Step 6

Continue along the top of the display.
You may want to run the tool back and forth through what you've already cut a few times, to ensure you get as much of the adhesive separated as possible.

In this step can I cut along the display without make any damage to the front camera?

arisnordico - 22/01/15

Hi! Actually - there is no need to cut the tape around the camera area - there is no tape to cut at all! And so, the way go is easy - just pass 10 mm to the left and to the right from camera and start cutting!

P.S. Just did the whole procedure to replace a RAM and to add SSD on PSIe an hour ago! Seems to be different reading the instructions... you know - 2/10 and so on. But it's really not that hard, trust me. I'll give it 5/10.

P.P.S. By the way there is one trick to pass the difficult steps. Any action which requires pulling smth (motherboard, speaker, power supply unit) from the narrow crack (or should i say - slit?) at the bottom of your Imac is really not so easy.

And the trick is to first remove a thin metal stripe with some kind of insulation on it which held by 5 small (very small!!) screws at the bottom of your Imac. After you done it - it's easy to pull everything! Pay attention to the fact that one of this 5 screws at the center are more shortly than others.

dv1977 - 24/01/15

I did all steps like this manuell but now the Display wont work only some colered strips are to see! Whats happend??

Can anybody help me ? Maybe the connector cable is broken?

djfanta - 28/05/15

Check both connectors, probably one of them not seated well

pzhivulin - 12/06/15

You can add a SATA SSD if you already have a PCIe SSD Factory?

kaserlik - 30/05/15

If you're changing cracked EMC 2638 display to new assembly, there's two more steps:

Step 24: Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.

Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the display assembly.

Step 25: Use the tip of a spudger to unplug bracket of the thermal sensor small cable near display data cable.

Carefully remove scotch tape covering thermal sensor. Using iSesamo or flat tip of the spudger carefully peel the thermal sensor away.

pzhivulin - 12/06/15

omg - forgot to switch the termal sensor from the old display...

now fan runs like crazy...

Andrei Balotescu - 05/02/16

The key thing is to never put any force on the opening tool when working through the tape. Just roll it back and forth with ease.

Ernst -

Step 7

Push the tool around the top right corner of the display.

Step 8

Wheel the tool down along the right side of the display.

Step 9

Finish pushing the opening tool to the bottom of the right side of the display.
At this point, you'll want to run the tool back around the entire display, to ensure you cut as much adhesive as possible.

Yes, do it many times to loosen the adhesive.

Noah Ralston - 19/07/18

Would be good data to show the 3 areas (wifi antennas where the "tape" is larger and covers them. The rest of the "tape" is 1.4" and easy. Also after removing the display, be sure to remove the old "tape" from both the display and the rubber parts of the case. Use the spudger to start an end and it should pull off easily. Careful on the baackside of the display as you can scratch off the black paint/covering.

Carl Schultz -

Step 10

While the opening tool cut most of the adhesive, the display will still be slightly adhered to the case. A plastic card will be necessary to free up the last of this adhesive.
Set the iMac face-up on a table.
Starting from the top right corner of the iMac, wedge a plastic card between the display and frame.
Be careful not to insert the plastic card more than 3/8", or you may damage internal components.

this step is extremely important NOT to stick in the cards too far….. doing so, you risk a 600 euro replacement as I experienced………

Edgar Broekema - 18/11/17

I drew a 3/8” line on my cards with a marker first.

Max Romano - 27/09/20

I’m reading this on the EU store, please change all measurements to cm/mm.

Morgana Devina - 30/10/20

@ifixit The next batch of cards you create should have a line printed on the card 3/8” in from the edges. Would make a nice reference.

Richard Giratd -

Here’s where OWC provides glass removal suction cups, which is a better solution than plastic cards.

The suction cups help to easily lift the glass panel, without risking the damaging of any internal wiring that the plastic cards could cause.

Ernst -

Better to remove stand wedge at this point? Can’t see from pics

derekrobinson -

Step 11

Gently twist the plastic card sideways to create a gap between the display and frame.
Move slowly and be careful not to stress the display glass too much—you only need to make a gap of about 1/4".

