The left USB port on this MacBook Air stopped working properly. Any USB device plugged in into the left port doesn’t fit all the way in. It feels like something inside the USB port is staying on the way. Also, any USB device plugged in into the left port is not being recognized by the operating system. The right USB port, on the other hand, has no issues at all and still works as it should.

In this guide I show how to repair a damaged USB port on a MacBook Air laptop without replacing any part. This repair should work for 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air 2013-2017 laptops assuming you have the same kind of USB port failure of course.

USB port problem description

Here’s the right (healthy) USB port. The flash drive connector fits all the way in and the plastic body of the drive is almost touching the laptop case.

Here’s the left (damaged) USB port. Only about 2/3 of the connector fits in into the USB port and it doesn’t go any further. The operating system doesn’t recognize the flash drive at all when it’s plugged in into the left side.

Identifying the problem with USB port

In order to figure out what is wrong with the USB port, I had to use a microscope and take a closer look inside.

Here’s a closeup picture of the healthy side. There are five grounding strips located on the USB port housing and in this case all five strips are perfectly aligned. There is a gap between each grounding strip and the plastic contact support block inside the USB port.

Here’s a closeup picture of the failed USB port. Two grounding strips (pointed with red arrows) are bent and they are touching the plastic contact support block.

In order to repair the damaged port it’s necessary to remove the I/O board because you cannot access the damaged grounding strips from the top.

Here’s a closer look at the USB port housing on the motherboard (working side). Do you see how all five grounding strips are perfectly aligned?

Here’s a closer look at the USB port on the I/O board (damaged side). Two out of five grounding strips are bent inwards.

Steps to fix damaged USB port

STEP 1.
Bend the damaged USB port grounding strips upwards using a needle nose tweezers.

Both damaged strips are standing up now.

STEP 2.
You can try straightening the damaged grounding strips but I decided to break them off of the USB port completely.
Grab the damaged strip with a need nose pliers and start turning it left and right until the strip breaks off cleanly.

After the first damaged strip is removed, remove the second one.

Here’s how the USB port housing looks like with both damaged strips removed.

STEP 3.
Plug a USB flash drive or any other device into the fixed USB port to make sure it fits properly.

STEP 4.
Before installing the repaired I/O boar back into your MacBook Air laptop, make sure the remaining three grounding strips are bent a little bit upwards.

Re-assemble the laptop and enjoy the fixed USB port.

In this post I explain how I fixed the trackpad and keyboard after water spill on a MacBook Air. The trackpad and keyboard stopped working completely after a very minor spill somewhere in the area of the spacebar.

Everything else in this MacBook Air kept working fine like the water damage has never happened. An external keyboard and mouse connected via one of the USB ports also functioned properly.

First of all, I removed the bottom cover to do visual inspection of the internal laptop components. For removing the bottom cover you will need a special P5 Pentalobe screwdriver.

Two screws I marked with green circles are longer than other eight screws.

After removing the bottom cover I disconnected and removed the battery to take a closer look at the trackpad area. For removing the battery you will need a T5 Torx screwdriver.

Again, three screws I marked with green circles are longer than two other screws. Pay attention during the reassembly process.

I didn’t find any water damage on the logic board. No signs of oxidation or corrosion.

In order to troubleshoot a problem like that you have to understand how the signal goes from the keyboard and trackpad into the logic board.

In a Macbook Air the keyboard is not connected directly into the logic board. A signal from the keyboard travels into the trackpad (red arrow), after that it travels through the trackpad circuit board (green arrow) and eventually goes into the logic board though the trackpad cable (yellow arrow).

• If the trackpad still works, but the keyboard doesn’t, it’s either bad keyboard which has to be replaced or there is a failure in the chain somewhere between the red arrow and green arrow.
• If the trackpad acting weird (the pointer moves on its own, moves erratically, clicks by itself) but the keyboard still works, most likely it’s just a bad trackpad and replacing it with a new one will fix the issue.
• If both stopped working at the same time (like in my case), you’ll have to take a closer look at the cables and connectors in the red-green-yellow chain.

