MacBook Pro Battery Replacement Guide

Your MacBook Pro is an extension of your life that houses critical documents, pictures, music, and other entities that revolve around your life. When the “brain” or battery to your MacBook Pro diminishes, so does a small piece of yourself. To subside mental and physical hysteria when your laptop refuses to properly function, continue reading to know your way to MacBook Pro battery replacement.

MacBook Pro Battery Expanding or Swelling

When you imagine your MacBook Pro, you envision a sleek, ultra-efficient design cast from premium aluminum. When your MacBook Pro’s battery begins to resemble a pufferfish as it begins to expand or swell, it’s time to replace the battery or turn to the experts at CPR Cell Phone Repair for assistance.

How This Happens

Generally, when a MacBook Pro’s battery cells are overcharged, they react negatively. When the lithium-ion batteries are overcharged, the lithium builds up faster than it can deplete, thus losing its stability. As the lithium loses stability, the reaction produces a combination of heat and gasses inside of the battery. Once gasses are produced and with little ventilation, the battery casing expands and gives off the swollen appearance.

An expanding or swelling battery for your MacBook Pro may start out as the trackpad malfunctioning or a noticeable bulge in your laptop’s case. Overcharging the lithium battery is the leading cause of swelling and expanding. MacBook Pro battery malfunctions also attribute to manufacturing defects, battery life, or mistreatment such as using the incorrect power cord or not exercising the battery.

Even with battery manufacturers developing safeguards to withstand swelling and expansion, all technology can malfunction. If your battery is swelling or expanding, it’s time to replace the battery for your MacBook Pro immediately.

How to Prevent

To prevent your MacBook Pro’s battery from swelling or expanding follow these tips: avoid overcharging, keep your device in a cool environment, replace the battery when it’s noticeably exhausted or not charging, and monitor your MacBook Pro’s battery life. To ensure your battery level is not overcharging, click on the Apple logo > about this mac > more info > system report > power.

Pro Tip: All Mac chargers cease charging by displaying an “orange” LED on the charging cable and “green” when the battery is topped off. Apple recommends you optimize your MacBook’s settings in terms of energy, brightness, Wi-Fi, applications and peripherals to help prolong the life of the battery.

My Battery is Swollen and Expanding, Now What?

If your MacBook Pro’s battery is swollen and expanding, you must exercise extreme caution as the gasses that have built up within are exceptionally toxic. It is imperative that you take the correct precautions when replacing the MacBook Pro battery to avoid injury to yourself and others. If the battery is difficult to remove, do not go any further as serious injury can occur. If you manage to remove the swollen battery, place it in a cool container to avoid the heat.

Once removed dispose at an authorized battery facility and not just in the trash. Many CPR Cell Phone Repair locations have the equipment and processes to safely handle batteries. Other locations include your nearest Apple Store, Best Buy, and Target. Overall it’s best to have a professional technician remove and replace the swollen or expanded battery.

MacBook Pro Battery Replacement Cost

To avoid possible injury, replace your MacBook Pro’s battery with a qualified vendor that provides the best quality parts, and elite technical knowledge. Typical turnaround time for a battery replacement varies by vendor, so be sure to ask your technician when scheduling a drop-off.

Official Apple Store

Apple provides a one-year limited warranty that covers the replacement costs for a defective battery. If you happened to purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan, additional replacement coverage for the battery is included. A complete replacement of the MacBook Pro Battery is included in the AppleCare Protection Plan at no additional charge if the battery retains less than 80 percent of its original capacity. Without the AppleCare Protection Plan, Apple charges a substantial fee. See the chart below for a complete breakdown to replace your MacBook Pro battery at an Apple location.

Is Best Buy Really the Best Option?

Another option to replace the battery for your MacBook Pro is to visit your nearest Best Buy location. Best Buy’s team of technicians, also known as Geek Squad, offers to replace your MacBook Pro battery for around $40.00 plus the cost of install. Expect a two-week turn around for all MacBook Pro battery repairs and to pay $120.00 to $150.00 when choosing Geek Squad.

CPR Cell Phone Repair to the Rescue

At CPR Cell Phone Repair, all MacBook Pro parts come from preferred dealers that ensure high-quality parts and consistency across the network of over 300+ locations. Along with CPR delivering only the most elite parts, all battery repairs are also backed by a 6-month warranty. Sure, you can buy a MacBook Pro battery online but based on the diversity of quality on products found online, there’s no real way to be certain that you’re getting the highest quality product or a warranty like you would at a CPR Cell Phone Repair location. The experts at CPR Cellphone Repair can fix your MacBook Pro battery in about an hour for around $130.00 with labor included!

How to Replace MacBook Pro Battery – DIY Guide

It is imperative to review all possible options prior to replacing the MacBook Pro battery yourself. If you choose to repair the battery yourself, you need to know what model MacBook you have prior to purchasing a new battery. To successfully identify what MacBook Pro model you have, click here.

After you locate your MacBook Pro’s identification number, you can then enter it into EveryMac.com’s, Ultimate Mac Lookup feature to identify all of your MacBook Pro’s specs. You can also identify MacBook Pro’s by their serial number, which happens to be located on the bottom of the laptop within the operating system near the hinge.

Once you’ve discovered the correct replacement battery for your MacBook Pro, follow the instructions below on how to safely replace the old with the new.

You’ll need the following tools to replace your MacBook Pro battery:

New Battery, preferably with a warranty
Phillips #00 Screwdriver
Y1 Tri-wing Screwdriver

Step 1: The Lower Case

Located on the bottom of the MacBook Pro, remove the ten screws that secure the lower case to the upper case.
- Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
- Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

Step 2

Release the clips that holds the lower case to the upper case, ultimately removing the lower case.

Step 3: The Battery

Gently grab and pull the plastic tab attached to the battery connector and slowly pull toward the front edge of the laptop. It’s best to slowly pull the tab parallel to the face of the logic board. NOTE: When working closely to the logic board, disconnect the battery to avoid causing short circuits.

Step 4

Next, you’ll want to remove the three 6.5 mm Y2 Tri-wing screws that are securing the battery to the upper case.

Step 5

Carefully lift up the corner of the “Warning: Do not remove the battery” label off the right subwoofer/speaker using a plastic opening tool or a soft thin edged tool. Do not peel the label completely off the battery.

Step 6

Gently lift the battery by the attached pull tab and remove it from the laptop. To reassemble the new battery, follow these steps in reverse order.

To ensure your Apple MacBook Pro battery is properly replaced the first time, you can rely on the expert repair services of CPR Cell Phone Repair. We keep parts from most common MacBook repairs in stock, so you’ll never wait weeks for your precious devices. We also offer a mail-in repair service for customers who can’t get to a local store.