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Use this guide to replace one or both speakers in your MacBook Pro 16" 2021.
Replacing the speakers requires you to remove the logic board and fans. Removing the battery is optional but recommended to prevent bending or puncturing the battery cells adjacent to the speakers.
For your safety, discharge the battery below 25% before disassembling your MacBook. This reduces the risk of fire if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
You'll need replacement adhesive in order to complete this repair.
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Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove eight screws securing the lower case:
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Four 9.1 mm screws
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Four 5 mm screws
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Press a suction handle into place near the front edge of the lower case, between the screw holes.
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Pull up on the suction handle to create a small gap under the lower case.
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Insert an opening pick into the gap you just created.
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Slide the opening pick around the nearest corner and then halfway up the side of the MacBook Pro.
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Repeat the previous step on the other side, using an opening pick to to release the second clip.
Terrifying, don't be afraid, give it a good pull, the description above is exactly right.
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Pull firmly to slide the lower case towards the front edge of the MacBook (away from the hinge area) to separate the last of the clips securing the lower case.
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Pull first at one corner, then the other.
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Remove the lower case.
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Set it in place and align the sliding clips near the display hinge. Press down and slide the cover toward the hinge. It should stop sliding as the clips engage.
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When the sliding clips are fully engaged and the lower case looks correctly aligned, press down firmly on the lower case to engage the four hidden clips underneath. You should feel and hear them snap into place.
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Peel back any tape covering the battery board data cable connector on the logic board.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the left of the image.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points above the track pad cable. -
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the ZIF connector for the battery board data cable.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the left of the image.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points above the track pad cable. -
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Disconnect the battery board data cable by sliding it out from its socket on the logic board.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 2.1 mm‑long screws securing the trackpad cable bracket to the logic board.
Das sind T4 Schrauben bei mir
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the left of the image.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points above the track pad cable. -
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the trackpad cable bracket.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the left of the image.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points above the track pad cable. -
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the trackpad cable's press connector from the logic board.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the top/left of the red circle.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points to the left of the track pad cable. -
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Peel the trackpad cable away from the device, making sure to separate the adhesive.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the top/left of the red circle.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
Mine does not have the rows of test points to the left of the track pad cable. -
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Peel back any tape covering the battery board data cable connector under the large pancake screw.
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the ZIF connector for the battery board data cable.
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Disconnect the battery board data cable by sliding it out from its socket on the battery board.
This is SO small - I used a very fine guitar pick to get it to release, none of my tools were small enough.
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Slide blunt nose tweezers under areas with adhesive to separate the cable from the device.
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Remove the battery board data cable.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.⏎
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the left of the tweezers.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the 3.9 mm pancake screw securing the battery power connector.
This photograph does not match my 2021 Macbook Pro. Fortunately the differences do not impact the removal operation.
There is a different arrangement and number and type of chips to the top/left of the red circle.One square grey thing nad five rectangular black things ...
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Use a spudger to lift the battery power connector, disconnecting the battery.
is it possible to buy/replace this battery power connector? I broke mine on the logic board side and they are impossible to find. Ofc apple want $900 because the laptop is "modified" after replacing the keyboard :|
The previous image did not match my Macbook Pro, this one does.
Two square grey things, three rectangular smaller black things. :-) -
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crwdns2931653:020crwdne2931653:0 Unfasten the antenna bar's connector bracket
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Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the three 2.1 mm screws securing the antenna board bracket and coaxial cable cover to the frame.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the cover on top of the antenna bar's coaxial cables.
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Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the antenna bar's coaxial cable.
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Repeat for the two other cables.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the four 2.1 mm screws securing the display cable covers.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the two display cable covers from the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the two right-most display cable press connectors secured to the logic board.
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Repeat the previous disconnection process for the remaining press connector.
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Peel back any tape covering the microphone cable connector.
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the ZIF connector for the microphone cable.