There are three connections in this chain:

• Red rectangular- connection between the keyboard cable and the trackpad circuit board.
• Green rectangular – connection between the circuit board and the cable.
• Yellow rectangular – connection between the trackpad cable and the logic board.

My troubleshooting steps

STEP 1.

I disconnected the trackpad cable from the logic board. In order to release the cable you’ll have to unlock the connector by lifting up the locking tab (red arrow) and after that pull the cable out.

Be very gentle because it’s a fragile connector. The locking tab can be easily damaged if you apply too much force.

After that I looked very closely into the connector and found some evidence of the water damage inside. There was some light blue residue on the golden connectors. You’ll see on the last picture what it did to the cable.

I very carefully cleaned up the bluish residue on the connector pins using a soft toothbrush and 99% isopropyl alcohol.

STEP 2.

I disconnected the cable from the trackpad and inspected the connector. I didn’t find any water damage in there.

If the see any water damage on this connector, it’s necessary to replace the trackpad.

STEP 3.

I removed the trackpad cable and set it aside for later.

STEP 4.

The last connector to inspect was for the keyboard cable. Releasing this cable can be a little bit tricky because the connector is hidden under the cable.

Again, unlock the connector first (red arrow) and pull the cable out. I didn’t find any damage inside this connector either.

STEP 5.

After inspecting all the connectors, I moved to the cables. The keyboard cable looked clean and undamaged.

STEP 6.

Now it’s time for the trackpad cable.

The end that connects to the trackpad looked great. All golden traces were intact and undamaged.

The end that goes into the logic board, on the other hand, didn’t look healthy! You’ll have to use a microscope or magnifying glass to insect those traces.

As you see, in my case two traces on this end of the cable were corroded and burned.

In MacBook Air laptops this cable is a very common point of failure. There is some voltage running through the connectors and when liquid gets inside, the cable traces get damaged very easily.

I was able to fix the trackpad and keyboard issue in my water damaged MacBook Air simply by cleaning up one of the connectors and replacing a $7 cable.

Connecting two Macs in order to migrate data (user files, applications and settings) from one to another is pretty much straightforward and uncomplicated process.

As long as you can find the right cable that links two Macs together, you can start moving files in a few clicks.

Before you start, make sure the storage space in the target computer is large enough to hold the data from the old computer otherwise the migration process will fail.

How to start data transfer to your new Mac

STEP 1.
Find the right cable that fits both, your old computer (source) and new computer (target). I will discuss different cables and adapters in greater details later in this post.

STEP 2.
Power up your new computer. I assume your computer has a freshly installed OS and it boots to the OS X Setup Assistant as shown on the following picture.

If the user account on your new Mac has been configured already, you can force it to re-run the OS X Setup Assistant and start fresh.

Alternatively, you can make a bootable USB install drive and reinstall Mac OS from scratch.

STEP 3.
Power up your old computer in Target Disk Mode.

Hold down the “T” key and push on the power button. Keep holing the “T” key down until the Target Disk Mode symbol appears on the screen.

It can be a Thunderbolt or FireWire symbol depending on the type of cable in use.

STEP 4.
Now go to the target Mac and follow the OS X Setup Assistant until you get to the “Transfer Information to This Mac” page.

Select “From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk” option which is NOT selected by default.

Click Continue.

STEP 5.
On the next page you should see the source hard drive detected by the target computer.

Click Continue.

Note: If the source hard drive is not detected, there could be a problem with the source hard drive or file system on the source drive.

STEP 6.
On the next page you should see all the information available for transfer to your new computer (user files, applications, computer and network settings, other files and folders).

If you want your new Mac to be configured exactly as the old one, select everything and click continue.

Now just wait until the data transfer is completed.

Now I will discuss different ways to connect one Mac to another.

As an example I will explain how to connect different laptop models but you can use it for iMacs and MacMinis because they have similar ports.

Connecting two MacBook Pros (2008-2010)

The only port available for linking two laptops to each other is the FireWire 800 Port.

In this case you should use FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable shown on the following picture.

Connecting MacBook Air (2011-2017) to MacBook Pro (2008-2009)

In this case we run into mismatching ports. One of the laptops has the Thunderbolt port and the other one has the FireWire 800 port.

In order to link these computers to each other you will have to use a FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable and FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter.

