How do I tell if I can change the battery on a macbook pro myself?

Hi there. You can replace the battery yourself by following the directions in the link included below. If your MacBook does not look like one pictured in the included link, go to your nearest Apple Retail Store to have the battery replaced by Apple (you can still have the battery replaced by an Apple Retail Store after your warranty is over, you will just need to pay out of pocket for the repair).

MacBook Pro: How to remove or install the battery - Apple Support

Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple

I hope you find this information helpful.

Best regards,

Austin

If your MBP is a 2009 model or newer, Apple batteries will only be replaced by an Apple technician. They will not just sell you the battery. If it is a non-retina MBP, the battery is very easy to replace requiring a #00 Phillips driver and a #0 Triwing driver. The only third party batteries that I can recommend are Nupower from OWC and Anker. Avoid the bargains on ebay and Amazon. The old user replaceable batteries are no longer sold by Apple.

Retina MBPs have glued in batteries and those really are not user replaceable.

Ciao.