Introduction
Use this guide to safely remove the glued-in battery from your 16” MacBook Pro with the help of an iFixit kit with adhesive remover. The adhesive remover is designed to weaken the glue securing the battery, allowing you to remove it with ease.
iFixit adhesive remover is flammable. Follow this procedure in a well-ventilated area. Do not smoke or work near an open flame.
To minimize risk of damage, turn on your MacBook and allow the battery to fully discharge before starting this procedure. A charged lithium-ion battery can create a dangerous and uncontrollable fire if accidentally punctured. If your battery looks puffy or swollen, take extra precautions.
After replacing the battery, reset SMC before performing the battery calibration procedure.
Note: The solvent used to dissolve the battery adhesive can damage certain plastics. Follow all instructions and take care where you apply the adhesive remover.
What you need
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Power on your Mac and launch Terminal.
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Copy and paste the following command (or type it exactly) into Terminal:
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sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00
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Press [return]. If prompted, enter your administrator password and press [return] again. Note: Your return key may also be labeled ⏎ or "enter."
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sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03
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Tool used on this step:Magnetic Project Mat$19.95
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Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove six screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:
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Four 3.7 mm screws
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Two 7.3 mm screws
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Press a suction handle into place near the front edge of the lower case, between the screw holes.
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Pull up on the suction handle just enough to open a small gap under the lower case.
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Remove the lower case.
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Set it in place and align the sliding clips near the display hinge. Press down and slide the cover toward the hinge. It should stop sliding as the clips engage.
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When the sliding clips are fully engaged and the lower case looks correctly aligned, press down firmly on the lower case to engage the four hidden clips underneath. You should feel and hear them snap into place.
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Peel up and remove the insulating sticker covering the battery board, on the edge of the logic board nearest the battery.
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If the cover doesn't peel up easily, apply mild heat with an iOpener, hair dryer, or heat gun to soften the adhesive underneath, and try again.
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Use a spudger to gently pry up the locking flap on the ZIF connector for the battery board data cable.
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Slide the battery board data cable out of its socket on the battery board, and remove it completely.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the 6.7 mm pancake screw securing the battery power connector.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.8 mm screws securing the cover bracket for the keyboard and trackpad cable connectors.
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Remove the bracket.
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Use a spudger to disconnect the trackpad cable by prying its connector straight up from the logic board.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the 13 screws securing the trackpad assembly:
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Nine 5.8 mm screws
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Four 4.9 mm screws
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Swing the display open slightly, but keep the MacBook upside-down. The trackpad assembly should separate and lay flat on the display.
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Carefully feed the trackpad's ribbon cable through its slot in the chassis.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 3.5 mm screws securing the cover on the display board flex cable.
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Remove the display board flex cover.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the four 2.0 mm screws from the hinge covers (two screws on each side).
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 2.4 mm screws securing the cover bracket for the Touch ID and headphone jack cable connectors.
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Remove the bracket.
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Using a T3 Torx driver, remove the two 1.5 mm screws securing the cover bracket for the Touch Bar digitizer and lid angle sensor connectors.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.9 mm screws securing the bracket for the Touch Bar display cable connector.
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Remove the bracket.
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Using a T3 Torx Driver:
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Remove the two 1.3 mm screws securing the Thunderbolt flex cable cover on the left.
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Remove two more 1.3 mm screws from the Thunderbolt cable cover on the right.
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Peel back the tape covering the keyboard cable connector.
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Use a spudger to gently pry straight up on the long locking flap on the ZIF connector for the keyboard cable.
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Peel back any tape covering the left speaker cable connector.
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Peel back any tape covering the right speaker cable connector.
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Peel back any tape covering the first keyboard backlight cable connector.
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Disconnect the keyboard backlight by pulling its cable away from the logic board until it releases from its socket.
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If possible, pull on the tape attached to the cable, rather than the cable itself, to reduce the risk of damage.
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Move the cable away from its connector so it can more easily clear the logic board during removal.
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Open the locking flap on the right fan's ZIF connector by prying it straight up from the logic board.
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Disconnect the right fan by pulling its cable away from the logic board until it releases from its socket.
