Although I hardly use it, I’m still keeping my old MacBook Pro 2011 around since I have Windows 10 installed on it for testing purposes. The trackpad started acting funny and needed to be replaced. Knowing it would cost an arm and a leg, I decided to get a replacement part from Amazon and just do it myself.
It was easier than I thought and it took me about 15 minutes to get it done. The hardest part was getting a high-quality replacement part to use and I was lucky to get one. Here is the exact one I’m using. It’s been over a month now and it still works great. Although it’s too early to judge, I’m confident I shouldn’t have to replace it again till I no longer need to machine.
To get it done, follow these steps:
1. Remove the 10 screws holding the bottom cover in place
2. Remove the two screws holding the battery down and pop out the connecting cable from the
3. Remove the battery by pulling the plastic tab.
4. Disconnect the trackpad from the board.
5. Remove the 4 Phillips head screws holding down the trackpad and remove the trackpad.
5. Position the replacement part and put back the four screws you removed.
6. Re-attach the touchpad to the board.
7. Put the battery back in place, tighten the two screws you removed earlier and re-connect the cable to the logic board.
8. Complete the re-assemble and power on the MacBook Pro to test the trackpad.
Refer the the video for a more detailed guide. This should also work for MacBook Pro 2010 13-inch since it has almost the same build as the 2011 model I worked on.
