MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Battery Replacement

A good technique for starting to thread the screws when replacing them is to position and align the screw, and with the driver, gently turn the screw in the REMOVAL direction until you feel and hear a slight click. This click happens when the leading thread of the screw drops off of the leading edge of the thread in the hole — this is the point at which the threads are properly positioned for engagement. You can now turn the driver and screw in the TIGHTENING direction. This technique will help prevent accidental “cross-threading” of the screw, which will damage the threads permanently.

Note that this is a useful technique when installing ANY threaded fastener.

Hi peeps,

I have a wifi problem on this MBP 13” early 2015 and was pleasently surprised to find your guide to changing the airport card.

However upon closer inspection it seems that on my MBP (purchased new or so I thought) the 3 antennae seem so have been soldered together at the point where they are clamped to the chassis. I have photos but cannot post here. Can anyone conform that where the 3 antennae wires are held to the chssis by the 2 scew metal support (just before disappearing into the screen hinge), the support is not meant to short the 3 wires together. This makes no sense for 3 seperate antennae wires.

Any advice /close up photos is welcome here.

dom

Tip: Use post-it notes to keep track of screws

1. Pack of post it notes

2. Stick screws to the sticky part of the post it note

3. Write on the post it note which step and what kind of screw it is

Hi, in order to drain the battery I am running:

yes > /dev/null

in 4 terminals, so the CPU maxes out at almost 99%.

I hope this speeds up the battery draining process.

And the backlight is at maximum brightness :-)

You can see the cpu load in Activity Monitor.

Its draining at 20% per 15 minutes.

Any concerns about draining the battery in this way?

Something I’ve been curious about, is it possible to upgrade a late 2013 Retina model MacBook Pro, with the improved 16gb ram and i7 processor logic board from the 2015 retina model? I’d be interested to try but not ready to shell out the $500+ to be the first lol

Without rehashing what others have said, I would highly recommend reading through the steps *and* the comments for each before tackling your replacement for tips. Highlights for me were: only disconnecting what actually needed to be disconnected, rotating the spudger to release the track pad cable, a hair dryer worked perfectly fine, and the pencil outline of the battery before you remove. You got this!

Installation of replacement AirPort card was easier than I had expected thanks to this guide. Thank you.

I use replaced SSD and it was super easy and working great. I can finally upgrade Mac OS with plenty of room to spare and no more low memory alerts. Well worth investment and didn’t have to buy new laptop

It's interesting that this tutorial is rated Moderate even though you need to remove the battery. The battery removal tutorial which is basically the same but with fewer steps is rated Difficult.

when i pulled the screws out i arranged them in the same way they were in. the top 2 middle screws appeared to be shorter than the rest. in order to keep them in place i got a square of packing tape sticky side up, taped both sides down with 2 other pieces of tape. and then put the screws head down in the order i pulled them.

Excellent instructions although checking battery and speakers aligned before fixing batteries into place is essential. MacBook good as new!

I find it helpful to spread a soft, slightly fuzzy cloth (like flannel) over my workspace before doing something with small parts. It keeps screws and things from rolling or bouncing away. A towel might be too plush, though, as a screw might get lost in it.

Lift from the long, flat side, not the shorter side. In this picture, you should lift from the NORTH part of the connector, not the WEST side like they are doing. This is because you can spread the pressure from lifting the connector across more area, as compared to the side. I accidentally broke off part of my battery connector lifting it up the way shown, but was able to do it the way I described without problem. Make sure to lift from the wide part so you don’t have my same trouble!

The connector is no more than 1mm thick… the socket is 3-to-4mm deep so make sure you’re trying to remove the connector itself, and not pulling at the socket.

Thank you Richie I was trying to lift the socket.

be careful the little square block is actually made of 2 parts and you only have to lift the upper part as Richie said

You can do it from the side like the picture, but i would recommend twisting almost like a screw driver once you have leverage under the overhanging part of the left side like in the picture. Twist the tool so that it starts to put pressure on the top, until you’ll hear it click out. You can be somewhat forceful but it shouldn’t require a lot of strength. Guiding the tool with one hand and twisting with the other is a good way to attempt this.

After I put the battery back I found out at this step that the new battery connector was off by 2 mm (because I installed my battery slightly off). Since the connector is rigid, I removed it’s plastic cover (just like we all did in Step 4) to free the cable, which allowed me to bent it enough to properly plug the connector.

The connector wires from the battery to the connector are long

You'll have to bend them downward and into the small cove that exists so the connector can fit in place.
So use the a plastic card or flat end of the spudger to bend them downward and folded a bit back so the connector will fit in place.
Use your old battery as a guide for how they should be bent.