This part must be done very carefully or you can damage the flat cable from display, despite it was under a iron cover.

Cassio Machado - 17/09/16

Step 12

Slide the card toward the center of the display to cut any of the remaining adhesive along the top right corner of the iMac.
Be sure to stop before the iSight camera, or you may damage it.

You don't need to do it like this, simply open the iMac bendidng the LCD completely and use the pizza cutter to remove the adhesive.

Felix - 31/05/20

Using glass removal suction cups will avoid running this risk of damaging the camera (or any wiring).

Ernst -

Step 13

Wedge the plastic card into the top right corner once again, and leave it there to prevent the adhesive from resticking.

Step 14

Insert a second plastic card into the gap between the display and frame near the top left corner of the iMac.

Step 15

Gently twist the card upward, slightly increasing the space between the display and frame.
As with the other side, twist slowly to allow the adhesive time to separate, and be careful not to over-stress the display glass.

Step 16

Slide the plastic card toward the center, again stopping just before the iSight camera.

Step 17

Wedge the plastic card back into the top left corner.

Step 18

With both plastic cards inserted as shown near the corners, gently twist the cards sideways to increase the gap between display and case.
If there are any sections that seem to stick and won't separate, stop twisting and use one of the cards to cut the remaining adhesive.
Begin to lift the top of the display up from the frame.
Only lift the display a few inches—the display data and power cables are still connected to the logic board.

Step 19

Lift the display up enough to have easy access to the connector, but not so much that you stretch the cables and stress their connections (about 8").
Hold the display with one hand while using your other hand to unplug the display power cable.

It was difficult to remove this connection. I ended up having to gently pull-up vertically a little on the wire side to unsnap it about 1mm and then horizontally wiggle it out.

delacrj2 - 22/12/17

I had a difficult time removing this connection. I had to lift the wire-side about 1mm before it unsnapped and then carefully wiggle it out horizontally.

delacrj2 - 22/12/17

Can this cable be replaced? I am worried mine is damaged. I have no display after the screen fell and stressed the display flex cables following an SSD upgrade.

Jeremy Brainard - 19/04/19

This step should be done with extreme caution and care, as this step 19 is not described in great detail (sorry, author).

The first (most outward) cable will slide out by gently pulling it by its tabs. The second (inner) cable is more tricky, as the locking lever must be moved backward first, before gently pulling backward on the cable connector. The angled tweezers are useful here, to help lift that locking lever, because fingers are too big for this.

Ernst -

be VERY careful and SLOW...take your time. These displays crack VERY easily when removing and they'll spider web on you. I've done probably 20 or so of these and cracked 3 being super careful.....ugh.

Faslane -

I found the best way to unplug this display power cable was to use my right hand, and the fingernails of my index finger and thumb to grab the ends of the tabs on either side of the connector, squeeze, and pull the connector out gently.

Phil McInnis -

i think the cable nearest the case edge is held in by friction and can be gently pulled, maybe with fingernails or a spudger. The next cable is held by a wire lever clip as described above it unlocks so the cable can be removed. These cables are also fiddly to re-insert, I didn't get one of them home and had no display after power-up, so at the end, don't re-seal the screen until tested.

Peter Taffs -

Step 20

Continuing to support the display with one hand, flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the logic board.
Be sure to pull the display data cable connector straight out of its socket, keeping it parallel to the motherboard, to avoid damaging it.

Cannot seem to find a replacement cable for this, as I suspect mine is damaged. Can’t even find a part number. Anyone know what it might be?

Jeremy Brainard - 19/04/19

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TTL...

That's the part I ordered for mine and it seems to work ok. I did make a point of contacting the seller and advising them of my requirement and they ensured I got the right part and it matches the description of the link. Bear in mind I bear no responsibility if yours does not work since I am just sharing what I did and what I ordered. Thanks.

