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Follow this guide to replace the hard drive for your iMac. Replacing the hard drive requires separating the display and moving the left speaker.
This guide also includes steps to upgrade your iMac's hard drive with a SSD. It describes how to install the SSD's temperature sensor so that the Mac's fans will operate at the correct speed.
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.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0iMac Intel 27" Cardboard Service Wedge$4.99
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With the hinge free to move, the iMac will be unbalanced and hard to work on. Repairs can be completed with the iMac laying down, but are faster and easier with an iMac service wedge.
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If you are using the iFixit cardboard service wedge, follow these assembly directions to put it together.
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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 case.
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Use the tool like a pizza cutter—roll it along through the gap, and it will cut the foam adhesive through the center.
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Run the tool up along the left side of the display.
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Continue wheeling the tool up around the top left corner.
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Cut the adhesive along the top left of the display.
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Continue along the top of the display.
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Push the tool around the top right corner of the display.
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Wheel the tool down along the right side of the display.
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Finish pushing the opening tool to the bottom of the right side of the display.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Plastic Cards$2.99
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Set the iMac face-up on a table.
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Starting from the top right corner of the iMac, insert a plastic card between the display and frame.
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Gently twist the plastic card to open the space between the display and frame, and cut any remaining adhesive near the corner.
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Slide the card toward the center of the display, to cut any remaining adhesive.
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Put the card into the corner again and let it stay there to keep the adhesive from resettling.
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Insert a second card into the gap between the display and frame in the top left corner.
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Gently twist the card, slightly increasing the space between the display and frame.
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Slide the plastic card toward the center, again stopping just before the iSight camera.
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Insert the card back into the top left corner.
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With the cards inserted as shown near the corners, gently twist the cards to increase the gap between display and case.
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If there are any sections that seem to stick and won't separate, stop twisting and use one of the cards to cut the adhesive in the problem area.
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Begin to lift the top of the display up from the frame.
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While holding the display up with one hand, use the other to unplug the display power cable.
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Flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
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Disconnect the display data cable.
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Lift the display up to a near-vertical position.
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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.
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Repeat this step with the other adhesive strip and remove it.
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Lift the display up from the frame and remove it from the iMac. Lay the display face down on a flat, soft surface.
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It may be necessary to slowly lift from one side, to peel against the remaining adhesive.
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Use a T10 driver to remove the two 10 mm screws securing the left speaker.
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Shift the loosened left speaker to the left—enough to uncover the hard drive bracket screws.
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Pull straight up on the SATA combo cable to disconnect it from the drive.
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Use a T8 driver to remove the two 7.3 mm screws securing the left hard drive bracket to the rear case.
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Grab the hard drive and left hard drive bracket together.
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Tilt the left side away from the rear case, and slide the assembly to the left.
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Remove the hard drive and left hard drive bracket from the iMac.
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Remove the four 8.1 mm T8 screw posts from the hard drive, and transfer them to the replacement drive enclosure.
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Line up the SSD connectors with the metal enclosure's sockets.
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Press the drive against the enclosure sockets until the SSD is firmly seated.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to install the four silver screws (two on each side) along the edges of the SSD to secure it to the enclosure.
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Plug the included sensor-enabled combo cable into the enclosure's port.
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Peel the white liner off the back of the small temperature sensor board in order to expose the adhesive.
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Adhere the temperature sensor board to an exposed, metal surface of the SSD, close to the SATA connector.
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Fold the excess temperature sensor wires so that they are out of the way while you install the enclosure.
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Use a T8 driver to install the mounting pins from the old hard drive onto the sides of the enclosure.
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Attach any mounting brackets removed from the old hard drive onto the enclosure.
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Connect the iMac's combo cable to the new temperature-enabled combo cable.
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Slide the SSD enclosure into the space previously occupied by the hard drive.
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Route the cables so that they will not interfere with any other components.
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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 installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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 installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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What’s the difference with this guide? iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Hard Drive Replacement
Hello, I have an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) and I would like to change my hard disk, which is a 3.5GHz 1TB Fusion Unit, for an SSD disk, would you recommend doing it? And if so, what reference or brand do you recommend to do it?
I can confirm the OWC thermal sensor cable is not needed for HDD to SSD upgrade. I successfully upgraded my 2017 5k iMac fusion drive’s HDD to WD blue 2TB SATA3 ssd without it and the fans speeds don’t ramp up at all. Anyhow thanks for your guides Ifixit on how to DIY. I successfully upgraded my 128gb NVME to a 1TB NVME and to a SATA3 ssd for storage. Transfer speeds are insane and my boot up time now only takes 12 seconds compared to 32 seconds previously. I also upgraded my cpu from the i5-7600k to the i7-7700k. My 2017 5k iMac is blazing fast now. Thanks again ifixit.
Successfully upgraded to a 2TB SSD from the 2TB Fusion drive. As soon as I turned on Bootcamp, the Fusion drive went nuts for a few weeks I think because it prioritized the Windows side onto the SSD and the Mac side onto the spinning drive. It eventually corrected itself but it was a helluva time. And it was time for a fresh hard drive anyway. $500 is much cheaper than a new iMac. Highly recommend this one. This was way easier than my upgrades to the 2009 and to a Mac Mini.
Excellent instructions. The process is straightforward - the only tricky bit is reinstalling the screen accurately. There seems to be some conflicting views on the internet about the best way to do it and which adhesive strips to use - the 2012-2015 strips now seem to be supplied for later models, and they worked fine on my 2017 iMac.
My advice is just to take take it all very steadily and always read one stage ahead before you start on your next stage just to know where you are going next. I installed a 2TB Crucial SSD and the results are very good.