Connecting two MacBook Pros (2011-2012)

In this case we have two different options available because each laptop has two different ports.

I would suggest using the faster connection link which is Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable.

Connecting MacBook Pro (2011-2012), MacBook Air (2011-2017) and MacBook Pro Retina (2012-2017)

All newer laptops have at least one Thunderbolt port (version 1 or 2) available.

Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable is the best way to go.

Connecting MacBook Pro Retina (2012-2015), MacBook Air (2011-2017) and MacBook Pro (2016-1017)

In the latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017) models Apple introduced Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports.

In order to connect the latest model to the previous models you’ll have to use a Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt (version 1 or2) cable and USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.

Connecting two latest MacBook Pros (2016-1017)

If you are transferring data between two latest MacBook Pros (2016-2017), you should use the  Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) cable. This cable supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer up to 40 Gbps.

Do not confuse it with USB-C Charge Cable which looks identical and also works for data transfer but does it at a much lower speed.

Migrating data into new Mac from old hard drive

If your old computer failed but the hard drive is still available and healthy, you can migrate data directly from the hard drive removed from the old Mac.

It’s the exact same data migration procedure as I described at the very beginning of this post (going though OS X Setup Assistant) but you’ll have to use an external hard drive enclosure or adapter instead. Take a look at the following pictures as an example.

Migrating data from 3.5″ iMac hard drive using USB enclosure

Migrating data from 2.5″ HDD/SSD using USB enclosure

Migrating data from MacBook Pro/Air SSD using USB enclosure

If the source SSD has been removed from a newer MacBook Pro/Air laptop, you can use OWC enclosures for Apple SSDs.

Connecting external SSD to latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017)

You cannot connect an external USB enclosure directly to the latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017) with USB-C ports.

You will have to use a USB-C to USB adapter, for example this USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.

Today I will show how to remove a stuck DVD or CD disc from a MacBook Pro laptop.

In this example I’m removing it from a 13-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) but you should be able to use this guide for any other 13″, 15″ or 17″ MacBook Pro. All disassembly steps should be very similar.

On Apple computers you will not find the eject pin hole which is present on most PC laptops. If a DVD or CD got stuck in the optical drive, you will have to open up the laptop case, remove the optical drive and take it apart (partially).

It’s not difficult. The entire procedure will not take more than 15-30 minutes depending on your technical skills.

Alternatively, you can use an external USB optical CD/DVD drive.

STEP 1.

Remove ten Phillips screws securing the bottom cover. Three screws I marked with yellow circles are longer than other screws.

Remove the cover.

STEP 2.

Disconnect the battery cable from the logic board.

The optical drive is easily accessible but it’s mounted under a couple of cables.

STEP 3.

Carefully disconnect the web camera cable from the logic board.

STEP 4.

Unplug (left to right) the hard drive cable, optical drive cable and the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cable.

STEP 5.

Remove the webcam cable from the guided path on the side of Wi-Fi card and speaker assembly.

STEP 6.

Remove three screws securing the assembly.

One screw I marked with a yellow circle is shorter than two other screws.

STEP 7.

Carefully slide the Wi-Fi card and speaker assembly to the right. We don’t have to remove it completely.

We have to move it just enough to access one screw securing the optical drive.

STEP 8.

Here’s the screw we are trying to access. Remove it.

STEP 9.

Remove the second screw securing the drive in the lower left corner.

STEP 10.

Remove the last screw securing the drive to the metal bracket.

STEP 11.

Lift up and pull the optical drive out of the laptop.

Be careful with the hard drive cable because it will be on the way.

STEP 12.

Remove the optical drive.

STEP 13.

Now we’ll have to remove (partially) the cover in order to rescue the stuck CD/DVD disc.

Remove four screws from the cover.

STEP 14.

Peel off the tape on the side.

STEP 15.

Separate the cover from the drive just enough to access the disc.

Lift up the disc a little bit to unsnap it from the spindle.

STEP 16.

Now you can remove the stuck DVD or CD disc and reassemble the laptop following all steps in the opposite direction.

In this guide I show how to replace failed trackpad on a MacBook Air 13-inch or 11-inch laptop.

