Macbook Air 11 Mid 2011 Solid State Drive Replacement Repair Guide

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Featured Guide

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

5

Time Required

                          6 - 10 minutes            

Sections

3

• Lower Case
• 2 steps
• Battery
• 1 step
• Solid-State Drive
• 2 steps

Flags

1

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Introduction

Before you perform this repair, if at all possible, back up your existing SSD. Then, either familiarize yourself with internet recovery or create a bootable external drive so you’ll be ready to install macOS onto your new drive and migrate your data to the new SSD.

Finally, we strongly recommend installing macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or a later macOS) before replacing the original SSD from your MacBook Air. Most new SSDs require updated storage drivers not found in versions of macOS prior to High Sierra.

What you need

Step 1

              Lower Case               

• Before proceeding, close your computer and lay it on a soft surface top-side down.
• Remove the following ten screws:
• Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
• Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
• The special screwdriver needed to remove the eight 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

Before proceeding, close your computer and lay it on a soft surface top-side down.

Remove the following ten screws:

Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

The special screwdriver needed to remove the eight 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

1024

Step 2

• Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
• Remove the lower case and set it aside.

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

Remove the lower case and set it aside.

Step 3

              Battery               

• In this step you will disconnect the battery to help avoid shorting out any components during service.
• Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.
• Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally contact its socket.

In this step you will disconnect the battery to help avoid shorting out any components during service.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.

Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally contact its socket.

Step 4

              Solid-State Drive               

• Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

Step 5

• Use a spudger to help lift the free end of the SSD just enough to grab it with your other hand.
• Do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.
• Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.
• When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

Use a spudger to help lift the free end of the SSD just enough to grab it with your other hand.

Do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.

Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.

When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

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

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                                                                                      108 other people completed this guide.                                             

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                                      with 8 other contributors 

                    Walter Galan                     

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aaronmiller - Jan 4, 2012

Reply

Note: if you’re installing a blank SSD, you’ll want to format it with Disk Utilities) before the OS X installer will recognize it.

916sp - Jan 16, 2014

Reply

Could not have been any easier, with this guide.

Thank you very much!

zimmermatthias - May 19, 2016

Reply

is it possible to replace an 128 GB Solid State Drive with an 240 GB? (MacBook Air, 11", Mid 2011)

Mark - Dec 30, 2016

Reply

Does anyone know if the Samsung 960 pro 512gb m.2 drive is compatible with this machine?

fjlbandeira - Jan 4, 2017

No, is not, I just bought a 1TB Samsung 960 EVO m.2 and had to return it, for not being compatible. (is smaller and the pin-out is not the same)