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Disconnect the microphone cable by sliding it out from its socket on the logic board.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the 11 screws securing the right cable covers to the frame:
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Nine 2.1 mm screws
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One 2 mm screw
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One 3.5 mm screw
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the five right cable covers.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the right speaker's press connector.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the headphone jack's press connector.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the right USB-C ports' two press connectors.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the MagSafe port's press connector.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the lid angle sensor's press connector.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the six screws securing the left cable covers to the frame:
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Four 2.1 mm screws
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One 2 mm screw
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One 3.6 mm screw
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the three left cable covers.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the left speaker's press connector.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the left USB-C port's press connector.
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Use a spudger to pry up and disconnect the Touch ID sensor's press connector.
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Peel back any tape covering the keyboard and keyboard backlight cable connectors.
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the two ZIF connectors for the keyboard cables.
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Disconnect the keyboard and keyboard backlight cables by sliding them out from their sockets on the logic board.
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Peel back any tape covering the right fan cable connector.
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the ZIF connector for the right fan cable.
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Disconnect the right fan cable by sliding it out from its socket on the logic board.
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Pull the fan cable away from the logic board with tweezers to separate the adhesive.
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Repeat the previous disconnection and reposition procedure for the left fan cable.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the ten screws securing the logic board to the frame:
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Six 3.8 mm screws
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Four 4.6 mm screws
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Use a 4 mm Hex driver to remove the two 6 mm screws securing the logic board to the frame.
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Use a T6 Torx driver to remove the two 6 mm screws securing the heat sink to the logic board and frame.
The parts list for this step links to the wrong part on an external site. It threw me off and it took some investigation to determine that this kit has the appropriate 4mm hex bit that you need: Mako Driver Kit - 64 Precision Bits
Two green screws nearest hinges were 5/32"hex head on my machine, listed here as T6.
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Insert a spudger between the right side of the logic board and the frame.
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Pry up with the spudger to release the logic board from its clips.
No clips encountered on this A2485 logic board (thankfully), LB is very delicate.
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Insert a spudger between the bottom of the logic board and the frame.
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Pry up with the spudger to release the logic board from its clips.
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Gently lift up the logic board by its right side to completely release the clips.
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Pull the logic board away from the left side of the device to separate the HDMI and SDXC ports from their slots in the frame.
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Remove the logic board.
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There are several connectors on the right side that are not highlighted. Closely inspect all open ports to make sure a connector ribbon isn't hidden below.
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Use a spudger to remove the four screw covers.
Do you need to put these back on after you remove them?
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Insert the tip of an opening pick between the fan's cable and the frame.
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Slice with the pick along the edges of the cable to separate the adhesive.
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Use a Torx driver to remove the following screws securing the fans to the frame:
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Four 3.3 mm T3 screws
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Four 3 mm T5 screws
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crwdns2931653:059crwdne2931653:0 Unfasten the trackpad
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the 13 screws securing the trackpad assembly:
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Ten 5 mm screws
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Three 5.8 mm screws
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Swing the display open slightly, but keep the MacBook upside-down. The trackpad assembly should separate and lay flat on the display.
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Carefully feed the trackpad's ribbon cable through its slot in the frame.
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As you remove the trackpad assembly, be very careful not to lose the nine small metal washers resting on the screw posts. (They will fly off and get lost with very little provocation.)
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Remove the trackpad assembly.
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crwdns2931653:062crwdne2931653:0 Unfasten the battery board
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the two screws securing the battery board:
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One 4.4 mm screw
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One 3.8 mm screw
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There are eight adhesive strips that are accessed from the bottom of the device.
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There are six more adhesive strips accessed from the trackpad's location on the frame.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to grasp the black pull-tab on one of the adhesive strips.
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Pull the strip out slowly and steadily at a low angle. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the battery.
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If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers or blunt tweezers, and continue pulling—but do not pry under the battery.
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Repeat the process for all 14 stretch release adhesive strips.
Can I change the speaker without removing the battery?
Hi Johnny.
You don't need to remove the battery! However, be careful when prying along the edge of the speaker since you can puncture the battery. I will update the guide accordingly.
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Slide the battery out of the frame to remove it.
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Apply a few drops of isopropyl alcohol along the edges of the speaker.
