DIY Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (13.5-inch) Touchpad Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 21 Steps
Get ready to swap out the touchpad in your Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (13.5-inch)! If your battery is looking a bit puffy, make sure to take the right safety measures. Some of the photos in this guide might be from a different model, so they could look a tad different, but don’t worry—they won’t mess with the steps you need to follow.
Step 1
Before diving into this repair, let your laptop’s battery dip below 25%. A charged battery can be a fiery situation if damaged.
– Unplug all cables and power down your laptop completely.
Step 2
– Shut the screen, flip your laptop over, and lay it down so you can get to the four rubber feet on the back.
Step 3
Each foot features a little groove to make it easy to pop it off your laptop!
– The back feet recesses are positioned near the rear edge of the laptop.
– The front feet recesses are located closer to the front edge of the laptop.
Step 4
Watch out for those speedy little feet—they have a knack for disappearing!
– Pop one arm of your tweezers into the recess of one of the feet.
– Give those tweezers a twist and pry up to loosen the adhesive and pop the foot off the laptop.
– Take off the foot.
– Repeat this cool trick on the other feet.
Tools Used
Step 5
– This laptop sports two unique types of feet. When putting it back together, be sure to place each foot in its designated spot.
– Gently press the feet into their spots to lock them onto the frame securely.
– The rear feet come with a single center clip, keeping things simple.
– The front feet, on the other hand, have three clips and can only fit back in one specific way—no guesswork here!
– If the old feet aren’t sticking to the frame anymore, just peel off the old adhesive and stick on a little Tesa Tape where the old stuff used to be.
Step 6
– Got damaged or worn-out feet? No worries—grab 8 mm rubber furniture pads!
– Peel off the backing from a pad.
– Align the pad over the foot cavity and press it down to secure. Easy peasy!
Step 7
These screws can be a bit tricky! Make sure to keep a steady downward pressure to avoid any stripping mishaps.
As you dive into this repair adventure, keep an eye on those screws! They love to play hide and seek, so make sure to return each one to its original home when you’re done.
– Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the four 3 mm screws securing the upper case.
Step 8
– Turn your laptop upside down and open that screen wide like you’re ready for an adventure!
Step 9
Don’t yank off the upper case just yet—it’s still tethered to the laptop by a cable, so take it easy!
Make sure the upper case hugs the edges snugly all the way around. Any gaps near the screen could spell trouble and might scratch or damage it when you close things up.
The top cover is held in place by magnets.
– Grab the top edge of the upper case right above the keyboard and give it a gentle lift straight up to set it free.
– Now, carefully lift the bottom edge of the upper case away from the laptop, making sure to be gentle with the ribbon cable hiding underneath.
– When it’s time to put things back together, lower the upper case onto the lower case until those magnets click into place and everything sits nice and flat.
Step 10
The cable for the keyboard and touchpad links the upper case to your laptop—like a tiny bridge keeping everything connected!
– Slide the sharp end of a spudger under one side of the magnet connector and gently pop it up to disconnect—easy does it!
– When reconnecting, line up the magnet connector with its socket, making sure the cable points toward the bottom of the laptop. Then, press it down firmly until it clicks into place. You’re all set!
Tools Used
Step 11
– Flip that upper case off, and gently place it keyboard-side down on a clean, safe surface. Keep it comfy!
Step 12
– Grab your T3 Torx driver and unscrew those eight 1.9 mm screws holding the touchpad cover in place. You’ve got this—nice and steady wins the race!
Step 13
– Let’s get started by carefully removing the touchpad cover.
Step 14
Slide your tweezers between the shield and the frame—steady does it! And hey, no sneaking behind the metal frame, alright?
Be gentle with the shield—it’s gotta go back on later, so keep it in decent shape!
– Slide one arm of your tweezers under the corner of the touchpad shield, like a secret agent on a mission.
– Gently nudge it up to pop those clips loose—it’s like giving the shield a little hug.
– Keep that groove going around the edge of the shield until it’s ready to come off and reveal the wonders beneath.
– When it’s time to put the shield back, just make sure it’s facing the right way and press down around the edges to snap those clips back in place. Easy peasy!
Tools Used
Step 15
– Take off the touchpad shield like a pro!
Step 16
– Grab your trusty spudger and carefully lift the locking flaps on the three ZIF connectors on the touchpad.
Tools Used
Step 17
The two black ribbon cables are stuck to the touchpad bracket with a bit of light adhesive, so let’s gently work them loose.
– With a steady hand, slide one arm of your angled tweezers underneath that wider ribbon cable and gently lift it up to break free from the adhesive that’s keeping it snug against the touchpad bracket.
– Now, give that middle ribbon cable the same treatment—gently lift it to release the adhesive holding it in place.
Tools Used
Step 18
Whenever possible, grab those handy pull tabs instead of tugging directly on the cables—your device will thank you for the gentle touch!
– Grab a pair of tweezers and gently unplug the three cables from their connectors on the touchpad—you’re almost there!
Tools Used
Step 19
– Carefully disconnect the keyboard and touchpad cable (you know, that middle ribbon one) from the upper case and stash it safely for later reassembly.
Step 20
– Grab your trusty T5 Torx driver and get ready to tackle this! Carefully remove the six 3.1 mm screws that are holding the touchpad in place. You’ve got this!
Step 21
– Before you dive into installation, give your new replacement part a good once-over compared to the original. You might need to move a few leftover bits or peel off some sticky stuff from the new part before it slides in nicely.
– Ready to put everything back together? Just retrace your steps like a pro!
– Got some e-waste lying around? Make sure it finds a new home at an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
– Things not going quite as smoothly as planned? No worries! Try a little troubleshooting magic or swing by our Answers community for some friendly help.
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Success!
