MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 Battery Replacement

Written By: Andrew Bookholt
  • Comments: 58
MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

7

Time Required

10 - 30 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to replace a worn-out battery. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

  1. ZK52UttcjBKbEiPT

    • Remove the following ten screws:

    • Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws

    • Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws

    • Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws

    • When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don't go straight down).

    How much weight can I save by removing the optical drive?

    gunes314 -

    You can save a lot of weight if lets say your installing a solid state drive or putting in a second hard drive but if you know that you use the CD/DVD disc drive a lot then you might just want to leave the drive alone.

    Marshall WahlstromHelgren -

    Tip: Use one of those weekday pill holders to have a cheep way to store screws you remove and each day of the week can be for different sizes or parts. It has been handy to have (much less expensive than the magnetic mat.

    Robert Wacker -

    Hello, where can I buy the screws I need in case I lose one of them?

    taylornya -

    iFixit sells a kit: MacBook Pro Unibody Lower Case Screw Set

    Darrell Johnson -

    I have one stripped screw... How opening without drill it?! Any suggestions please?

    rodrigosady -

    I also stripped a couple screws. I wasn’t able to open it up without drilling. After drilling the heads and removing the cover it was easy to hacksaw the tip and unscrew with a standard driver.

    Michael Wilkens -

    We have a guide for that!

    How to Remove a Stripped Screw

    Sam Omiotek -

    My top tip - make sure you buy good quality Phillips screwdrivers and a magnetic holder. Cheap screwdrivers won’t get the screws undone safely. Without a magnetic holder you have no chance of getting the tiny crews in and out safely.

    jeremyyoung -

    A good Phillips 00 is your friend here. Also, when reinserting the screws, gently start anticlockwise and you wil feel a click at the start of the thread. This tells you you’re in the right place and less likely to cross-thread through force in the wrong place.

    Iain Boyd -

    I feel like these are 000 screws. Amazon sales describe them as such and my 000 screwdriver fits better

    cam2000deluxe -

    Before ordering a new Trackpad remove the existing battery and try clicking the Trackpad. If it clicks OK with the battery out the source of problem is likely a swollen battery, which should to be replaced even if it still works to some degree. From the side of the battery you will likely see the soft part of the battery bulging beyond the hard case.

    Patrick Langvardt -

    That’s absolutely correct as I can testify. With the battery removed I also adjusted the T6 set screw that adjusts the sensitivity of the trackpad click, evidently someone had cranked mine down tighter than the factory setting.

    Gary Register -

    Le quatrième paragraphe dans les instructions en français n’est pas correct : ce ne sont pas les 2 petites vis, mais les 7 petites vis qui sont inclinées. Et les 3 grandes sont bien verticales.

    Degeorges -

    Bonjour ! Merci de votre observation. J’ai corrigé la traduction. iFixit étant un wiki, n’hésitez pas à modifiez si vous remarquez une erreur :) Encore merci de votre attention et à bientôt !

    Claire Miesch -

    Tip: if you have a magnetic screw mat or similar, lay the macbook over the mat to make sure it catches any screws that may decide to fall of and hide under your table

    Moritz -

    Funny, it's not her hands that are doing the close ups. :)

    Cinemated Man -

  2. vYHwhaRFGeCR2lAZ
    vYHwhaRFGeCR2lAZ
    RVKjhXW1CYSUnZk3

    • Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.

    • Remove the lower case.

  3. Eyo2p2BYesPQBNEc
    Eyo2p2BYesPQBNEc
    BFghqfctKoeQMJon

    • Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.

    • It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket. Be careful with the corners of the connectors, they can be easily broken off.

    Is this step of removing the battery connector required?

    manodh -

    yes - as with disassembly of any electronic component you have to remove any power source. You don't want to accidentally turn the Mac on

    khull -

    Prying the battery connector off does not take much force. I did exactly what the guide suggested (walked it off back and forth) with the spudger without any problems. Just be very gentle, much like with anything inside laptops, they are very fragile and need to be worked with carefully. A+ instructions, battery replacement was a success.

    aekinaka -

    Be patient on disconnecting this one. It worked for me step by step, little by little.

    Phil Wagner -

    I used the nails of thumb and pointer finger simultaneously - worked pretty fine

    Reinhard Kaune -

  4. CACTEGtNtEikmgfJ

    • Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

    I put some tape between the connector and socket while working on the drive.

    Stephen Smith -

    That's a good tip

    Anrothan -

    Great tip, I did that too

    Ahmed Mahran -

    One other note: The screw heads fit flush with the curvature of the case -- which means that they aren't exactly horizontal. In other words, they aren't perpendicular to the table that the computer is resting on. Don't try to force them straight in vertically, because you'll risk cross-threading them. (nearly ruined one screw hole myself!)

    lelandjordon -

    On my MacBook Pro, the connector seems to be an integral part of the battery.

