How to Replace the Unibody Macbook Glass LCD

September 25th, 2009

How to Repair Unibody Macbook Glass

It used to be that if your screen cracked on your laptop, you’d just replace the LCD and be done with it. That unfortunately is no longer the case. With the introduction of the Unibody Macbook and Macbook pro models, Apple changed the design of the display assembly. Now, there is a glass panel assembly that is placed on top of the LCD panel. The good news is that it is possible to crack just the glass panel and save yourself some money. The bad news is that it is also possible to crack both the glass panel and the LCD.

13” Macbook Glass - $59.95

13” Macbook Pro Glass - $59.95

15” Macbook Pro Glass - $69.95

If you take your Macbook to most repair companies with a cracked display, they’ll undoubtedly say you need to replace the entire display assembly and charge you some astronomical figure. It really isn’t an extremely difficult procedure to do yourself however, and so we’ve created the guide below to show you just how to do it.

The guide below is for the 13 Inch Macbook and Macbook Pro Unibody models. The 15 Inch procedure is similar, but not identical. We’ll have that guide available shortly.

If you’re not up for the repair, our Mac Service Center can do the job for you for $154.95 for a 15″ Macbook Pro, $154.95 for a 13″ Macbook or Macbook Pro, or $164.95 for a 17″ Macbook Pro.

The Procedure: (Video Format)

The Procedure: (Text and Photo Format)

Click on any photo to go to a higher detail photo.

To begin, use a heat gun to loosen the double sided adhesive strip that holds the glass in place. Use caution, and heat the glass in short segments as over heating can cause damage to your LCD.With the glass heated, place a strong suction cup on the glass  and pull up and away from the glass.

If heated properly, you’ll be able to see a small gap between the glass and the and the rest of the display. Insert a thin piece of plastic such as a credit card or movie rental card into the opening. Work the piece of plastic in enough where it can be slid along the seem of the glass. This will break the adhesive strip holding the glass in place.Repeat this procedure along the entire edge of the glass assembly. When you meet resistance, heat the area and repeat.

To reassemble, place the LCD back in the frame, and insert the LVDS cable backwards through the opening in the bottom the display frame. Then pull the cable through the opening.   You can use a plastic pry tool to assist you in routing the cable.  Be very careful with this cable as it can be easily damaged.

Line the bottom of the LCD up with the bottom frame, and slide it into the groove in the bottom frame. Then make sure the 6 screw holes are properly aligned.  Replace the 6 philip head screws.

Before putting the glass back on, use a cloth to glean any dust or fingerprints from the LCD and glass panel.

So where do you get the glass and LCD?

Macbook 13 Inch Unibody

Glass Panel – $59.95

LCD Panel – $129.95

Macbook Pro 13 Inch Unibody

Glass Panel – $59.95

LCD Panel – $129.95

Macbook Pro 15 Inch Unibody

Glass Panel – $69.95
LCD Panel – $169.95

Tags: apple, display, glass, iPad 2, LCD, mac, Mac Service, Macbook, macbook glass, Macbook Pro, repair, screen
Posted in Mac Repair Guide Releases | 78 Comments »

This entry was posted on Friday, September 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Mac Repair Guide Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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78 Responses to “How to Replace the Unibody Macbook Glass LCD”

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1. 78
   Bradley Says:
   March 14th, 2013 at 10:55 am

   @ shreyas – You likely need to replace your LCD to fix that issue.

2. 77
   shreyas Says:
   March 13th, 2013 at 8:36 pm

   I have

   MacBook Pro 13.3″
   Processor:2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (P8600)
   Model #:A1278
   Production Year:2010

   and on screen there are 3 vertical thin lines appear ( Blue, Yellow and red ) constantly ( No blinking ) I see them constantly , what I need to replace and which parts I need to order from this website ( Please suggest tools also )

   Thanks

   Shreyas

3. 76
   Bradley Says:
   September 18th, 2012 at 11:06 am

   @ Bill – You’ll have the replace the LCD to fix that issue.

4. 75
   Bill Says:
   September 18th, 2012 at 10:49 am

   I have vertical lines, about 1″ wide appearing on the right third of my 15″ unibody screen. They were intermittent at first, as I could apply pressure and they’d go away. If I follow your instructions to access the screen, is there a place where I may find an unseated portion of a cable or aspect of the LCD that I can reseat, or do you think I will need to replace the entire LCD display?

   Thank you!

