MacBook Pro 13″ Unibody Late 2011 Trackpad Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 13 Steps
Heads up! Proceed with caution and make sure to follow each step carefully. If things get tricky or you’re feeling a bit unsure, just remember, you can always schedule a repair with us!
Get ready to tackle that pesky broken trackpad with this handy guide! Let’s make your device feel brand new again. If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 1
– Unscrew those ten little screws like a pro!
Step 2
– Gently use your fingers to wiggle the lower case away from the MacBook’s body, especially around the vent area. It’s like giving it a little hug to let it go!
– Now, carefully lift off the lower case and set it aside.
Step 3
Gently nudge both short sides of the connector upwards to help it shimmy out of its socket. Just a heads up—watch those corners! They’re a bit fragile and can break off easily.
– Gently slide the spudger’s edge under the battery connector and give it a little lift to pop it out of its cozy spot on the logic board. Easy peasy!
Tools Used
Step 4
– Gently nudge the battery cable a bit away from its socket on the logic board, so it doesn’t decide to reconnect while you’re busy working your magic.
Step 5
– Unscrew those two little screws and set them aside!
Step 6
Keep that battery label intact, folks! It’s like the battery’s ID badge – let’s not go stripping it away.
– Gently peel back the battery warning label from the upper case, right between the battery and the optical drive. You’ve got this!
Step 7
– Grab that handy plastic pull tab and gently coax the battery out of the upper case. It’s a smooth operation!
– If you’re popping in a fresh battery, make sure to give it a little calibration love after you install it!
Step 8
– Gently use the flat end of a spudger to lift the trackpad connector up from its cozy spot on the logic board. You’ve got this!
Tools Used
Step 9
– Go ahead and open your MacBook Pro, then place it on a table just like you see here.
Step 10
– With one hand gripping the edge of the trackpad nearest to the logic board, go ahead and take out those four 1.2 mm Phillips screws marked in red. You’ve got this!
Tools Used
Step 11
– If you find it necessary, gently nudge the edge of the trackpad that’s closest to the keyboard out of its cozy spot in the upper case by pushing it away from the brackets that are holding it in place.
– Carefully guide the trackpad connector and cable down through the little slot carved into the upper case.
– You might want to grab a spudger to help coax the trackpad connector past the edge of the logic board if it’s feeling a bit stubborn.
– Once you’ve successfully pulled the cable all the way through its slot in the upper case, gently pull the trackpad away from the outer edge of the upper case and lift it out of the machine.
Tools Used
Step 12
When swapping out a trackpad that doesn’t have its own flex cable, don’t worry! Just grab the cable from your old trackpad and you’re good to go.
– Installing your new trackpad? No sweat! Just remember that routing the cable through the upper case and around the logic board can be a bit tricky. Grab the tip of a spudger to help guide that connector past the logic board while you gently push the cable into its slot in the upper case with your other hand. You’ve got this!
Tools Used
Step 13
Give those screws a snug twist all the way in, then let them relax with a gentle 1/4 turn back. You’ve got this!
– Alright, time to put things back together! Start by reinstalling those four 1.2 mm Phillips screws snugly along the inner edge of the trackpad.
– Next, give the trackpad a little love by checking its alignment with the keyboard side of the upper case. Once it’s perfectly centered, go ahead and tighten those four Phillips screws all the way down. You got this!