Hi All ,

I followed the instructions step by step and changed the board successfully and reconnected everything back. When I powered it back on I can see it is charging again however it just displays a black screen and no display. Keyboard light comes on as well and the apple logo light on the back lid also turns on. Not sure what is wrong ? It has been charging for more than 15 minutes and still no joy. Anyone able to help solve or identify the issue .

Thanks

The connector cover is slightly wider and longer than the socket (<1mm) so there is a small "lip" around the top that can be used to lift it.

While it may not be necessary to remove the left and right speakers, doing so will make it much easier to get at (and under) the end batteries and their adhesive pads. Also, by removing the speakers, you also get them out of harm’s way while you wrestle with loosening the batteries’ adhesives.

I recommend removing the speakers and their connectors as described in the iFixit instructions.

I did this step when replacing both my L and R speakers on my MBP mid-2014 13” so it would be easier to access the speaker connector

I agree that moving the speakers out of the way makes battery removal easier but I didn’t disconnect the right speaker, just removed the screws and folded it back out of the way. I disconnected and removed the left speaker as instructed below.

I have done tons of these battery replacements.

You don’t need to do anything on the list after you disconnect the battery, apart from carefully moving the speakers out of the way, and then prise up the battery modules. I just very carefully, and with little even motions, use a large slot screwdriver. Being careful to keep it flat, to not puncture the battery.

Easy peasy. I have never had an issue after dozens of the tasks…

I am not sure why I was even bothering with touching the speakers at all. Since April I have done at least another dozen 13” battery replacements. You simply do not need to touch the speakers for any reason, and, in fact, touching introduces unnecessary risk.

This whole procedure of replacing the battery may easily be done in about 20 minutes.

davelarose keeps saying not to remove the speakers, but he is using hot air method. If you are trying to remove the battery using adhesive remover you won’t be able to get the right angle with the spudger if you leave the speakers in, without risking damaging them. I didn’t remove any of the speaker connectors however and just undid the speaker screws and moved the speakers up out of the way temporarily, this worked well.

i had a random philips screw wedged between the IO connector and the battery? i dont know if this was a manufacture mistake or what. i didnt put the screw back in because i felt like it was there by mistake.

I used the rice-filled sock method for warming up the adhesive (see step 23 - thanks barak) but still needed to pry up the cells. As Ashley Mills said, I needed to remove the speakers to get under the battery and lift it from the front, rather than from the logic board side. It was easy to loosen the speakers, but be careful on the left side as the cable runs under a screw post for the bottom cover (the left side in normal use position - it might be turned around for this).

Don’t perform this step. I have zero idea why it is in this guide…

I used the flat end of the spudger and tried to match the width of the connector, while applying gentle upward pressure to pop it off.

The key to accomplishing this step easily and without danger to the socket… is to follow the instruction (and the picture) PRECISELY by placing the spudger flat end under the CABLE (not the connector). Lifting the CABLE easily removes the connector from the socket without getting anywhere near the socket.

Seconding barak’s comment, no need to disconnect the speaker cables, keep them attached and just swing the brackets out of the way.

Barak is absolutely correct.

DO NOT DO THIS STEP…

I thought I was prying the cable connector, but was prying the socket that was attached to the circuit board. It bent the connector a bit, but I was able to push it back into place. If you do this step, lift at the cable, not the connector. Better yet, just unscrew the speakers and leave the cable connected.

I did need to remove both speakers in order to get the battery out. The speakers covered the outermost battery cells slightly. I did not disconnect them, just moved them out of the way.

I’ve replaced both speakers, but now it sounds terrible. Any suggestions on why that’s the case? (supposing it’s not the new speakers’ fault that is).

I picked up my steps back here when replacing both my L and R speakers on my MBP mid-2014 13”. I used the flat part of the spudger and gently, carefully applied a fulcrum upward pressure to the base of the speaker connector to help pop it off.

I, too, found it unnecessary to unplug this speaker. It was easy, and not stressful to the speaker cable, to fold the speaker upwards and rest it on the motherboard.

When removing the left speaker as shown in the image in the photo, the left-most fixing part (protrusion) is broken. Will there be any problems using it?

Removing the speakers is very important if you use solvent — solvent will damage the speakers and can lead to a horrible buzzing. I failed to understand this and skipped removing the speakers when dissolving the glue and paid the price: speakers that are essentially unusable.

That said, unplugged is not necessary, merely removing the speakers (Step 16).

Once again.