   Bill on Vashon

5. 74
   Bradley Says:
   August 13th, 2012 at 11:59 am

   @ Diego – Yes, the procedure is the same.

6. 73
   Diego Says:
   August 12th, 2012 at 12:09 am

   Hi There, I was wondering if this procedure it is possible also with Macbook Pro 13″ late 2011 models.
   Thanks

7. 72
   Bradley Says:
   April 17th, 2012 at 4:16 pm

   @John – With liquid damage it is hard to tell. It could be the logic board or the Display. We do offer a free diagnosis service if you wanted to send the machine in to us to be professionally diagnosed.

8. 71
   John Says:
   April 16th, 2012 at 11:17 pm

   I’ve got a 13″ A1278 MacBook Pro, which had a small amount of plain water spilled over the keyboard area.

   After drying etc…the laptop physically powers up correctly and seems to work in every way with the exception of the display which is definitely on (if I point a torch at the screen and look carefully, I can see everything from bootup to desktop correctly)

   I’ve had a look at the cable & logic board connector and there seems to be a small amount of black on the cable pins which may/may not have been there beforehand.

   In your opinion, could this be an LCD backlight fault (they don’t have inverters do they?) needing a new screen or maybe a cable fault or something else?

   Thanks in advance!

9. 70
   Bradley Says:
   February 2nd, 2012 at 5:23 pm

   @Bob – The part is $179.95 and labor is $95. You can give us a call at 1-866-726-3342, option 2 to speak to our repair department.

10. 69
    Bob Says:
    February 1st, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    we have a 17″ macvook pro with anti glare display screen. Nom the display is scratched. display is fine but the scratch mark is viosible. I was wondering hpow can that be fiixed? Apple wants over $500.00. if I send my laptop to you what is the turn arround time and total cost.
    if i want to do it is there any guide? one vodeo I watched shows to take out entire display apart and reinstall it. can I just install the glass?

11. 68
    Bradley Says:
    December 20th, 2010 at 11:14 am

    If you have a 17″ Macbook Pro, then your LCD should be 17.1″. If your LCD is 15.3″, then you have a 15″ Macbook Pro. We sell the glass for the 13″, 15″ and 17″ Macbook models at our online store.

12. 67
    Fred Wydler Says:
    December 17th, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    Great Advice

    I have a MacBook Pro 17″ with a 15.3″ display that needs a new glass. The LCD still works fine. Does anybody know where I can find such a glass. I believe that the same instructions as for the 15″ model still apply. Thanks, Fred

13. 66
    Bradley Says:
    November 30th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    I’d remove the glass, clean it, and then replace the adhesive strips with new ones.

14. 65
    Steen Says:
    November 28th, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    I have a late 2008 Macbook Unibody 13.3″. The glass i not broken. The adhesive strip on the bottom under the name Macbook is slipping. If I daily press a finger along the bottom egde, it will hold. If I forget a day or two it will slip. Some dust has managed to come in behind the glass. Most not visible when the LCD is lit. On larger speckle is however quite annoying. In the long run not satisfying and more dust can be expected I guess.
    I am afraid that I have to take of the glass? You say it should be possible without disassembling the the casing and everything. I guess I would start with the bottom of the glass since it is where it slips, but I feel the space for manouvre is very thight if I start just there. Any suggestions? Two more questions. Can I use any adhesive strip or should I have you send them to me (europe) and please some clever advice for removing dust and cleaning the glass and the LCD. Hopefully I will never come there again.
    Thanks in advance

    with the bottom of teh glass

15. 64
    Bradley Says:
    November 8th, 2010 at 10:08 am

    If you don’t see dark blotches on the screen, then most likely the LCD is fine and you just need to replace the glass.

16. 63
    Tye Says:
    November 6th, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    I’m Perty sure just the glass is cracked on my 15 ” pro how can I b sure? Thanks in advance

17. 62
    Bradley Says:
    October 11th, 2010 at 10:47 am

    It will technically fit, but you’ll have a metal sliver on the top of the display from where the bezel doesn’t cover the LCD frame and you’ll also have metal exposed on the corners from where the later generation models were more square than rounded. You’ll also have uneven edges, but it will technically work.

18. 61
    James W. Says:
    October 9th, 2010 at 2:11 pm

    Hi,

    I would like to know if this 13″ Macbook Unibody screen would fit on an older Macbook 13″ White..I want to mod it
    like the link below.

    http://i37.tinypic.com/28aumg2.jpg

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