In my case the trackpad started working erratically. The cursor was jumping all over the screen and moving on its own even if the trackpad wasn’t touched.

TIP: if your trackpad stopped clicking, check the battery. It’s likely the battery is swollen and blocking the trackpad from moving freely. If the trackpad clicks properly with the battery removed, you’ll have to replace the battery.

STEP 1.

Place the laptop upside down and remove ten P5 Pentalobe screws securing the bottom cover.

Remove the cover.

NOTE: two screws I marked with yellow circles are longer than screws marked with red circles.

STEP 2.

Pull the battery cable out of the connector on the logic board.

STEP 3.

Remove five T5 Torx screws securing the battery. Three screws on the top (yellow circles) are longer that two screws on the bottom (red circles).

Remove the battery.

STEP 4.

Now you can access the trackpad.

In the following steps I’ll show how to disconnect the trackpad cable (red arrow) and keyboard cable which is hidden (yellow arrow).

STEP 5.

On the following picture the trackpad cable connector shown in the locked state.

Open up the connector by lifting up the locking tab. You can use tweezers or your fingernail.

The locking tab will open up at a 90 degree angle.

Carefully pull the trackpad cable out of the connector.

STEP 6.

The keyboard plugs in into the connector which is hidden under the flex cable.

On the following picture the keyboard connector shown in the locked state.

Open up the connector by lifting up the black tab in the shown direction. You can use tweezers for that.

Pull the keyboard cable out of the connector.

STEP 7.

When all cables are disconnected, we can start removing the trackpad.

Remove six screws securing brackets to the laptop case.

You will need a very fine PH00 Phillips screwdriver.

Start separating the trackpad from the laptop case.

Remove the trackpad. Now it’s ready for the replacement.

STEP 8.

It’s likely that your new trackpad will not have metal brackets installed.

In this case you’ll have to transfer them from the old one. Each bracket is secured by three screws.

STEP 9.

Start installing the new trackpad. Position the lower side (red arrow) first.

STEP 10.

Install only two screws but do not tighten them completely.

STEP 11.

Adjust position of the trackpad. Make sure it’s seated evenly and gaps on each side are equal.

After that you can tighten the brackets and install remaining four screws.

TIP: if the trackpad doesn’t click properly, you can try adjusting the screw. In most cases it’s not necessary.

STEP 12.

Insert the keyboard cable back into the connector.

There is a white line on the keyboard cable. Make sure the cable goes all the way down into the connector and the white line levels with the connector.

Close the locking tab (yellow arrow).

Finally, connect the trackpad cable back in place and assemble the laptop.

Today I’ll be replacing cracked screen on a 13-inch MacBook Air. This laptop was dropped and the screen got messed up. The left side of the screen still displays normally but the right side shows only bleeding colors.

You can use this guide for replacing damaged display assembly on any 13-inch MacBook Air produced in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

We’ll be removing some internal components and screws so be organized, make notes. Keep track of the screws.

You’ll need following tools: P2 Pentalobe 1.2mm screwdriver, T5 and T8 Torx screwdriver, tweezers and plastic pry tool.

STEP 1.

Remove ten P5 screws securing the bottom cover. Two screws circled in yellow are longer than eight screws circled in red.

Separate the bottom cover from the body of the laptop.

STEP 2.

Disconnect the battery by pulling the tab attached to the connector.

STEP 3.

Remove the black flex cable connecting the MagSafe board with the logic board.

In order to unplug the flex cable, lift it up from the connector using plastic pry tool.

Disconnect cable on both ends.

The flex cable attached to the fan by adhesive tape.

Separate cable from the fan and remove it.

STEP 4.

Disconnect cooling fan cable from the logic board.

Unlock the connector by lifting up the locking tab at a 90 degree angle (red arrow). Pull the cable from the connector (yellow arrow).

STEP 5.

Remove three T5 screws securing the fan. All three screws have different length. Pay attention which screw goes where.

Lift up the heatsink gasket.

Remove cooling fan from the laptop.

STEP 6.

Disconnect the MagSafe board power cable from the logic board.

STEP 7.

Disconnect the webcam cable. I use tweezers to push the webcam cable plug out of the connector.

