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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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crwdns2942207:0crwdne2942207:0crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0iMac 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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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.
Der Stecker muss seitlich wie die meisten anderen Stecker in diesem Modell komprimiert werden, um ihn aus der Buchse auf dem Logicboard zu ziehen. Die Zugrichtung ist parallel zum Logicboard in Richtung Oberkante des iMac. Ziehen ohne seitliches Zusammendrücken der Backen am Stecker könnte den Stecker oder die Buchse beschädigen.
These instructions are unclear. They imply the cable can just be pulled out but this step had me stuck for a bit. Searching the webs, I discovered that there are little tabs on either side of the connector. I used my prod tool and poked one side and the connector came out a little. I poked the other side the connector came out without a fight.
The instruction for this step state this but I was still not expecting two cables. Finally figured out there is a Display Power and a separate Display Data 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.
After rocking the display back and forth a bit, I found it helpful to use my iMac opening tool to gently slide ever so slightly underneath the bottom of the glass to cut the adhesive. This was with the display lowered back into it its normal position. I just worked about 1 millimetre deep at a time and eventually cut through the ~8” adhesive strip at the bottom centre.
It's possible to skip this step and go to step 24, leaving the display attached. You'll want to open the display just enough to replace the drive, with the machine upright and supported so the display doesn't swivel (I fold up a small pillow and wedge it in there). This way you don't have to worry about damaging the display when removing it, or aligning it when replacing it (which can be difficult to do solo as it's big and heavy).
Using a T8 with a short handle is helpful here, and make sure it's well magnetized so you don't drop the screws for the hard drive (just leave the other ones in the speakers).
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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.
Where can I purchase this cable if my iMac only came with the m.2 SSD?
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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.
In my case these were T9 screw posts. Late 2012 iMac. They had traces of Loctite on them.
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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.
what if I’m installing a hard drive?
Didn’t bother with the SSD caddy. Some 3M sticky pads did the trick!
Been using them for years...works great.
Two thoughts on SSD replacement/upgrade:
1) It would help if some references were made to help us determine what we need in terms form factors. I’ve never used an SSD and see a 2.5” one that would work, but I don’t know if 2.5” SSDs are different (in form factor) from 2.5” HDs. A lot of us are still learning about SSDs and isn’t that what this site is about? (Learning new things about hardware and using hardware?)
2) I’m not clear if I definitely need a new temperature sensor if I put in an SSD or if
Can I buy the kit without the SSD. I'm thinking of replacing my 3TB hard drive with a 4TB SSD.
Also, would you happen to know what the maximum hard drive dimension that can fit inside of this iMac? I may try a 14TB hard drive instead.
A 14Tb HDD does not represent any problem. But I will care about rising temperature. Must attach a heat sensor. If rise to high, it will suddenly shutdown to protect it.
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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.
Is the thermal sensor needed? I fitted a replacement SSD and it’s all back together and the iMac’s fans are fine. They don’t go into full max speed mode.
If you have a problem with the fans, you can always use Macs Fan Control (free) to set the speed. The sensor is not needed.
Hi, thanks for good information. Do we need intermediate SSD cables (red, black and yellow)? iMac has SATA original cable.
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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.
Great pics ! Is that “temp sensor board” is already on my HDD IMAC ?? Or must I buy one ?
Don’t bother with the thermal sensor. I didn’t fit one and the iMac is working fine and no fans are kicking in.
Instructions say to attach sensor to the SSD, but all pictures show it being attached to the SSD carrier. This may not represent accurate SSD temp as much of the carrier dissipates the heat absorbed from the SSD
Confirmed, no need for the extra temp sensor on Mid-2015 iMac. (EMC 2806, Mid-2015 27" iMac). Just changed the old 1TB HDD to SSD, no extra fan RPM after power on.
The adhesive on the sensor is very weak. My sensor fell off after a couple of days. Is there a safe glue to use to adhere it to the SSD? Super glue?
FWIW I bought a 4TB Western Digital Blue SSD. The entire case of the SSD is plastic- there is no metal. Hoping the temp sensor adheres to it okay.
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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.
i don't have a combo cable.i also didn't have asata drive. just a blade ssd. i don't see wwhere i could add a cable
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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.
The SATA cable on my Late 2012 was not long enough to comfortably attach to the end of the temperature sensor array after it was plugged into the new SSD. I had to fold the array and slide it under the SSD and housing. There was much resistance to the folding so I took it slowly to let the wires adjust gradually to the fold so they would not break.
Unfortunately, the adapter that comes with it isn't long enough to avoid pushing against the screen in the front. One week after upgrading to SSD my screen fell off shattering and breaking the power connector on the systems board. A new screen is ordered but I'm hoping the power connector isn't damaged beyond repair. I'm going to try to adhere the HD adapter to the back inside of the case with 3m adhesive to avoid pressure against the screen.
As a newbie, the only other upgrade I have done is to replace my iPhone 7 battery. I had trouble on reassembly.
This is a great upgrade guide, but it would be important to me to see the reassembly instructions including the cautions.
For example, I had issues with reattaching the plugs in the phone. I could see having an issue with them here, as well as repositioning the display back into the cabinet.
I do PCB board repair work and repair pinball machines. But I won’t try this.
how do i glue on the new screen? which glue is used?
Try 3m double sided tape from Amazon, it available in 3mm width which is ideal for iMac screen. It has a very thin foam and is much better quality than the cheap Chinese kits available on Amazon. You will have to trim it to size with a sharp craft blade as you fit. Don’t risk your screen falling off from using cheap tape in the so called fitting kits!
In my Late 2012 27" iMac I Scotch-taped the SATA connector to the case to stop it from pushing against the screen after reassembly.
Only 39 steps!
Is it possible to clone the internal disk and have the imac boot off the external SSD?
The extension cable is too long. I folded it over carefully & stuck it down to the case using a double sided sticky pad. Photo here
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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.
i not understand how the temperature sensor work. its connected with three wires on power connector (two negative one positive 5v) i think this powering the sensor. but i not understand how its comunicate with the mainboard the temperature releved.
ive been looking for info on the blade drive as wiping a newly installed SSD and installing OS works, but what is best practice for this? what do we use the blade for after, is it just wiped and left redundant? - as for the temp control, just install Macs Fan Control.
i did this but then my imac showed a folder with a question mark on it
Great guide! Amazing work here.
What’s the point of this? You run the wheel around the outside, and then you lay it down anyway to pull the glass and do the rest. The wedge is not needed.
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I have a story to tell about this teardown. It all went wonderfully well until after I completed the process and attempted to format my new SSD drive only to discovery that the capacity of the drive was 256GB… not the 2TB I was sure I had ordered. iFixit was very supportive and helpful in sending me a new set of sticky tape strips and and RMA to return the SSD and some of the other parts.
I finally had received my new set of strips and the 2TB SSD…. I figured, piece of cake… I already know how to do this… but I watched the video again and started following the teardown…
…apparently the new sticky tape strips was way more powerful that the original tape and while using the pizza cutter tool and not advancing much, I proceeded to use one of the iFixit credit card style wedges…. I now have 2 pretty severe cracks on the glass of my display, which as clearly explained by @mayer can only be replaced by an entire display… which runs at about $500. Cosmetically it looks horrible, but it works… for now.
Erich Hentschel - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0