MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Trackpad Replacement

Written By: Andrew Bookholt

Comments: 55

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Trackpad Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 - 50 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to replace a broken trackpad.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Remove the following 10 screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody:
Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

Compare the short screws carefully before reinstalling them. The shouldered screws go in the holes on the front edge.

David Kilbridge -

Before I started removing any screws I took a piece of paper and drew the bottom of the laptop and put a piece of double-sided tape in the spot where each screw goes. That way when I took out the screws, I could put them on the tape so I knew exactly which screw went in which spot. I did the same thing for dismantling the inside on another sheet of paper, then a third sheet for the screen after getting the front glass off.

mastover -

I use a similar technique: I print out the iFixit manual for the job, and Scotch-tape down the screws/brackets/cables I remove at each step next to the component descriptions. That way, when I'm reassembling, the bits are taped right next to the photo of where they came from.

adlerpe -

That's exactly what I do for all my repairs! It's the best way to keep track of all of the parts ' original location and to make sure that you don't miss any parts during reassembly.

joyitsjennie - 12/08/15

Great idea and one I use often

Thomas Overstreet - 30/08/15

Excellent idea! Thanks for sharing it here.

Laura Sharkey - 14/08/16

I used a 00 that fit but the screws were very tight so I used a tiny paintbrush with some wd40 on it and put it around the edges of the screws. Worked like a charm

valentinedhdh - 07/04/15

I use a magnetic mat and place the screws in order on that :)

Cary B - 09/07/22

Step 2

Slightly lift the lower case and push it toward the rear of the computer to free the mounting tabs.

In the introduction you should link fixers to this excellent doc: https://www.ifixit.com/Misc/HD_Software_...

It is really critical, super easy, and free(!) to clone your existing drive onto the new one you will install. I ran into one error, but SuperDuper! support replied immediately on how to fix it...Thanks ifixit and SuperDuper! (I ponied up the $28 for the software anyway, I was so impressed!)

Mike - 12/09/17

Long story short: I drank the AppleKoolAid back in 1984 and have always left the guts of my machines up to Apple - until recently when I needed to swap the SATAs from my original MacDaddy (2009 13" MBPro that I killed in 2018 - coffee + blackout = OOOOPS) into a pristine 2009 MBPro from a Goodwill in North Carolina through eBay. I need the files from iCal and MacMail that can't be opened in my newer machines.

Well . . . I ain't never done nuttin' like that, before!

Enter Luke Miani on YouTube. He raves about you guys! So, I watched everything I could, read your site, bought the right tools and at the ripe old age of 72, I sat down, this morning and did the work. Now my original MacDaddy lives in MacDaddy2.0.

Am I allowed to cry?

Seriously, I can't thank you enough for your bitchen site and killer tools. I wish I'd'a been turned on to this shizzle 30+ years ago.

IFIXIT - IDIGIT!

kath myers - 26/02/22

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

That was a brilliant read.

Yes, I came across ifixit a few years ago. Totally helped me out on several occasions.

Glad your Mac repair journey worked out.

Cary B -

Step 3

Remove the following tri-point screws securing the battery to the upper case:
One 5.5 mm tri-point screw.
One 13.5 mm tri-point screw.

Mine does not have triwing screws.... They have 5 points but none of my torx stuff works? What is it? I have one of your sets of 20 or so pieces and nothing works.....

Chris Babcock - 20/07/15

pentalobe. its an apple specific driver to keep you out. The bottoms of the airs use this as well. You can fid one on eBay

ryan rochford - 07/11/15

Where in the world can I find a tri-point screw bit?

Mason Darien - 21/03/21

Step 4

Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board.

use two spudgers, one of each side of the connector.

Sebastien CHAPUIS - 05/12/18

I was able to use 1 spudger. Just wiggled a little on each of the 3 free sides of the connector, and kept going around until the connector freed up.

Brian - 19/12/18

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

Reinhard Kaune -

Step 5

Lift the battery out of 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.

Did everything correctly, but now the battery doesn't charge. Do I have to do something in particular to make it work now that's installed? Thanks

Olivier - 10/09/14

I am answering a 2 year old post but this is for those who may have the same or similar issue in the future.