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Tilt the right edge of the device upward to allow the isopropyl alcohol to work its way underneath the speaker.
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Hold for 1–2 minutes to allow time for the isopropyl alcohol to weaken the adhesive.
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While you're waiting for the adhesive to loosen, note where the adhesive is located underneath the speaker.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick between the bottom of the speaker and the frame.
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Slide the pick upwards to separate the adhesive along the bottom length of the speaker.
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Leave the pick in to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick between the top of the speaker and the frame.
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Pry up with the pick to completely separate the top adhesive.
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Remove the speaker.
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Repeat the loosening and separating process for the other speaker.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before you install it.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our MacBook Pro 16" 2021 Answers community for help.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before you install it.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our MacBook Pro 16" 2021 Answers community for help.
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I only needed to replace one of the speakers, so I ended up foregoing removing the second fan, and also did not remove the trackpad or battery cells. It did make it a bit more challenging to access the speaker, but letting the isoprop sit a while and do its thing and then gently apply some lever action here and there between the chassis and the speaker got it loose enough that I could then get the spudger in underneath. Just be very careful not to use the battery cells for leverage if you've still got them in place!
And to save someone else from a heart attack after reassembling and then finding it doesn't turn on - apparently one has to hook it up to power after having had the battery disconnected for it to be willing to power up!
I wonder why there's so much adhesive in the assembly. Replacing the speakers had to be this much work. I wanna try it, but I'm afraid I might damage it. I'm currently weighing over the price of sending it to apple service centers vs. me doing it myself.
I need to replace only the left speaker, maybe there are fewer steps to replace it, I mean not to touch the right side of laptop.
Oh my God!! 73 steps just to replace a speaker.
Why is it that the speakers are located nearer the trackpad edge and not the keyboard edge? The grilles are next to the keyboard.. how does that work?
The body of the Mac is a part of the acoustic design of the speaker. The sound is designed to come out at the grille, even if it originates somewhere else. This has been the case going back for a long time. Look at iMacs, for example, also
After you remove the adhesive from the battery. I am assuming upon reassembly that it will not have adhesive to stick to the case. is that ok? or will the battery move around due to that?
sorry for the basic question, i just want to make sure i know what to expect upon reassembly.
It is no way necessary to remove the battery to change the speaker. I only need to replace my left speaker which had a really loud crackling noise. I ordered the replace adhesive but I didn't end up using it.
I followed the guide until step 63. The adhesive on the battery kept breaking, and I forgot to buy isopropyl alcohol, so I ended up just tearing the speaker apart, prying it off the metal and removing the leftover adhesive from the speaker with some makeup wipes. DO NOT DO THIS as you will spray some white powder from inside the speaker EVERYWHERE.
My new speaker came with adhesive already installed, so I just pressed it into place and went backwards in the guide. If you can tilt your MacBook a little towards the side of the speaker you want to change, you can make sure that the isopropyl won't touch the battery and you can completely skip that part of the guide. Also not sure it's even necessary to remove the trackpad.
But I was successful. My first iFixit fix - thanks for the guide, guys!
The white powder is really hard to clean out, especially since it gets stuck in all kinds of crevices! This is all a lot easier if you have compressed air on hand.
lslqtz -
After checking a series of speaker repairs, I found that the treble part of the 2021-2023 16-inch speakers is pressed under the motherboard... This makes it necessary to remove the motherboard before replacing the speakers, which greatly increases the complexity of repairs.
Like @johnymattsson I only needed to replace one speaker. I skipped steps 55-66. Please note that you don't just need isopropyl alcohol, you need a needle applicator (see step 67). Lacking one, and lacking the ability to get one within the allotted time, I used the tube from my can of compressed air to dip into the bottle, plug the other end with my fingertip, transport to the laptop chassis, and then drip along the side of the speaker. The alcohol wicks extremely well along the side. Just make sure your laptop is tilted to keep the fluid draining in the right direction.
Regarding the 2 mm screws in steps 30 and 37, they are easy to identify later (at least in my laptop) because they have a unthreaded collar near the head. The 2.1 mm screws do not.
