Screen replacement
Often the panel only — not Apple's whole assembly.
MacBook · Swollen cells too · Hialeah & Miami Lakes, FL
MacBook battery replacement
MacBook batteries are glued into the top case, and as they age they swell — lifting the trackpad, bowing the case, and eventually pressing up against the board.
Solvent release, never priedTrackpad reseatedCycle count checked Most repairs same day
Getting one out safely is a job for solvent and patience. Anyone levering a swollen MacBook cell out with a pry tool is one slip away from a fire.
The tell nobody spots
If your trackpad has stopped clicking
This is the one people miss. A swelling battery sits directly under the trackpad, and as it grows it pushes up and stops the click working properly. Most owners assume the trackpad has failed.
It hasn't. Check whether the laptop still sits flat on a desk — if it rocks, that's the case bowing, and the battery is the reason. Come in sooner rather than later on this one.
Symptoms
Time for a battery when…
- macOS says Service Recommended or Replace Now
- It runs down in an hour or two
- The trackpad clicks oddly, or not at all
- The laptop no longer sits flat on a table
Safety
One important question
How dangerous is a swollen battery really?
Enough that we'd rather you stopped using it on charge and brought it in. Don't press the case, don't travel with it in a bag under pressure. It's not scaremongering — a punctured lithium cell is a genuine fire risk.
Also on MacBook
Other MacBook work
Charging port repair
Port, charging chip, or a fuse a bad charger blew.
Won't turn on
Logic board repair, keeping your soldered storage.
Keyboard repair
Sticking keys, doubled letters, dead keys.
Liquid damage
Time-critical. Sooner is dramatically cheaper.
Trackpad not clicking?
That's usually the battery, and it's worth doing soon.
Get an instant quote →