NO NEED NO NEED NO NEED

Réparation faite en moins de 5 minutes chrono (j’avais lu et relu le tuto et l’avais répété autant de fois “dans ma tête” le temps de la réception du haut parleur endommagé). Réparation très facile, faite en moins de 10 minutes tout compris. Vraiment bravo et merci !

Why does this step exist?

Unneeded…

Removing the speakers is very important if you use solvent — it will damage the speakers and can lead to a horrible buzzing. I failed to understand this and skipped removing the speakers when dissolving the glue and paid the price: speakers that are essentially unusable. (See comment on Step 14).

I wish they would find another way of securing the battery, this is ridiculous.

On each 'corner' of the frame that surrounds the two centre batteries, rather than 'plastic screws' mentioned by adriendavernas there are 'domed' rubber grommets. These presumably rest against the inside of the bottom cover when it is fitted thus supporting the batteries. As there were no screws underneath in these 4 positions, there is no need to remove these grommets. Agree with alex re: removing the extra T5 screw on the power board.

My replacement A1582 battery actually had holes for the screws, though my original A1582 battery only had the 'domed' rubber grommets. Anyways, putting in the OEM A1582 battery without anything in the holes worked ok.

Can somebody tell me what kind of screws I would need to secure the new battery? I would like to put screws into the screwholes left open by those rubber grommets.

3,7 mm is the lengh I gues. How thick are they?

Wanna know how I can search for replacement screws cause I lost the originales.

My model (late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina), did not have any screws in these locations. They were rubber “feet” in the same locations. They are not attached in any way to the computer. They simply lift up with the plastic battery frame. My replacement batter kit came with the plastic frame - and these rubber “feet” - already installed. No need to save the old ones.

I echo the others who found that there was only one screw (on the upper right). The remainder were rubber-like “feet”. I removed them, but they don’t seem to fasten anything, so this wasn’t necessary. As Ralph pointed out, the ifixit replacement battery comes with new “feet” installed.

Mine only had the far right screw. Since the new battery came with another batch of ridiculous adhesive I didn’t bother fretting about not having the rest of the screws

some models have one screw on the upper right corner of the battery cells (battery circuit board), the rest are rubber feet that doesn’t hold anything. no need to replace them if your replacement battery doesn’t come with them.

Before proceeding with the solvent, I suggest considering using dental floss to slice through the old adhesive. (See next step 22 below for more details.) Because the solvent is so dangerous (flammable and caustic), I felt the “dry” use of floss would be better. I assumed that I could revert to the solvent if necessary after trying the floss.

Because I preferred to avoid using the flammable adhesive remover, I tried using the dental floss method. I assumed I could always revert to adhesive remover if the floss didn’t work. The dental floss method worked beautifully. I used a slow, methodical “sawing” motion with the floss, rather than brute force. Although it took some strength, it worked well, and I didn’t need to use the remover.

Rather than using the plastic cards (though I think they would have worked fine), I used a plastic putty knife (standard, available in any hardware or paint store); this gave me a sturdy handle with which to grip and maneuver the blade. This, too, worked well.

I used the threading technique as well. I had a spool of pretty tough sewing thread. But it kept breaking, so I tripled it up. Still kept breaking but eventually got through it.

For the 2 middle cells I had to thread the thread behind the plastic frame thing and both cells, but passed the thread in between the side of the frame and the cell. This was really tough and I broke the thread a few times.

After I was finished I just cleaned everything up with acetone (aka. the adhesive remove/nail polish).

This is the hardest part of the whole process, if you don’t have any of ifixit tools you can use a hair dryer. Apply heat on the cell (make sur you don’t apply too much heat), flip the laptop apply heat for 20 to 30s on the aluminum side just near the trackpad( depending on which cell you wanna pry open) and use a credit cart gently. this will do.

I used dental floss, but fishing line might be better. The floss kept breaking. I wound the floss around the special screwdrivers which helped with pulling it through. I used Goof Off to remove solvent AFTER I got the batteries out. It worked well. You can get Goof Off at any hardware type store.

I used thin nylon string (~1/16th inch), since dental floss cut into my fingers too much, putting some solvent on the string too, once in position around cell corners, so they worked together. (Applying solvent for 1 minute along edges 1st, as suggested).

like most people this is definitely the most difficult part. i purchased the kit and thought the adhesive remover + cards were worth the price. i was scared to overuse the remover but i found myself using it more and more the more frustrated i got trying to remove it.

I used a hot water bottle (for the body). Realized the one with the cloth cover was not doing anything, but had another plastic one. Poured boiling water in, sealed, and did 2-min at a time. A old airline loyalty card worked. Don’t use a credit card as it may deteriorate.