Jim Stanford -

I also need that cable.

cameronjpu - 24/03/20

It's a little difficult to tell... but looking at the connection to the logic board on the video data cable, are the pins faced up or down?

On the display, same question since it appears you have to "twist" the cable during the reconnection step.

Jim Stanford - 09/05/22

For this particular cable, take a good look before pulling on anything. Plug is locked on its socket with a bracket. You can lift this bracket by holding the small, flat black plastic handle that is attached to it. If you're struggling to grab it, use the end of the pizza roller handle to lift it, or the tweezers. Cable then comes off by pulling parallel to the main board.

Froggy Manny -

How can I tell if either of this cable is bad? My iMac display won't turn on after reconnecting it. I'm using an external display and everything is working except for the iMac display. If I go to settings - display the built-in display is recognize. But again nothing shows up in the screen - not even the apple logo when turning it on.

Carlos Sosa -

Step 21

Lift the display up to a near-vertical position.
At this point there is still a strip of adhesive along the bottom of the display that will hold the display to the frame like a hinge. You can loosen this adhesive by working the display up and down a few times.

The adhesive strip along the bottom is designed with a pull tab on each outer end. Rather than lever and pull the screen simply carefully pull the tab which removes that half of the lower adhesive strip and frees up the screen.

Andrew Stephens - 10/08/18

Yes, use the tabs as Andrew indicates. Super easy.

Michael Adams - 22/06/19

Step 22

Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply (boxed in red).
Grasp the small tab at the end of one of the bottom edge display adhesive strips and pull the adhesive toward the top of the iMac to remove it.
Repeat this step with the other adhesive strip and remove it.
If either adhesive strip breaks before it's removed, use a plastic card to slice through the remaining adhesive.

Step 23

Lift the display up from the frame and remove it from the iMac.
It may be necessary to slowly lift from one side to peel against the remaining adhesive.
Be very careful handling the display—it's big, heavy, and made of glass.
After the adhesive is cut, it cannot be used to re-seal the display in place. Follow this guide to replace the adhesive strips that secure the display to the rear enclosure.

Andrew Stephens - 10/08/18

Andrew, FTW! This worked perfectly

Megan O'Leary -

Step 24

Remove the following T10 Torx screws securing the hard drive brackets to the iMac:
Two 21 mm screws
One 9 mm screw
One 27 mm screw

At step 26, when reassembling, it's super easy to over-tighten the 9mm screw and strip the brass ferrule out of its hole in the plastic bracket (%#*@).

roberttrevellyan - 19/09/17

Mine has 4 different length screws, the two red colored 21mm screws in this guide are actually two differ lengths

anonymous 523 - 19/10/20

Mi imac does not have a HDrive whats the steps to follow?

Charlie - 05/02/21

buongiorno, l'imac del 2019, non monta alcuna ssd, ma monta una m2 direttamente sulla scheda madre!

pertanto nella guida andrebbe aggiunto il cavo sata con sensore temperatura da aggiungere sulla scheda madre, per poter collegare un nuovo hd ssd altrimenti rimarrete come me bloccati con un imac aperto e non assemblato, in attesa di ricevere il cavo acquistato su internet da amazon o terze parti.

vi consiglio inoltre di aggiungere una foto reale del ò'imac 2019 nella guida in cui manca l'ssd, renderà subito la problematica che avranno in molti!

Donato Altomare -

Hi, mine doesn’t HAVE an HD/SSD to remove, the bay is empty (yes it was fully working yesterday. So what do we do ? I see someone else with the sane issue above….

Jeroen Speak -

Step 25

Remove the left and right hard drive brackets from the iMac.

Step 26

Lift the hard drive from the edge nearest the logic board and pull it slightly out of its recess.
The hard drive is still attached by its SATA cable; do not attempt to fully remove it from the iMac yet.

Step 27

Use a spudger to disconnect the single SATA cable by prying it gently away from the hard drive.
Remove the hard drive assembly from the iMac.