When I was putting the battery connector back on that it didn't sit flat against the board before I put pressure on the top of the connecter to press it back into its socket. I then took time to examine the battery connector socket and saw it consisted of long thin vertical pins. I deduced that if the battery connector was not aligned correctly to the pins on the motherboard then it may be very easy to bend one or more of the pins in a way that they wouldn't mate up with the opposing female part on the connector. That sure would cause a battery charging issue. If you feel too much resistance when pressing the connector back into the socket then stop and make sure it is all aligned correctly. I know, not easy with the size, the black connector and black socket. A spudger can be used on the battery side of the connector to raise it to a level position prior to applying pressure to the top of it.

Joseph King - 26/10/16

I too encountered the same problem. After resetting the SMC (http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295), it resolved the problem.

2CentsNoneTheRicher - 22/12/14

I put the battery in ok, then placed it on charge and tried to start it. It didn't like this at all, letting out evenly spaced unfamiliar beeps. I felt sure i had done something terrible. I held down the start button and turned it off. Half an hour later I turned it back on, upon which it sprung back to life, much to my relief. The battery needed to be charged before starting it seems.

Guy Wishart - 14/07/17

Yes, you should charge your battery before using.

Cary B -

Step 6

Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry the trackpad connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Step 7

Open your MacBook Pro and set it on a table as shown.

Step 8

While holding the edge of the trackpad closest to the logic board with one hand, remove the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws highlighted in red.

A word of caution if you are replacing your trackpad due to a bulging battery. This guide assumes that the original mounting tabs are not damaged and it does not look like the iFixit trackpad replacement kit comes with new tabs. My MBP had a bulging battery, which pushed up on the bottom of my trackpad, deforming one of these tabs. Now that I have removed the battery, the trackpad still works, but it is not flush with the case and the physical clicks are not as responsive as I would like. Does iFixit sell just the replacement tabs?

Matt Marchese - 13/01/15

Same here luckily the trackpad still works but the taps have deformed. Anyone find a place to pick up just those tabs? Edit: found them MacBook Pro Unibody (Mid 2009-Mid 2012) Trackpad Mounting Screws

iAndrewC - 16/10/15

Be careful with this step. The very tiny screws are very hard to remove with a #00 screwdriver. I tried with mine and I mashed the srews heads, it was then very very hard to remove it. Better to use a #000 screwdriver. If the heads are mashed like me, I suggest you use a 0.1 flat screwdriver, it worked well in my case.

Jonathan - 14/03/15

I couldn't even begin to use the #000 as the edges were not deep or narrow enough for the condition of the screws from factory install. The .1 flat screwdriver worked like a charm though and didn't mess up the screws further at all. I was getting nervous that I'd need to get another screwdriver beyond what's in the iFixit toolkit, but this worked as a better solution.

Thom Merrick - 06/09/17

I used a #0 screwdriver, and it worked fine.

TIP: Remove and insert the screws over a large, clear work surface. The slightest pressure off center an the screws will suddenly fly off and vanish.

ALAN VOORHEES -

Yes, I have found a very small flat head screw driver works brilliant.

Cary B -

Step 9

If necessary, carefully dislodge the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by pushing it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.
Carefully push the trackpad connector and cable down through the slot cut into the upper case.
It may be necessary to use a spudger to help get the trackpad connector past the edge of the logic board.
Once the cable has been completely pulled through its slot in the upper case, pull the trackpad away from the outer edge of the upper case and remove it from the machine.

Step 10

If you are installing a replacement trackpad that didn't come with the attached flex cable, you'll need to use the cable from your old trackpad.
To remove the flex cable from the old trackpad, first flip open the latch on the ZIF connector, opposite the cable. Then, apply a little heat from a hair dryer or iOpener to soften the adhesive securing the cable to the trackpad, and carefully peel off and remove the cable.
When installing your new trackpad, routing the cable through the upper case and past the logic board may be difficult. It is helpful to use the tip of a spudger to guide the connector past the logic board while pushing the cable through its slot in the upper case with your other hand.