I used barak's rice-filled sock method, and it worked, but I guess even dry rice has some moisture. The sock was steaming when it came out of the microwave, and there was condensation on the case when I flipped it back over.

I found it most effective to use my heated wheat bag on the keyboard side of the computer.

I found it helpful to use some dental floss to help loosen each cell and then pry the rest off with the card

My successful alternative to the plastic cards was to use a plastic putty knife, an inexpensive purchase from any pint or hardware store. This tool gave me a strong, grippable handle with which to carefully “work” the plastic blade under the battery cells.

I have found that different techniques are needed for different parts of the job. The outermost two batteries on both sides can be removed by softening the adhesive as shown with the fluid. The batteries are in a shallow dish so there is less chance of the fluid running everywhere. Just apply sparingly. As Christopher Girke suggested, the middle two are best removed by applying the solvent to the edge of the card. Multiple applications are necessary but this avoids the fluid getting where it should not go. Also it is easier to push in from the sides, not the front as shown in the photo to avoid a lip on the underside of the trackpad.

To remove the center batteries carefully, you can add some of the liquid on the tip of the remover card. Put the card at the adhesive and simply wait. It works fine and you wont use too much liquid!

I bent the silver plate between the trackpad and the middle battery cells while removing the middle cells, resulting in a sunken trackpad when looking from top. Clicking the trackpad also does not work anymore.

Be careful here when you slide any tool under the central cells to pry them open, you could slide it under a sliver plate covering the trackpad electronics, maker sure that your tool is really sliding between the cells and this silver plate, I almost torn this apart, luckily id did not damage the trackpad, dome people reported that it did really damage the trackpad.

1. flatten the battery before you begin the dismantling

2. remove the 4 side cells completely by cutting the cables with sharp pliers

3. Apply adhesive remover around the middle batteries, one side at a time

4. Use the cards to cut the adhesive from around one side at a time , adding more adhesive remover . Do NOT lift the batteries

5. profit

Middle batteries have black glue strips strong as welding. lifting the batteries without dissolving these will damage the touch pad back plate it's a thin metal plate

I used the floss method without solvent. It came apart relatively easily.

My cards were hitting the trackpad plate as well. When I started on the left side, I slid in from the left side (using the card left under the battery in step 29) I pushed the card in from the side enough to work the card into the front side (lifting the plastic bar enough to slide under it.) Also for this entire procedure, applying the solvent to the card itself was the best way to go. Apply to the card, slide it in, let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes, push in a bit, pull out, reapply... rinse repeat.

Watch out for the trackpad plate under the battery cells. When i put my card underneath the battery cells i was hitting the plate instead of the adhesive. Just angle your card a bit lower to make sure the other end of the card goes above the plate. I suggest wedging a corner of the card in the middle of the two cells. There is a small gap that you should be able to feel. Once the card is in there, just add some adhesive remover onto the card and let it run down the card and under the cells. Spread it a little so it touches the adhesive of both batteries. Then wait and pry. Worked very well for me. Thank you to the comments that came before that got me the idea!

When I tried pushing the card under the left battery I could feel I was striking something metallic. Tried under right battery and felt the same. Was worried about prying the trackpad plate as opposed to the centre batteries but could not see the plate under the batteries. However if you lift the 2 left or right batteries you can then see the trackpad plate allowing you to slide the card in from either side. Very glad I read previous comments here! I also replaced the speakers using this procedure. After reassembly held my breath and plugged in to recharge. Now typing this listening to nice music on my renewed speakers and battery! Thanks to ifixit and everyone else for their comments. I have never attempted anything like this so was very apprehensive. I would definitely remove the speakers since I used the liquid to remove the batteries.

I just used the remaining iFixit provided glue dissolver and a cotton swab to clean up the remaining glue. It worked just as well as GooGone.

my advice is not be worried about putting some pressure and ripping that thing out. it as easier to clean up the adhesive after the battery was gone. the kit came with a paper towel and i just dripped the remover all over the case and scrubbed it off with the paper towel.

Pay attention to how the new battery sits in place before removing the adhesive strips. Although I did this, I didn’t notice that the rubber “feet” on the plastic frame around the middle batteries were very slightly out of alignment. The result was that the case could not be closed tight enough for the screws to fasten properly seal the case. It took a lot of poking around and attention to minor detail in order to get the case to fasten back in place.