Unroute the webcam cable.

TIP: if the cable got stuck under the MagSafe board, remove one screw securing the board and lift it up a little bit. It’s not necessary to remove the board completely. Just lifting up the left side should be enough to release the cable.

STEP 8.

Unplug antenna cables from the Wi-Fi Bluetooth card.

STEP 9.

Unroute antenna cables from the guided path in the top case.

STEP 10.

Now we are going to disconnect the display screen cable.

Unlock the connector by lifting up the metal bracket.

Pull the cable out of the connector by the black tab.

After all cables are unplugged and unrouted we ready to remove the display.

There are six T8 screws securing display hinges.

Open up the display and place the laptop upside down on the edge of the desk.

STEP 11.

Remove three screws securing the left hinge.

There is a metal bracket attached to the antenna cable.

STEP 12.

Remove three more screws securing the right hinge.

STEP 13.

Separate the display assembly from the laptop body.

Now we are ready for replace the damaged display with a new one.

In MacBook Air laptops the LCD screen is permanently glued inside the display assembly. If the screen got cracked or damaged otherwise, it’s necessary to replace the entire assembly as it shown on the following picture.

Here are a couple of tips for reassembly.

In order to make sure that your new display mounted correctly, do the following.

Install just one screw on each hinge but do not tighten them yet.

Close the display and move it as necessary to make sure it’s seated evenly on each side of the laptop.

After that tighten two screws and install remaining screws securing the hinges.

When installing antenna cable back in place, push them into the guided path using plastic pry tool.

Reassemble the laptop following all steps in the opposite direction.

Today I’ll be replacing damaged headphone jack in a 13-inch MacBook Air laptop (model A1466).

In this particular case the headphone jack just started failing. In order to get any sound through headphones I had to wiggle the audio plug, find the right position.

This guid should fit all 13″ MacBook Air laptop models 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

The headphone jack located on the I/O board. The cheapest way to fix that problem is to replace the entire board about $15-20.

Update: here’s how to repair damaged USB port without replacing the I/O board.

STEP 1.

Remove 10 P5 Pentalobe screws securing the bottom cover.

Two screws that I marked with yellow circles are longer than 8 screws marked with red circles.

Lift up the cover and separate it from the body.

STEP 2.

Disconnect the battery connector from the logic board. Pull it out using the black tab.

STEP 3.

Disconnect the flex cable from the logic board and I/O board.

In order to disconnect it, lift up the connector using plastic pry tool.

Separate the cable from the fan. It’s attached by adhesive tape.

STEP 4.

Now we are going to disconnect the cooling fan cable. Be careful, this connector is fragile.

Lift up the left side of the connector locking tab so it opens up at a 90 degree angle (red arrow).

Using tweezers pull the fan cable out of the connector.

STEP 5.

Remove three Torx T5 screws securing the cooling fan.

All three screws have different length. Make notes or draw a diagram of the correct location for each screw.

STEP 6.

Lift up the heatsink gasket and remove the fan. The gasket attached to the fan by adhesive tape.

STEP 7.

Lift up the left speaker connector in order to disconnect it from the I/O board.

STEP 8.

The microphone cable disconnection procedure is similar to the cooling fan cable.

Unlock the connector (red arrow) and pull the microphone cable out (yellow arrow).

STEP 9.

Disconnect the I/O board power cable from the logic board.

STEP 10.

Carefully disconnect the webcam cable from the logic board. Do not pull by the cable, use tweezers and push the connector out instead.

STEP 11.

Remove one Torx T5 screw securing the I/O board.

STEP 12.

While removing the I/O board, take a closer look at how the webcam cable is routed.

STEP 13.

Remove the I/O board.

STEP 14.

Replace it with a new board and assemble the laptop following all steps in the opposite direction.