If your replacement trackpad comes with the cable separated and loose, the connection to the trackpad needs to have a tab pressed down which keeps the connection snug. It won't work without it. It's a tab on the trackpad part of the connection. Tab might be the wrong word; the connection has to be in all the way, then clamp it closed with the tab... oops! LOL

Mark - 11/02/17

Tip: Getting the cable nicely through the slit to the top is much easier, if you take a tiny cable binder, form half a loop in that little space the cable has to come up and lift it gently with it.

Plum Pudding -

Step 11

Next, reinstall the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws along the inner edge of the trackpad.
Tighten the screws all the way, then back them out about 1/4 turn.
Check the alignment of the trackpad on the keyboard side of the upper case. Once you have centered the trackpad in the upper case, tighten the four Phillips screws all the way.

trackpad still doesn't click. I've tried two separate parts.. but what makes it pop back up after depressing the pad? It just lays there. I've taken it apart four times to adjust the tork screw... nothing. HELP!

Gail -

two options here :

_adjust the screw which control the deepness of the click

_the back panel put pressure on the battery which prevent the movement of the trackpad

Sebastien CHAPUIS - 14/02/20

My trackpad was driving me up the wall, bouncing all over the place. Ifixit Trackpad comes with extra screws, hinge and adjuster. You won't believe how tiny these screws are! If one falls in the carpet-it's GONE! Bless you Ifixit! To center when re-installing adjust by sliding a thin piece of paper (scotch tape?), under bottom of trackpad, let Trackpad rest on it's own weight and then tighten one top and bottom screw a little bit, and eyeball it, just the tiniest crack of daylight on each side. I strongly suggest the highest quality magnetic screwdriver you can find. The little torx screw disc is an adjuster. If too tight, trackpad won't 'click.' On a Mac, click is not really essential as long as tap and slide are working right. Needs a small amount of clearance. When properly installed you can 'feel' the click if it's right. Probably won't need to mess with it at all. Now my trackpad works like it should, I am a happy camper!

ovenwally -

I replaced the trackpad with a new one: the arrow moves but was not possible to click. I putted back the old trackpad and it works with. The solution: the eleventh picture shown a gray Torx type screw to the left of the connector where there is the recess in the back of the mouse. This screw is used to increase or decrease the depth of clicks. in my case it was too screwed and it was as if I held continually pressed the truckpad: therefore, it was enough to loosen it. At this point I ask myself since in the old truckpad I had problems with the physical click, I probably would have been enough to adjust the screw.

caronte88 - 12/11/14

Vielen Dank, dies hat mir sehr beholfen :-)

Frederik Häger - 14/05/18

ifitit is once again amazing. My trackpad just stopped working on my four year old machine. Bought a new trackpad from iFitit, followed the guide and now I have a functional laptop again. One thing to note. 1.2mm is small very, very small. The screws for the trackpad *will* get lost if they fall of the table. Make sure that doesn't happen.

Jerry - 03/07/16

I was having trackpad issue on my 2010 machine, did the replacement from ifixit which arrived broken (bummer) but they replaced it no problems. It worked great for just under a year but now I'm having the same issues again of poor finger tacking, jumping, and lack of sensitivity. I've tried cleaning the whole unit, rebooting in safe mode, refreshing code, and anything else the web has provided. I'm starting to wonder if it's something else on my machine or if the trackpads just don't hold up well enough. Overall I'm super frustrated to have a newer pad crap out this early.

eastern117 - 30/01/17

I don't have a magnetic head driver so I had a terrible time trying to get the screws in. I found getting the screw on the table Phillips side up, I pushed my finger tip into the head til it stuck and placed the screw into the thread that way. The screw stayed in long enough for me to tighten with the driver ! Oh, what a relief! I only lost one screw; thank god for replacement screws! Order your trackpad with screws! They fall and get lost easy! Now I'm happy! :)

Mark - 05/02/17

Next time rub the tip of the screwdriver against a magnet about 10-20 times in the SAME direction (A fridge magnet works)

Karan Kakkar - 07/02/17

For some reason the black material under the tabs were enough to stop the track pad from being able to click. I removed that material and now have a track pad that clicks.

blrmisc - 07/07/17

I installed the trackpad, but it was not behaving correctly. Took it apart again and reinstalled, using the 2 new foils that go under the trackpad keeper screws (my old ones were kind of mangled, probably from all the force I had to use on the old trackpad). I also made extra sure the trackpad was precisely lined up this time. Voila! A nice, sensitive new trackpad.

