Can I upgrade the SSD in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

Apple does not do upgrades so you either need to do it yourself or seek out an Apple-trained third-party tech.

Information on the upgrade showing parts for your MacBook pro sub-model and typical pricing are here:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/macbook-pro-retina-display/2013-2014-2015

If you wish to see what is involved before deciding on the do-it-yourself option, this install video will help:

https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_pro_retina_15_inch_2013_2014_2015_ssd/MacBookPro11-4/

The way to be sure all your old data is moved is to place the new drive in an external enclosure and clone the existing drive to it. The "kit" option on the page I page I linked comes with a drive enclosure that makes this part easy.

I use the free version of Carbon Copy Cloner because it does a very nice job of creating the important recovery partition that you may need in the future for troubleshooting/repair. Get it only from the developers' site: https://bombich.com

External drives used to be hulking monsters that required an external power supply.

These days, a fast (500-ish read and write), bus-powered SSD on a single USB cord cord looks like this:

3.8-in by 2.0 in by 1/3-in thick

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1380214-REG/sandisk_sdssde60_1t00_g25_extreme_600_1tb_ssd.html

.

An independent AASP may perform the upgrade for you.

If you do the upgrade, make sure to keep the original Apple SSD since it is sometimes required to install system firmware updates. For some reason Apple's firmware installers sometimes will not work when using a third party SSD in the Retina laptops.

As far as I know, Apple doesn’t do it, and AASPs aren't supposed to be able to order a replacement SSD unless it’s for a failing SSD. And even then it has to be the equivalent part/capacity.

There are third party SSDs from OWC and Transcend where the seller claims they will work. No seller has an external USB enclosure for your SSD.

The way to do it would be to create a backup. It could be a bootable clone or a Time Machine backup. Then it could be cloned back to your new drive or Time Machine can boot externally and be used to restore to your new drive.

y_p_w wrote:

As far as I know, Apple doesn’t do it, and AASPs aren't supposed to be able to order a replacement SSD unless it’s for a failing SSD. And even then it has to be the equivalent part/capacity.

I mentioned independent AASPs as they may sometimes provide extra services by installing third party upgrades.

There are third party SSDs from OWC and Transcend where the seller claims they will work. No seller has an external USB enclosure for your SSD.

OWC makes the Envoy Pro enclosures for use with the original Apple SSDs. Make sure to select the correct one for your particular Mac. ONLY the Apple SSD will work with these enclosures.

https://eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=envoy%20pro%20enclosure&filter.catidpath=4353&filter.dimension_type_135=Bare%20Enclosure%20Only

I got the cutoff point wrong on when the Envoy Pro series stops supporting Apple SSDs.

However, I’ve heard from many third party repair places that they won’t specifically become AASPs because Apple wouldn’t allow them to perform any service that Apple doesn’t do themselves or isn't considered suitable for DIY (like a SATA drive or RAM installation). And dropping in a Transcend SSD is definitely not kosher for Apple.