I followed the tutorial and everything went pretty smooth, started the calibration and got to the step of recharging after waiting 5 hours and my mac wont turn on. the magsafe charger is glowing red/orange but the mac itself is showing no signs of power or charging. Any tips? thanks in advance

Removing the adhesive strips of the original battery was relatively easy - compared to removing the strips of the iFixit battery… what took me 1.5 hours. All because the first battery delivered was defective so I had to repeat the replacement. Thanks for the free and quick replacement battery - fair attitude, but that did not saved my time…

Always amazing when it all works at the end. Combined the battery repair with the fan replacement. Looks like the battery I got from the Bay is an OEM from SMC. All went well. Now I just need to remove the display gate anti-glare with some Listerine or the W5 towelettes from LIDL (if in Europe) and the machine is like new. ;-) Thanks fixit and everyone who contributed and shared their comments.

If you have only 1 screw and the 4 rubber grommets, be care about the plastic trim piece on the battery be sure it can be seated properly before removing the adhesive. When you do permanently seat the battery be sure the two bottom holes (where the grommets or screws should be) are properly within the case or you won’t be able to seal the back. I had a bit of an issue but it was easily solved by forcing the plastic opening piece into the case with a screw driver tip. I left the battery without the 4 rubber grommets as they seemed impossible to seat into the holes on the plastic piece of the battery. So far, so good.

I would suggest temporarily reinstalling the battery connector and circuit board screw to ensure proper alignment.

Thank you for the very detailed step-by-step as well work arounds. The replacement process went smooth- the more time consuming ones were: (1) removing the battery. I found that inserting the plastic card as far as I could initially , then dropping the acetone there made it for easier detachment. (2) a lot of time to clean the gooey stuff , I used the acetone with a small tooth brush and my nails to scrape as indicated.

Anyway, I am glad I found this site/ provider. My MacBook Pro, 2013 model is working like new . I just arrived from the USA in London - and was considering purchasing a new laptop ( which would be even more costly for me). Big thanks.

I am also glad I purchased the tools kit , without which, I would not have been able to accomplish the task. I used a brush to clean the dust after I removed the cover. in my case, as I never had done it, had considerable amount of dirty stuff. Needless to say the tool will be used for additional cleaning for this extended life.

Also had difficulty with the rubber “feet” and the plastic frame around the middle batteries, close to the front edge, since the right one was slightly out of alignment. Had to use a little force to push it toward the MLB and then down. The rubber grommets also wouldn’t fit in the much smaller holes under them. I just removed them since they don’t really serve much purpose (I doubt it will rattle w/o them). Plugging the battery back in also was more difficult than it should be, due to alignment.

The adhesive on the battery is inadequate in my experience. You may need to purchase double sided spongey tape to add additional adhesion otherwise you will feel and hear the battery flapping in the enclosure. It’s easily enough to slide in the additional tape section afterwards, but worth keeping in mind.

this is what i did.

1. put the battery in and try to screw it all together before pulling the clear cover on the back of the new battery. i removed the top clear sheet because it was easier to work with. but get a feel for how it fits before adhering it to the case.

2. i also removed the little rubber grommets out of the 4 eyelets. i couldnt make it work with them there. also i wedged the eyelets in between the battery and the case. this was the most annoying thing. the case wouldnt close unless the were in place.

3. make sure you connect the battery and screw it in as well before pulling the self adhesive on the battery.

4. i also had to take off the protective cover from step 4 on the new battery and then re-applied it after i was done.

5. the battery connector was off by like 1/2 in for me. it was easier to plug that in and screw in the board first. then place the battery.

6. i removed the speakers and put them in last. it easier to do after. i tried doing it before like folks said but no luck for me.

2 heures au total , passez les étapes où il il faut débrancher les connecteurs de haut parleur , cela ne sert à rien et il y a un risque de les casser

RECAP OF THIS JOB (January 2023)

Don't fret, it's pretty easy in my opinion. I purchased the iFixit kit and followed the instructions.

Follow the instructions, with the exception of removing the speaker cables. Just carefully set the speakers aside, but you don't have to disconnect their cables. I didn't really use the cards, I just kept using the spudger to lift up the batteries as their adhesive became weaker from the provided isopropyl alcohol.

Hope this helps!

The best tool I have ever used to get out 13" and 15" glued in MB batteries is a 1.5"x 6" plastic puddy knife. I don't use any adhesive remover and it is just sharp enough and long enough to go work well with Apple PIA batteries glued in. The designer of these glued in batteries should be fired and the designer of the one with the holes predrilled for the battery should be hired back to the design team. MAB batteries are a dream compared to these beasts and there is no need for glued in batteries.