how difficult is it to replace the SSD in 2015 MBP

can I replace the SSD in an early 2015 MBP or do I need to take it to Apple?


MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Sep 14, 2023 6:06 PM

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5 replies

Sep 14, 2023 8:32 PM in response to markrad46

markrad46 Said:

"how difficult is it to replace the SSD in 2015 MBP: can I replace the SSD in an early 2015 MBP or do I need to take it to Apple?"

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Replacing the Hard Drive on your Own:


A. Coverage Cancellation:

Is this covered under any warranty? If so, overview the Terms & Conditions making sure that fiddling around with a device will not affect the coverage.


B. View YouTube Videos:

Visiting YouTube, seeing what is mentioned when it comes to performing this. Overview the comments pane prior to and after watching the video.

Sep 15, 2023 7:55 PM in response to markrad46

It is not difficult to do, but you must be careful to disconnect the battery as soon as you remove the bottom case. Sometimes the battery can be a bit difficult to disconnect since the connection can be very tight on some laptops. Also, make sure not to have any sharp metal tools or objects near the battery since if you puncture the battery with a metal tool, it could catch fire. OWC does have installation videos you can watch to see what is involved with replacing the internal SSD.


Prior to installing a third party SSD internally, make sure macOS 12.x has already been installed on this laptop so the laptop's system firmware is completely up to date. Then install the third party SSD. You should have no problems reinstalling macOS 10.13+ to the new third party SSD.


Why? Because macOS 10.13+ updates the laptop's system firmware to work with a third party NVMe based SSD. And the macOS 12.x installer has an issue with internal third party SSDs when updating the system firmware. So it is best to install macOS 12.x while the original Apple SSD is installed internally so the system firmware can be updated. After that having the third party SSD installed internally should not cause any problems when reinstalling macOS 10.13+.


With a third party NVMe SSD installed internally, you will no longer be able to use macOS 10.11 or 10.12 on this laptop because they don't have the necessary NVMe driver to work with the third party SSD. Keep in mind....sometimes when booting into Internet Recovery Mode (Command + Option + R) it may only boot to the older online installer for the OS which originally shipped with the laptop from the factory...which will be too old to recognize the third party NVMe SSD. Just something to remember when you go to reinstall macOS.


You may want to create a bootable macOS 10.13+ USB installer while your original Apple SSD is still installed so that you have more options in case Internet Recovery Mode doesn't provide you with an online macOS 10.13+ installer.

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


Go with the OWC upgrade SSD for the easiest possible upgrade. Using any other third party SSD requires an adapter which just makes everything more complicated since there are no guarantees the adapter or other third party SSDs will even work in this laptop. Only OWC will provide full tech support for their OWC SSD upgrades.


how difficult is it to replace the SSD in 2015 MBP

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