If the laptop wasn’t assembled correctly, you may run into a few problems. Let’s go through a few troubleshooting techniques:

1. Both laptop speakers stopped working but they worked prior the disassembly. There is no chime sound on startup. TIP: Make sure the I/O board cable connected correctly. Try reseating it on both ends.
2. The MagSafe adapter LED stays green all the time even though it should turn orange when the battery is charging. TIP: Make sure the I/O board cable connected correctly. Try reseating it on both ends.
3. Left speaker stopped working. TIP: Check connection shown in the Step 7. Reconnect the cable.
4. Webcam stopped working: TIP: Check connection shown in the Step 10. Reconnect the cable.
5. Microphone stopped working: TIP: Check connection shown in the Step 7. Reconnect the cable. Make sure it’s seated all the way down.

In this guide I will be fixing a 13″ MacBook Pro Retina laptop with “no video” issue by replacing the display LVDS cable. In this particular guide I’m fixing a Late 2013 model but all disassembly steps should be the same for 2014 and 2015 MacBook Pro Retina models.

I received this laptop with the following problem description: It turns on and chimes but has no video and no backlight. Video still works on the external monitor connected via Thunderbolt or HDMI ports.

I confirmed the issue and it was exactly as described.

Well… if you have a problem like that it can be one of the following:

• Bad connection between the display cable on the logic board or display side.
• Failed LVDS display cable.
• Failed display.
• Logic board related issues.

Reconnecting or replacing the display LVDS cable should be the first thing to try because it’s the cheapest option.

For this repair you will need screwdrivers for Apple laptops.

STEP 1.

Remove ten screws from the bottom. For this you will need a special P5 Pentalobe screwdriver.

Two screws that I marked with yellow circles are shorter than screws marked with red circles.

Separate the bottom cover from the body and remove it.

STEP 2.

You should always disconnect the battery while working with the internal components.

Carefully lift up the battery connector and separate if from the logic board.

STEP 3.

Remove rubber covers from both hinges. There is adhesive tape on the bottom side of the rubber cover. Try to keep the adhesive tape intact so you can reuse it.

STEP 4.

Remove left and right hinge brackets. Each bracket is secured by one Torx T5 screw.

STEP 5.

Unlock the display LVDS cable by lifting up the metal bracket.

Carefully pull the display cable out of the connector.

STEP 6.

Remove the heatsink gasket.

STEP 7.

Disconnect three antenna cables from the wireless card.

If you look closely, you’ll see that each cable is marked. There is a short black tube on the left wire, long black tube on the middle wire and no tube on the right wire.

STEP 8.

Carefully disconnect the webcam cable from the logic board. Do not pull by the cable or you can damage it.

The cable is attached to the cooling fan with adhesive tape. Separate the cable from the fan.

STEP 9.

Place the laptop upside down on the desk edge so the display remains open.

Remove six Torx T8 screws securing the display hinges.

STEP 10.

Now you can separate the display assembly from the laptop body.

STEP 11.

You will find two side covers attached to the left and right sides of the clutch cover.

Start removing it from the back using tweezers.

Lift up the side cover and unsnap it from the clutch cover.

Remove the left side cover. Do the same with the right cover.

STEP 12.

Place the display assembly on the desk and slide the clutch cover to the shown direction.

Slide the cover until it touches the left hinge.

STEP 13.

Start separating the clutch cover from the display assembly. You can use plastic pry tool or guitar pick.

It might be necessary to apply some reasonable force in order to remove the cover. There are hidden latches securing it to the display assembly. Also, it might take some effort to install it back in place.

Probably it’s easier to remove the cover if you start lifting up by the left hinge, not the right as shown on my picture.

The clutch cover has been removed.

STEP 14.

Remove six Philips screws securing the WiFi antenna board.

STEP 15.

Remove two T8 screws securing the left hinge.

The left hinge is permanently attached to the display cable.

STEP 16.

Unwrap black tape securing the connection.

Unroute the display cable.

STEP 17.

Lift up the WiFi board and separate it from the display assembly.

Be careful, it’s still attached on the right side.

STEP 18.

Lift up the metal bracket in order to unlock the display LVDS cable.

Disconnect the display cable from the LCD screen.

Hopefully replacing this cable will fix your problem. I’ve fixed a few 13″ MacBook Pro Retina “no video” issues by doing that.

Sometimes, just reseating the cable connection on the LCD screen fixes the issue.

These cables are cheap, around $10 on eBay. Probably it’s better to buy a new cable before you start the disassembly process, just in case if you need one.