    Jerry South -

    I suspect it’s just like the special screwdriver required for seatbelts on cars – to discourage regular consumers from attempting repairs. Of course, this only encourages consumers to use the wrong tool to attempt to repairs

    colleenthompson -

    Dissambling my MacBookPro Premium Mid 2012 (i5-3210M 2.5Ghz) was easily, Careful with the screws, use screwdriver fitting exactly with the screws, you damage them very fast. Work very exactly, relaxed with time, consentration, good Tools and with feelings in your hands. Disconnect the Akku was easy if you take care, remove it to be safe, Two screws more, more space to work & haven`t to think about damaging someting. Apple use diffrent screws, you should have many difffrent scewdrivers. It is also good to clean everything inside, With time everything gets very dusty & dirty, don`t forget the sides and little fittings at the case. Use a pinsel, alcohol, soft peace stuff, it will look like new. If you have knowledge & experience, you can paint it in any colour or airbrushing for individualizing. You can also just polish it with a soft Politure (Sonax car Polish No1, NOT with wax or take an other light Politure you familiar & can do the job, A Laptop should serviced once a year, keeping it good working over years

    Stefan Lindner -

    First thing i do is open & cleanig everything inside,specially the cooling & fan, renew the thermal paste with an high quality product. Install the Nain System, clean up Bloatware and other unnecessary things, install standard software for daily use, additional change system components against better one (Edge to Firefox, Windows Media Player to VLC , an Office Suite and configuring everything for Data Protection, Privacy- & Indentety Protection, install Drivers from the component Manufactur (incedible effect, disable limitations, more functions, work better & faster, increasing performance, additional change the WiFi & Bluetooth Card to a better one a UMTS WWAN to an LTE Card, increase RAM with two Dual-Channel working SODIMMs, Use M2 or 2,5" SSD if no M2 Slot aviable) as System- and Software iDrive, a FAT32 formatted 32GB Partition to be safe of metaviruses comes with harmless downloads, and a big 2,5 HDD to store the user data. What does you guys think about this? Old Computer become a new life,

    Stefan Lindner -

    I livein Austria, near Vienna, if someone needs help or anything else, i would be glad to help. I always searching old or broken devices to bring them to new live. I also searching for spare parts, specilly a Bottom & Side Case and a 256GB or higher NGFF Storage Card for a Sony Vaio Tab 11 SVT1144HE (2014), some 14,1" Displays for a HP Probook 440G5 (2016), Elitebook MT 43 Mobile Thin Client, (2011), Dell Vostro 3460 (2012) Lenovo Thinkpad T440s (2014), and a Logic Board for an Lenovo Ideapad 330-15ARR (2017, damaged by Water i think) and a Logic Bord for an Alienware 17R4 with i7-6870HX & Nvidia 1080 (2018, CPU dead, maybe there is a repair Guide or workaround to bring it back to Life). I need always 8GB or 16GB DDR3 and DDR4 RAM Storage (perfectly two ident one for Dual-Channel use for Laptops, M2 SATA 6GB/s and NVMe PCIe SSDs 500GB or more and 2,5"SSD or HDD with 1TB or more and 3,5" HDD with 4GB or above. If you have some of this or other useful parts and doesn`t need them, please make me an offer, maybe

    2

    Stefan Lindner -

    an change something you need. This is not a Business what i do, it`s more a Hobby with challenging new Excercices.. Thats the best Point. Plase forgive me as a Newbie this very long Post in the wrong Section, but if you are start writing you cannot stop.... But now i have to come to an end and would be happy if someone wants to get in contact. My E-Mail is: udontknowme@gmx.at (the adress name is just a notice against Big Data and for Privacy Protection!

    Stefan Lindner -

  5. s35fTCrZtE3dGoPY

    • Remove the following two screws:

    • One 5.6 mm Tri-point screw

    • One 13 mm Tri-point screw

    Something isn’t right here. On my MacBook Pro, the connector is an integral part of the battery.

    Jerry South -

    Verify that this is the correct guide for your specific model—if not, we’ve got guides for all the other models, too.

    Jeff Suovanen -

    And which Apple “Genius” decided that a tri-wing screw would be just perfect for the job of holding the batter in place? Not smart for a genius.

    Jerry South -

    These tri-point screws are Y0 size. You’re welcome :)

    Rossi Macri -

    The 13 mm Tri-point screw was very tricky to screw back into place. I had to make several attempts, unscrewing and realigning the battery to get it right. The rest of this fix was very easy, but this one screw was the hardest part.

    Raymond Rinaldi -

    As per Rossi Macri’s comment, I also observed for step 5 that both screws are Tri-point Y0 for my MacBook Pro 13 inch mid-2012 model.

    Tim Telcik -

  6. guJyf6vvZEZVZjyh

    • Carefully peel the battery warning label off the upper case between the battery and the optical drive.

    • Do not remove the label from the battery.

    What is the reasoning behind not removing the label from the (old) battery?

    tom -

    Probably to help you remove it? Not sure, but I used it along with the clear tab to pull the battery out. Worked pretty good.

    aitorrecalde -

    One of the main thing is that it can weaken an already old battery which is never a good thing, especially if people try to remove the label using a pointy device and piercing the battery (can explode !). Also it is not useful to remove it and it allow tracking of old parts (recycle, dispose, …).