I’ve found that loosening the T10 screws on the enclosure to the left helps give some room to remove and reinstall the drive. Otherwise reattaching the SATA cable can be a hassle.

rothgar - 25/01/20

Not only is it useful to loosen up the speaker next to the SATA connector I found it helpful to use a pen to mark the exact location of the edges of the SATA connector on top of the new drive, so I could guide the connector in place. It also helps to put the bumpers in after you get this SATA connector in place.

bsmith1 -

Waiting to put the bumpers on until after the SATA cable is attached was a must! Also loosing the speaker and moving over a couple centimeters was a huge help. Thanks

Michael Bunsen -

Step 28

Peel the rubber bumper off one side of the hard drive.
Repeat for the other side.
When installing a new drive, it's helpful to use double-sided tape to stick the bumpers to your new drive.

reconnecting the new drive can be a little tricky as the sata connector in the Mac is hard to align. I found that it helps to move the end of the bumpers out of the way, then push them back into position once the drive is connected.

Gareth Jones - 19/05/17

Thank you for the tip!

Michael Gagne -

thats what it did as well, thx for the hint. also i used a plastic spudger to reconnect the plug unto the new drive and leveled it against the speaker casing thats so close to the drive bay

Stef999 - 07/08/17

Can I install a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB to replace my 1TB 5400rpm disk? and is a seperate thermal sensor/cable needed to prohibit the fan to run at 100% all the time?

Maurits K - 08/08/17

Yes you can install ANY SATA SSD.

And no … there is no thermal sensor on the drive. You don’t need them on these models.

robert Seith - 03/10/17

Can I install a Seagate FireCuda 2TB to replace my 1TB 5400rpm disk? and is a seperate thermal sensor/cable needed to prohibit the fan to run at 100% all the time?

andrew mudd - 31/12/17

Did you ever find out if you could replace your 500 GB with that Firecuda? I’m looking at doing that. I need more storage for my 500 GB photos library and don’t want to pay so a ton for the SSD that is big enough.

shippster - 03/05/18

where is the guide for the follow up ?

installing a new hard disk and closing the screen back up.

yog1389 - 03/05/18

The SSD was a HUGE performance boost over the 5400rpm drive my iMac came with. If you’re pulling your hair out because Lightroom has become excruciatingly slow, upgrade your hard drive to SSD. You will not be disappointed.

The kit has everything you need. Follow these instructions carefully and you’ll be fine.

Mike Mullis - 18/08/18

Huge improvement! It’s like a new machine. Highly recommended upgrade.

Take care with the adhesive strips, and don’t forget to set new SSD as the boot disk (System Preferences, Startup Disk) after you’ve tested its bootable.

Stephen Babbage - 16/10/18

I previously had a fusion drive and installed a SSD. Will there be any issues with the ssd portion of the fusion drive? I still see it there in disc utility. Also, I’m showing two SSDs, along with the 32 gig one. Is that correct or did I create something that shouldn’t be there?

rossmueller - 09/01/19

I have this same question. I’m showing 2 drives but 1 is grayed out on the computer screen when I click on it nothing happens.

Frank - 16/03/19

A fusion drive combines two physical disks via software to act as one. It it something that has to be done manually and expressly. When you first got the computer, your fusion drive combined disks A (SSD) and B (HDD). If you replaced B, then you probably have an unused 32 GB blade SSD along with your new SSD. It possible to create another Fusion drive, but you’d have to start from zero, because creating a fusion drive erases the individual disks completely.

also, not 100%, but I tried for several hours the other day and I’ve come to the conclusion that my version of Big Sur (11.1) doesn’t support Fusion Drives. Correct me if I’m wrong. Or maybe it’s because I’m running Big Sur on an unsupported iMac.

David -

It is also possible install the bumpers after getting the drive cable attached. This gives you more room to work with the cable and drive.

Sean Kane - 28/12/19

The hardest part was to plug the connector into the new SSD. I loose the two screws of the adjacent (left) speaker and move it just enough to have sufficient space to introduce my fingers to push the conector into the SSD. Left the replace of the rubber bumpers after reconnect the SSD, is easy to handle without it.