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If possible, pull on the tape attached to the cable, rather than the cable itself, to reduce the risk of damage.
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Open the locking flap on the left fan's ZIF connector by prying it straight up from the logic board.
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Disconnect the left fan by pulling its cable away from the logic board until it releases from its socket.
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If possible, pull on the tape attached to the cable, rather than the cable itself, to reduce the risk of damage.
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Peel back any tape covering the other keyboard backlight connector.
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Open the locking flap on the keyboard backlight's ZIF connector by prying it straight up from the logic board.
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Disconnect the keyboard backlight by pulling its cable away from the logic board until it releases from its socket.
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If possible, pull on the tape attached to the cable, rather than the cable itself, to reduce the risk of damage.
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Peel back any tape covering the microphone array connector.
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Open the locking flap on the microphone array's ZIF connector by prying it straight up from the logic board.
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Disconnect the microphone array by pulling its cable away from the logic board until it releases from its socket.
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If possible, pull on the tape attached to the cable, rather than the cable itself, to reduce the risk of damage.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the single 2.9 mm screw securing the antenna cable bundle.
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Remove all eleven screws securing the logic board assembly:
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Three 3.3 mm T3 Torx screws
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Two 3.6 mm T5 Torx screws
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Four 2.9 mm T5 Torx screws
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One 4.0 mm T8 Torx screw
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One 4.0 mm T8 Torx screw (large head)
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Peel up (but don't remove) the rubber vibration damping strip from the adhesive holding it to the fan.
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If needed, apply mild heat with an iOpener, hair dryer, or heat gun to soften the adhesive and make the dampers easier to separate.
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Repeat for the other adhesive strip on the opposite fan.
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To protect your display, place a sheet of aluminum foil between the display and keyboard and leave it there while you work.
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Additionally, use painter's tape to seal off the area under the trackpad as best you can. Optionally, you may also layer an absorbent towel directly underneath the trackpad area to soak up any excess adhesive remover.
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Now that your MacBook Pro is fully prepped, it's time to prep yourself.
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Wear eye protection when handling and applying the adhesive remover. (Eye protection is included in your kit.)
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Do not wear contact lenses without eye protection.
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Protective gloves are also included in your kit. If you are concerned about possible skin irritation, put your gloves on now.
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Tool used on this step:Plastic Cards$2.99
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After a couple minutes, insert one corner of a plastic card underneath the battery, starting from the lower edge of the bottom, right-most cell.
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Wiggle the card from side to side and slide it all the way underneath both battery cells.
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Lift the cells to fully separate the adhesive, but don't try to remove them from your MacBook yet.
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Leave the plastic card temporarily underneath the cells to prevent the adhesive from re-bonding as you proceed to the next step.
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Tool used on this step:Tweezers$4.99
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Lift and remove the battery.
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Peel off any large strips of adhesive using tweezers or gloved fingers.
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Scrape away any remaining chunks of adhesive with a plastic tool, and clean the underlying areas with adhesive remover or isopropyl alcohol. Wipe in one direction (not back and forth) until the chassis is clean and ready for your new battery.
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This can take quite a bit of work, so be patient.
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Tool used on this step:Tesa 61395 Tape$12.99
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If your battery came with adhesive pre-installed on the bottom, flip it over and carefully peel away the liner to expose the adhesive. If your battery did not come with adhesive, apply a thin double-sided adhesive tape such as Tesa 61395 to keep your battery in place.
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Carefully position the battery and set it into place.
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Press and hold each cell firmly for 5-10 seconds to secure it to the lower case.
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To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Ask our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Ask our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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46 Comments
Amazing. This is truly thorough, and as soon as this battery starts to fail, will come back here. Nice work documenting a whole assembly line.
If I want to replace my fans, it looks like I can follow this guide to step 66 and then just figure it out from there? Is there a guide somewhere on this? Thanks!
You can do as you wrote for replacing only the fan. Ther’s nothing more to know about it.
I see that the MacBook Pro 13 logic board remains in place in iFixit battery replacement guide. Is there any reason why in the MacBook Pro 16 the logic board cannot remain in place while removing and reinstalling the battery?