    Cajuteq -

  7. 4NcoT6JVsZVFkPlG

    • Use the attached plastic pull tab to remove the battery from the upper case.

    • If you're installing a new battery, you should calibrate it after installation:

    • Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.

    • If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook's SMC.

    My replacement battery came with a clear protective film that should be removed before installation. Be sure not to overlook the film on the bottom of the battery as it covers only a portion of that side and might be easy to overlook.

    Do not over-tighten the bolts holding the battery in place. One of the tabs on the original battery was broken, presumably due to over-tightening.

    Patrick Langvardt -

    The calibration suggestion given in this guide differs a bit from what iFIXIT sent with the battery. What came with the battery went like this…

    For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery. Drain battery below 10%, then charge it uninterrupted to 100%.

    Daniel Lavelle -

    I recommend disregarding those instructions and following the steps in this article:

    1. Charge it to 100%, and keep charging it for at least two more hours.

    2. Unplug your laptop and use it normally to drain the battery.

    3. Save your work when you see the low battery warning.

    4. Keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery.

    5. Wait at least five hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.

    Sam Omiotek -

    would it be dangerous to use the macbook without a battery in the meantime?

    724 F -

    It’s not dangerous (assuming you have put the back cover back on), though the computer will run slower. The charging assembly cannot supply as much amperage as the battery, so the processor will be throttled.

    Sam Omiotek -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Andrew Bookholt

578096 Reputation

12 comments

Be careful with the four little "shouldered" screws on the bottom of the case towards the touchpad. They go back in at a slight angle. If you can't get the screws flush with the case, try tilting them a bit before screwing them in.

tim -

That was extremely helpful!

LeFixur -

Just replaced the battery of MacBook Pro Early 2011. Shipment was blazing fast. I ordered on Saturday and received the battery on Monday morning. It took me just 15 minutes with the right tools to change the battery. iFixit's step by step guide helped me to accomplish the task perfectly in the right way.

naveednajam -

I ordered a replacement battery from iFixit to squeeze some more life out of my early 2011 Macbook Pro. The new battery is great, my computer lasts way longer now which is super helpful. The guide helped me easily swap out the battery in less than 20 minutes. :)

Drew Dittmann -

I ordered a new battery and the required supplied to replace the batter in my early-2011 13" MacBook Pro. The process was extremely easy and took about 15-20 minutes. I was a little disappointed with the actual battery performance. Before replacing, my battery lasted about 30 minutes. Now it's about 2-2 1/2 hours. I was hoping the new battery replacement I purchased from them would have a longer life than 2 1/2 hours.

Cara Bunker -

I just wanted to thank the IFIXIT community for their contributions. I have an Early 2011 MacBookPro which I use for my photography editing. I am a Parochial school teacher and do a lot of the photography for the school. I use Pthotoshop and Lightroom, but since they are now subscription it is becoming cost ineffective. I was going to transfer over to OnOne 2018, but my MacBookPro is too old to use their product and I cannot afford to upgrade. When my trackpad started to fail (not click) I began to panic as I thought I was going to have to figure out a way to replace my laptop. Fortunately, IFIXIT showed me how to replace the battery for $90 and that fixed my trackpad. It did not fix my aging computer and OnOne 2018 issue, but it does allow me to work a bit longer without replacing my laptop.

I know this sounds like a sob story, but I know there are others out there in similar situations, thinking they have to replace their devices, but FIXIT may be able to extend the life of you machine.

Thank you again.

Kevin Gallagher -

Sadly I have to say I’m disappointed in the iFixit replacement battery. I was the big hope for my MacBook Pro (early 2011).

The installation worked fine and I was really happy…until I noticed drops in the “full charge”.

It just dropped from 30% to 10%.

Will analyse the current situation further… But it seems that I need a new MacBook soon…

Vanessa Haas -

Hi Vanessa, Sorry to hear of your purchasing experience. We’d like to assist! To avoid revealing personal information here on the guide page, please reach out to our Support team via help.ifixit.com so they can get you all squared away. Thanks!

Sam Goldheart -

Easy enough but my replacement battery ended up with the bloat and I had to put the old battery back in! If you end up with trackpad problems (especially on the left of the pad), double check your battery doesn’t have the bloat.

defunctzombie -

Thank you for the clear guide. I have also an early 2011 MacBookPro which suddenly had a bloated battery. I am not technical at all but managed to do it with the replacement battery and toolkit. Have to see how it keeps working in the future but for now all seems good. Thank you!

Ester van Dam -

This was my first repair on an apple product, guide was easy to follow, macbook pro works again!!

Mark Walker -

After being disappointed by not being able to get a replacement battery from Apple, I checked ifixit.com and found the kit with the battery and needed tools… awesome! The replacement process was easy, following their very clear instructions. After installation, I connected the laptop charger and it’s charging as it should. Looks like this was a great, economical fix for my father-in-law’s older Mac laptop! Thank You!!!

fredreichert5 -