Dennis Salas - 13/02/20

I bought Samsung QVO 1TB SSD and now the fan is blasting fast and loud. So if these don’t use the thermal cables then what seems to be triggering the high temp? Obviously it’s the hard drive but could it be that the drive was cloned? I’m kinda stumped, I know I can control with software but some of you are saying it should run normal after install. Thanks for the info.

MonoFrio - 10/05/20

Is there a PCIe slot for an SSD instead of the SATA 3.0 2.5”?

thank you,

deejaysurfer - 15/10/20

Not unless your iMac shipped with a Fusion drive or SSD.

roberttrevellyan -

The step-by-step guide was awesome and easy to follow. As others have commented, getting the SATA connector onto the SSD is tricky but not impossible. Just pull back the rubber bumpers long enough to reach the connector, then flip them back into place before seating the drive. One comment for my machine (late 2015 21.5”): There is no mic hole for my model, so while I was a little confused at the instructions on reinstalling the adhesive, the drive replacement went like a dream. And I saved myself the $120 labor the local Mac shop wanted to charge me.

Glenn Pettit - 22/10/20

Hat alles prima funktioniert. Leider läuft der Lüfter jetzt auf 100% und kernel_task Prozess ist bei über 300%. Was habe ich falsch gemacht. Diagnose meldet jetzt einen SMC Fehler und CPU-Proximity liefert keinen Wert.

Kann jemand helfen?

Michael Schmitz - 08/01/21

schau doch mal hier https://apple.stackexchange.com/question...

Oliver Gaida - 12/03/21

This is the least accurately described step (sorry, author). While removal is easy, inserting the new drive in its place is a bit tricky. The key here, is to insert the new drive with its rubber bumpers back in its space, so that it is fully seated down in its place *before* the connector can be re-attached. Once it is seated in place, use the flat end of the spudger to gently manoeuver the connector back into place until it is firmly connected to the drive.

Ernst -

Reassembling the iMac is not simply following these instructions in reverse order (sorry, author).

Before embarking on the home stretch, it is very important to carefully study the guide about the Adhesive Strips Replacement (iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Adhesive Strips Replacement - iFixit Repair Guide), as this a tedious and time consuming process. Perfect alignment of those adhesive strips takes some concentration, because you will want to have your display panel back nice and tight and fully aligned with the case. Once all strips are in place, the 2 display connectors need to be gently reattached to the motherboard, before closing up the panel. I took my sweet time for that step, and thankfully have a perfectly aligned display panel back in place looking no different from the factory fit.

Ernst -

Here’s the rest of the information you need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xDJ28Oe...

John Smith -

I got a 4 TB Seagate Barracuda HDD as a replacement for a client. (Going for capacity over speed.) Does anyone know if it will fit? It’s definitely fatter than the other HDD/SSDs I’ve installed before.

David -

There needs to be more added to cover the first part of re-assembly. To connect up my SSD, I needed to remove screws that held in place the black plastic to the left of the drive bay. This was only way to get the added space needed to connect the SSD to the drive cable. I also connected the SSD first, then attached the rubber bumpers, simply to give me more room to maneuver the drive next to the connector. All in all, yes, a person well familiar with tearing down iMacs could do it in an hour or so. But frankly, the design of this iMac is a total horror show when it comes to repair or replacement of parts, especially given its reliance on glue and adhesives. Gee, just like other Apple products.

Ben Myers -

Ben, after you replaced the HDD with SSD, did you have any fan issues on the A1418 model iMac? Thinking of doing this but I’ve been reading for hours and seeing mixed reports about thermal sensors.

Christopher Henley -

This iFixit tool (iFixit Opening Tool) will be your best friend when it's time to install your new 2.5" hard drive. Simply hook the tool to the back top corner of the iMac SATA adapter, connect your hard drive loosely to the SATA ports and use the tool to pull the SATA adapter forward into the hard drive.

iannai29 -

After replacing the hard drive. All went well BUT -now my mic does not work. It's the single hole on the bottom. Any ideas anybody?

