The Transcend SSD upgrade kit is basically an all-in-one solution, meaning you won’t need to shop for the screw drivers independently (and yes, other brands offer some similar package solutions, Transcend just happened to be the best overall deal when I was shopping for this MacBook replacement drive) I like the Transcend option for several reasons it’s well priced, it’s very fast, it’s highly rated, it offers a good warranty, and it comes with a complete upgrade kit which includes an enclosure for the old SSD as well as the necessary screw drivers to complete the job. My particular choice for this project was this Transcend 240GB SSD Upgrade Kit. There are many brands and types of replacement SSD drives to choose from, you can research this if you want to, or if you have a preferred brand then go with that. Step 2: Picking the Replacement SSD Upgrade / Kit Once you know the exact model and model year of the computer, you can find a compatible SSD drive on a reseller site like Amazon.įor the sake of this article, let’s say the MacBook Air is a 2012 model year. You can get the model and model year of any Mac by going to the  Apple menu and choosing “About This Mac”, where in the overview screen you will see something like “MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2012)” or similar. This typically depends on the model year of the MacBook Air itself, so it is critical that you know which model year the computer is.

The first step is to insure the replacement SSD is compatible with the MacBook Air model. Step 1: Checking Replacement SSD Compatibility with MacBook Air

Swapping hardware may void a warranty on a newer Mac, so if the Mac is under warranty just take it to an Apple Support provider or Apple Store and they can handle all of this instead. Keep in mind this is really only applicable to Macs that are outside of warranty service, and for those who are comfortable tooling around in their hardware. There are many great detailed tutorials that walk through the entire process from sites like iFixIt, and we’ll link to a few below.

Beyond that it’s really not particularly complicated, even if it involves taking apart the Mac and putting it back together again. If you’re going to replace the SSD on a MacBook Air for any reason, you’ll need a few things the new replacement SSD drive that is compatible with the Mac, a series of specific screwdrivers, at least two or three separate little bins for temporary screw storage, and some patience.

Macbook pro hdd replacement