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Macbook Pro 13 inch (2020 A2289) SSD removal

Hello, I have a Macbook Pro 13 inch (2020 - A2289 i5) which is no longer turning on. I took it to a Apple store and I was informed that unfortunately the motherboard is dead. Apple informed that they can fix it at a cost, but the Macbook Pro would be returned factory restored, with all my data wiped out.


Murphy's law: I realized that some of my files and folders were not saved on iCloud and my external backup. I need to get access to these files on my hard drive before I send my computer to Apple.


Is it possible to remove the SSD from this particular Macbook Pro model so that I can place it in a SSD external enclosure in order for me to get access to my data? Any other ideas so that I can get access to my data?


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Dec 21, 2022 10:38 AM

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4 replies

Dec 21, 2022 4:44 PM in response to HWTech

Thank you for your reply. I did contact a data recovery company and their estimate is just as expensive as a new Macbook Pro. I'm considering whether I should give it a shot, but right now just evaluating whether the lost data is really worth the money and trouble.


I'm usually good with backups, but this time I was careless and subconsciously thought "what could possibly happen to a Macbook with less than 2 years of use?". Lesson learned.

Dec 21, 2022 4:18 PM in response to carioca_oslo

@Allan Jones is correct, but It is even more complicated with this model since the data on the SSD is also hardware encrypted. This means the Logic Board must be working in order to attempt access to the encrypted data on the SSD since the security enclave chip must be accessible and able to communicate with the system. Plus you must be able to be able to access external media to transfer the files which means the USB-C ports must be functional as well. This basically means the Logic Board needs to be nearly fully functional.


The only way to possibly access the data is to have the Logic Board itself repaired (assuming the security enclave & SSD are both functional...if either one is damaged or corrupted, then there is no hope of data recovery. A professional data recovery service may attempt this and there may be some unauthorized techs who can attempt repair of the Logic Board, but there are a lot of components on the Logic Board which are not available to anyone except Apple. Plus there are not that many techs that understand how to repair an Apple Logic Board. As soon as an unauthorized repair is performed, then Apple will not repair the laptop in the future.


Apple does work with a few professional data recovery services such as Drive Savers. It is my understanding that Apple should be able to send the Logic Board to them once you agree to a repair, then after Drive Savers finishes with their attempt at data recovery, then Apple will complete the repair by replacing the Logic Board. This is how it worked for us many many years ago. Ask Apple about how to process a repair where you first want to recover data. It is possible the Apple Store won't help you here, but perhaps an Apple Authorized Service Provider will do so since Apple assumes users are backing up their own data. Only Apple or an AASP can tell you how to proceed here.


As you have discovered, people should always have frequent and regular backups of their computer and all external media (including the cloud) which contains important & unique data.

Macbook Pro 13 inch (2020 A2289) SSD removal

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