Paolo Alberto -

Did you notice step 14 in the guide to replacing the adhesive strips?

roberttrevellyan -

Please update the end of this guide, pointing the customer to the guide for replacing the display adhesive strips. You provide a single kit for this procedure, and the customer has to figure out that they must follow two independent guides, in order to successfully complete the installation.

Lewis -

Ich habe den unteren Klebestreifen gar nicht gelöst! --> Monitor (Glasscheibe) nach vorne auf ein dickes Kissen gelegt - so dass das Glas nur ca. 80° Winkel nach vorne zu liegen kommt und dann habe ich die Festplatte getauscht! So konnte ich die untere Klebeleiste wieder verwenden und hatte genügend Platz um die senkrechten und oberen Leisten zu verkleben! ⏎
Tip: Klebestreifen zuerst auf dem Alugehäuse befestigen......

Fridtjof Schüssler -

Conclusion

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

Author

Evan Noronha

Member since: 06/02/15

223244 Reputation

31 comments

An excellent guide, leaving no guesswork for the handyman.

snively - 01/01/17

Hi, Evan, thanks a lot for the guide, could you let us know where can we find the adhesive for the screen to put it back together?

Alex Wang - 14/02/17

The replacement adhesive is linked in the intro area at the top of this guide. ;)

Jeff Suovanen - 15/02/17

Very good! *thx* for your work.

Peter C - 26/04/17

What a GREAT set of instructions. I’m thinking about replacing the original hard drive on my iMac (late 2015) with an SSD drive.

This gives me a whole lot more confidence to do it myself.

Thanx!

Tom Carnevale - 13/10/17

Hi,

Thanks for that guide!

I have a question for you though… can we assume each motherboard from this 2015 Retina model will have a blade SSD connector or some may not?

I would like to upgrade my iMac with an SSD but I would prefer the blade SSD as having a better throughput than the hard drive style SSDs.

Thanks!

Julien Reveillet - 20/12/17

Hi,

Does anybody know, are there known issues with cooling/fans, or is there need for thermal inline sensor when putting a 2tb Seagate FireCuda Hybrid SSHD. I have ordered a 2TB FireCuda 2.5 for my iMac and all relevant replacing tools. Will I run into any problems or is it just a straight swap?

Thank you

iMac 4K 21.5 2015 >> Seagate FireCuda 2TB >>Thermal Sensor >> iMac 4K 21.5 2015 >> Seagate FireCuda 2TB >>Thermal Sensor

andrew mudd - 29/12/17

Does the screen still “snap” back into place on the iMac without any adhesive? I just bought an SSD and I’m about to clone my machine, but if I’m not able to put the screen back on all after upgrading the hard drive then I’ll have to hold off on this project until later.

Wesley Mitchell - 06/01/18

Does the screen “snap” back into place at all without the adhesive, or is the adhesive necessary to keep the screen in place? Thanks

Wesley Mitchell - 06/01/18

you need to apply new glue. dont use double sided sticky tape - even the strongest one isnt able to keep screen in place. But the problems I run into are as follow… fan is weirdly loud i guess its related to lack of the temperature sensor on a new SSD - this can be easily fixed with little app to control the speed of it… but the main issue is that computer got slower than before… I tried the trick with enabling TRIM in SATA settings.. still same… its i5, 8GB RAM and brand new SSD - and its slower than with old HDD… kind of running out of ideas here… anyone can help ?

Rafal Krawczyk - 29/01/18

If I replace the standard HD with SSD Do I need a new thermal sensor? It the HD size 2,5?

Massimiliano Esposito - 20/05/18

Thanks Evan for this guide. The HD in my wife’s 2015 late iMac was failing and it was time to replace it with a SSD. This guide make it possible. Thanks

HammerMan - 01/06/18

The iMac opening tool made all the difference for me. After going around the case a few times the screen came out very easily. Ignore people who say this model is too difficult to repair, it’s easy with the right tools.