Thanks, iFixit!

Felix - 01/07/18

I found it difficult to adjust the trackpad’s position so that it had just the same amount of space on every side to move freely when being clicked.

What worked for me was putting all four screws in - but a little loose as suggested - and then putting the button case back on (without screws) for protection. Turn the laptop in normal position, open it, adjust the trackpad, fix its position with one large strap of of easy to remove tape - approximately 15 x 4-5 cm e.g. masking tape.

This will hold the trackpad in position while turning the MacBook Pro around and tightening the screws.

Jörn von Spreckelsen - 25/04/20

Watch this Youtube, it shows an additional issue with the click mechanism pressure contact that may be causing the Track Pad to not register clicks. https://youtu.be/awihkz3aYkg

Macrepair SF - 28/03/21

I installed my trackpad and am having trouble getting it to work properly. At first it wouldn’t click at all but I readjusted it and now I can use it mostly, but there seems to be small portions of the trackpad that don’t register my touch (mostly noticeable when I try to scroll with 2 fingers - it just wont). Can you give me some pointers?

bea - 09/05/21

Still having this same problem with no reply. I sometimes can’t use the zoom function on my laptop because the trackpad doesn’t recognize that I am touching it at all. In certain parts of it my touch is not being recognized. I have tried to readjust several times without success. Would love some recommendations if anybody has any.

bea - 17/05/21

I have followed every step of this guide, word for word, and my for some reason the new replacement trackpad is unresponsive. Any tips?

andrescruz -

Conclusion

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

Author

Andrew Bookholt

578096 Reputation

9 comments

It went very well for me. The pram was reset when I rebooted -- the clock needed to be reset and the wifi passwords were forgotten. But the trackpad works great! Thank you!

Marshall -

Bought a new trackpad, installed it, fiddled with centering it, loosened the click adjuster screw and it would hardly click if I pressed real hard, just like the old trackpad. Problem solved by putting two 1/32" thick sticky pads under battery where the battery sits on the macbook frame near the lower bottom edge. The battery was new and not swollen but is was still too thick. Didn't need the new trackpad but now I have a spare.

Arne - 15/08/14

The removal and installation went exactly as described, and the new trackpad worked correctly the first time. The toughest part - truly, not all that difficult - was manipulating the four screws that hold the trackpad in place. I don't think I've seen such small threaded fasteners since I went to a watch museum!

dbrick - 04/02/15

Would a swollen battery cause the track pad to seemingly pop out of the top of my 2010 MBP? Right side of trackpad is lifted the worst, top is slightly raised. The four corners and left side are seemingly flush with the rest of the computer. Trackpad works fine, other than no click...still has perfect movement.

Jessica Fulcher - 18/02/17

That is indeed a common symptom of a swollen battery, you can pop the rear case off of your laptop and peek at the battery, and even take it out for a moment, if it looks swollen, you should probably replace it.

Sam Goldheart - 20/02/17

Thanks so much for the suggestion Sam! Checking it out today.

Jessica Fulcher - 23/02/17

Great breakdown of replacing trackpad. Mine stopped clicking. At first thought it was my battery, but when I opened my laptop, I realized my battery was not swollen. Decid d to replace the track pad to see if it was faulty. Followed your instructions and got it done in 10 minutes and my trackpad working perfectly. No issue at all with the install. Glad I chose to do it instead of giving it to Apple for a week and playing so much money that really only cost me the price of the replacement. Thank you so much.

thirddyfrk - 24/02/17

Good repair guide, nevertheless, if you’re swapping your trackpad because you lost the ability to click, consider first that your battery may be aging and expansing its volume which no longer allows the “click travel” correctly. And therefore the trackpad is not the issue but the battery is.

Sebastien CHAPUIS - 18/05/20

Very good repair guide. After changing the battery i found the trackpad not very well responding, even by hard pressing. But before swapping the trackpad try adjusting the pentalobe screw which is the counterpart to the clicking notch at the bottom of trackpad.

Nevertheless, a 11 yo macbook is back on track…..!!!!

Michael Piorkowski -