MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Upper Case Replacement
crwdns2944107:0crwdnd2944107:0Andrew Optimus Goldheartcrwdnd2944107:0crwdnd2944107:0crwdnd2944107:05crwdnd2944107:0crwdne2944107:0
crwdns2944111:0Maw 10, 2025crwdne2944111:0
crwdns2915892:0crwdne2915892:0
crwdns2942287:0crwdne2942287:0Use this guide to replace the upper case, including the backlit keyboard.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver Retina MacBook Pro and Air$5.99
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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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Carefully peel the I/O board cable from the top of the fan.
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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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Peel the rubber gasket off the adhesive on the top of the fan.
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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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Remove the single 4.0 mm T5 Torx screw securing the I/O board to the upper case.
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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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Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
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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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Gently de-route the antenna cables from the slot cut into the logic board.
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Remove the single 2.85 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.
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Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.
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Remove the six 6.3 mm T5 Torx screws securing the logic board to the upper case.
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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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Gently de-route the antenna cables out of the channel cut into the upper case.
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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 MacBook Air steady, remove the remaining 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.
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Remove the last 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.
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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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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the right speaker off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
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Remove the right speaker from the upper case.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
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Remove the left speaker from the upper case.
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Use the tip of a spudger to pry the microphone away from the left side of the upper case.
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Remove the microphone from the upper case.
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Upper case remains.
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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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Pull the trackpad ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the rear edge of the Air.
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While carefully lifting the keyboard ribbon cable with one hand, use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Pull the keyboard ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the front edge of the Air.
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Remove the following seven screws:
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Six 1.6 mm Phillips screws securing the trackpad to the upper case.
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One 1.4 mm T5 Torx set screw from its tapped hole near the front edge of the upper case.
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Carefully lift the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by lifting it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.
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Remove the trackpad from the upper case.
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The upper case remains.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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On step 41 the 1.4 mm T5 Torx set screw remember that this screw does not come out. I was racking my brain for like 30 minutes and realized that this screw is not and can not be removed, rather it's just used to adjust the sensitivity of the clicking on the mouse pad.
I got mine out, but it was unnecessary for the procedure. You're right that it doesn't hold anything down really.
lionfish -
I had a Torx 6 in order to not strip the screw...
I spilt liquid on my MacBook Air and luckily only busted the keyboard, mainly the power and right arrow key buttons.
I purchased the uppercase from iFixit and it is a good quality part. The install took about 45 minutes, but there was a good hour of troubleshooting afterwards. See my comment on connecting the I/O connector cable above.
After doing any sort of hardware install, especially one as extensive as this, run the Apple Hardware Test application by holding down the D button while booting. It looks at a range of issues that you might miss (like a fan that doesn't spin!) that could cause you problems down the track.
Happy repairs.
This was an awesome and clearly understandable guide, helped by color-coded circles for the various screw sizes! I disassembled, replaced the top and keyboard and reassembled in less than an hour, with my son watching over my shoulder. Well done!
Overall a great repair guide. Upon completion, my MacBook Pro 13” mid-2012 did not recognize the battery. The laptop powered on as soon as the power adapter was connected. I tried resetting the SMC (shift-option-command-power) and the PRAM (boot with option-command-P-R) several times without result. I also noted that pushing the battery indicator failed to display any charge on the battery.
Before buying a replacement battery and a Mag-Safe DC in module, I inspected the DC power module and saw a “solder bridge” joining the two left-most PC board posts. The “solder bridge” turned out to be a thread of dust that remained after cleaning. The spudger easily dislodged the dirt.
Apparently, if was enough to befuddle communications with the battery, as the MBP booted on battery power after reassembly. A quick check of the System Report’s Battery Information revealed an old-but healthy battery, where previously it showed 0 charge and no battery connected. I learned a dirty logic board is not a good thing. RG
For complete keyboard removal, after unscrewing the outer screws (and with the replacement keyboard on hand) tear out the black plastic sheet along with the thin metal plate and keys all at once. Warning: bits of rivets will fly everywhere! (Preventable by taping them down before you tear out). Any remaining rivers can be “chiseled” out with an automatic center punch (available on Amazon or local hardware store).
Note: it’s worth it to buy a replacement keyboard that includes the LED backlit film and screws you’ll need to attach the new keyboard back on. This way you don’t have to try to save the thin black film from the old one, plus you’ll certainly need the screws to replace the rivets you just tore out.
Really great guide and the colour coded circles around certain screws was a great touch.
What do people do about the items that had adhesive for securing them? Like the microphone, for example. After removal there was no adhesive left and it won’t stay in the new top case. Glue? What kind?
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Draai de schroefjes voorzichtig los en leg ze op een stabiele plek neer en let erop dat de schroefje een verschillende lengte hebben.
bwgvanderveer - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I thought I could replace my 256 Gb SSD with 512? regards
ola m - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
It's probably not necessary but may be a little safer to completely discharge the old battery before replacing it.
Larry Smith - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
tell a model that was not inferior to the speed of the one in the laptop.
Thank you
ilyabuhov - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Do i need to order tools separately to replace the battery i just ordered?
anne uhlir - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My P5 and the T5 worked perfectly with my early 2015 Air 13”! And it is super fast! Thank you iFixit!
Pennny Beach - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
The supplied kit and instructions worked perfectly!
Nikolay Andreev - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
P5 pentalobe worked perfectly for me. Instructions were spot-on. Antenna connections were a bit fiddly to refit but got them in ok.
michaelquinnell - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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)
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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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Just installed on a MacBookAir6,2 (13-inch, Early 2014).
Was very easy.
New iFixit battery looks great so far:
Jonathan Cross - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Install went flawlessly. Only challange was reattaching blue tooth antennas. Those sockets are so tiny.
Joel Sebastian - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Thank you very much for the guilde. My MBA2011 had reborn !
Billy Wong - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
… 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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
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 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Is it possible to change an upper case with a german keyboard for an english one?
Rogerio Pefi - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
if you are intending to change it to British layout you don't need to change the keyboard at all, just the keys, buy either a set of a1466 key caps ( I assume you have a 2017 MacBook Air?) or a cheap a1466 keyboard (can even be a broken one), remove the keys that are different and replace them with the other keycaps, and then set the macbook's language to British and you are set
Kai Mcpherson -