I installed an SSD and the computer is like new. Massive performance improvement over the original slow HDD.

Don’t hesitate to do this upgrade.

Tim Biddulph - 12/08/18

Is this process exactly the same to replace a fusion drive instead of a standard hdd?

John Qaqish - 01/12/18

Yes! Every step is the same

Oleg - 02/12/18

Rien de plus facile avec un tel détail et des photos aussi précises.

Quelques difficultés à ôter les nappes reliées à l’écran puis plus tard pour rebrancher le SSD à la place du HDD original (j’ai d’abord rebranché le SSD puis remis les protections en caoutchouc de chaque côté et non l’inverse comme indiqué).

bref, merci !!

Olivier - 15/02/19

Excellent, you must also follow the related guide about re-applying adhesive strips, very important too.

John - 18/04/19

Very good guide and people who submitted comments were helpful as well. Nice job.

Michael Adams - 22/06/19

The kit worked great. Replacing my HDD with a SSD made my 2015 iMac as fast as my 2019 model.

One tip that may help you: Getting the SSD connected is tricky. I took a business card and folded it several times, wedging it behind the SATA connector. I was able to easily push the drive in and make a solid connection. Then, using the tweezers from the kit, I pulled the business card out and finished assembly as instructed.

Dimitri Pappas - 12/08/19

Thank for the guide. Quite an easy job. Note that the fan problem is not there for the iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display.

Installed a Samsung 860 QVO. Seems this is a problem for iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2805 only.

This upgrade is a must. Went from super slow machine to very fast.

anonymous 9470 - 20/02/20

Hi. Does the same procedure apply to iMac 21.5 2019 version?

Thank you.

Mayank Singh - 03/03/20

that was a great guide got it done well. Only is missing some trick to reconnect theHD or SSD in my case. I had to struggle quite a bit to align the plug to the SSD. It needs some device that goes behind the plug to push it in. Otherwise, the SSD cannot go forward enough to engage the plug.

Thanks a lot for your help.

serge - 16/03/20

I bought my 2015 4K 21.5” iMac with the256 GB PCIe SSD, and now I’m hoping to add a SATA drive to the vacant bay. What parts do I need to make this happen? Are any already there in the SSD-only versions?

David Lyke - 26/05/20

I used to own a PR business with ONLY Macs. I fixit has helped me keep mbps and iMacs in top condition with upgrades a that extend the life of expensive computers. Your tools and guides are so easy to follow and essential for taking on important upgrades.

Thanks to all and every person who works for and with iFixIt!

dfiorito -

Am I right in thinking that this imac doesn’t have the same requirement for the sata thermal sensor?

Colm Donnelly -

that is correct

Chuck -

DO NOT TAKE THE RE-ADHESIVE LIGHTLY. Don't ask me how I know.

Chuck -

one thing its a lot easier to get the new SSD in if you undo the two speaker screws then shift the speaker to the right then connect the drive and then put the rubber mounts back etc

macfixer -

Hello all,

I have a small question on the conation of hard drive required in the introduction. It is required "clone of the HDD before switching the hard disk". Nevertheless, the associated guide (How to Clone an Existing Drive) recommend to create a bootable USB external drive. I understand that this bootable external drive should be the new drive I want to install. In this case, the recovery partition will be the bootable part? Thanks in advance for your clarification!

Have a nice day.

Julien

Julien LECLERCQ -

I just opened my late 2015 21.5” iMac as it crashed last week, but there is NO hard drive in the HD bay ! I can find absolutely no record of an iMac from this year with a soldered SSD, so what’s going on ?? How do I fix it ? The disk is unreadable and I don’t want to sell the computer for parts if it’s got my old data on it.

Jeroen Speak -

Excellent technical documentation. Well written. Good photos. I would not have attempted replacing my hard drive without these instructions.

Corky

Retired programmer and technical writer

Corky -