To upgrade MacBook Air SSD to a new one can solve a lot of issues like MacBook Air expand storage and corrupted SSD replacement. This article shows you the detailed steps to do such a job. To rescue data from the corrupted SSD, you can use MiniTool Software.

When You Need to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD?

Two Common Situations You Need to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD

Apple’s MacBook Air is a solid and reliable laptop for you, especially it is a device that is using the solid-state drive (SSD) as the data storage drive. Compared with the traditional hard disk drive, SSD is much faster and durable.

However, as time goes on, there will be more and more files on the MacBook Air SSD. That is, the free space will become less and less. This is an inevitable result that may even influence the performance of the device.

Perhaps, you have taken some measures to release space for new data. But this method is not once and for all. Many users reported that their MacBook Air SSDs became full very soon since new data occupied the drive space quickly.

Due to this, the proper answer for MacBook Air expand storage is to upgrade MacBook Air SSD to a larger one. That is, you can replace MacBook Air SSD with a new and larger one especially when you want to save more data on your MacBook Air and experience the smooth running speed. 

Tip: If your Windows computer is running into low disk space, you can read this article, 3 Ways to Help You Get out of Low Disk Space Warning in Windows 7/8.1/10, to learn how to deal with this issue effectively.

Additionally, MacBook Air SSD may get damaged or corrupted, and become unrepairable. If you don’t want to buy a new device, you will need to update your MacBook Air SSD by replacing it with a new one.

So far, we summarize these two common situations in which you’d better upgrade MacBook Air SSD:

  • MacBook Air SSD is full or running into low disk space.
  • MacBook Air SSD is corrupted or damaged, and unrepairable.
Note: You are not allowed to remove and upgrade the SSD in MacBook Air 2020 because the SSD is welded to the computer.

Why You Should Upgrade MacBook Air SSD on Your Own

Some of you may choose to ask Apple Support for help to replace MacBook Air SSD. But, there is something you need to know: you need to send the device to the support center and it will take days to complete MacBook Air SSD replacement.

Besides, there should be some privacy information on the SSD. Once you send it to a stranger, you will be in the risk of privacy leakage.

Additionally, if you are using a mid-2012 model or even earlier, the machine is on “Vintage” list of Apple, which means the company has disconnected the support for the device.

Actually, it is not a difficult job to replace MacBook Air SSD by yourself. If you have a proper SSD for MacBook Air and enough tools to disassemble and assemble the laptop, you will be able to perform a MacBook Air SSD replacement in a few minutes.

In the following contents, we will show you the exact things you should do to upgrade MacBook Air SSD. You’d better follow every step strictly.

Tip: If your computer is running Windows and you want to upgrade the traditional hard disk drive to an advanced SSD, you can refer to this article to do the job: How to Upgrade Laptop from HDD to SSD Without Reinstalling OS.

Step 1: Select a Proper SSD and Tools

Not all kinds of SSDs can be used to replace your original MacBook Air SSD. You need to select a proper one from the formal purchase channel, like Amazon, Newegg, eBay, and more.

 search for MacBook Air SSD at Amazon

For MacBook Air expand storage use, you need to choose an SSD that has larger capacity compared with the original MacBook Air SSD.

Usually, the alternative SSD comes with installation tools. However, if there are no such kinds of tools, you also need to purchase them together.

If the SSD of the MacBook Air is corrupted and you want to recover data from it, you need to buy a suitable MacBook Air SSD enclosure together. After MacBook Air SSD replacement, you can install the previous SSD into the enclosure, connect it to your computer, and then use a data recovery software to get your files back. In the last step, we will tell you how to rescue your data from the damaged SSD.

Note: You need to make sure that the enclosure you select supports the original SSD of your MacBook Air.
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Step 2: Back up Data on the MacBook Air SSD

After buying a MacBook Air SSD from the internet, you can make full use of time to do something meaningful, such as backing up your data on the MacBook Air’s original SSD. A well-known method to back up Mac data is to use Time Machine, which is a built-in backup feature of Mac.

Note: You are only allowed to back up your files using Time Machine when your MacBook Air can run normally. If the SSD is corrupted and the device is unbootable, you can just skip to the next step to replace the damaged SSD.

Time Machine can automatically back up all of your files on MacBook Air, such as apps, music files, photos, email, documents, system files, and more. Once a backup is created, you can restore your files from the backup if the original files are deleted from the machine, or the SSD of your MacBook Air is erased, replaced, or corrupted.

Before using Time Machine to back up your files, you need to prepare an external drive that is large enough to save the backup file.

Note: The backup process will erase all files on the external drive. Thus, you need to make sure that there are no important files on that drive.

Here, you need to pay attention to the file system of the external drive since macOS only supports a handful of common file systems, including HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT. Make sure that the file system of the external drive is supported by your MacBook Air.

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When everything is prepared, you can refer to Apple’s previous backup guide to make a backup of your Mac files with Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine.

Step 3: Replace MacBook Air SSD by a New One (Assembly)

After receiving your needed MacBook Air SSD, you can go to remove the old SSD and then install the new one in the device.

Here is a detailed guide:

  1. Close the MacBook Air and unplug the power.
  2. Lay it down on a soft cloth and flip the device over.
  3. Remove the screws from the bottom of the case and put them into a place where you can find them easily.
  4. Lift the case bottom off. In this step, you can also clean the dust and debris in the device to reduce power consumption, solve the laptop overheating issue, or fix other kinds of issues.
  5. Pop off the battery connector to disconnect the battery.
  6. Remove the screws that are used to secure the SSD and then gently pull the drive out of the slot.
  7. Install the new SSD to the slot.
  8. Tighten the screws to secure the SSD.
  9. Re-connect the battery to your MacBook Air.
  10. Reassemble the laptop bottom case.

See! It is so easy to replace MacBook Air SSD with a new one. Every ordinary user can operate it smoothly. Next, it’s time to make the new SSD bootable.

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Step 4: Make MacBook Air Boot from the New SSD

Usually, some MacBook Air SSDs are advertised to have macOS pre-installed. In this situation, you can boot the device directly.

If there is nothing in the new SSD, you will have to do something to make the MacBook Air bootable.

Remember that you have used Time Machine to back up your original files and system in step 2. Now, you can directly restore both macOS and your files to the new SSD with Time Machine.

In case there is no available backup file, you will need to perform a clean install of the operating system on the MacBook Air. To use Windows or macOS, or both, you can have your own choice. Now, you can search for a guide on the internet on your own.

Step 5: Rescue Data from the Damaged/Corrupted MacBook Air SSD

After the above four steps, you can use the MacBook Air as normal again. In this step, we will talk about how to rescue data from your previous SSD if it is damaged.

No matter you are running Windows or Mac, you always have the chance to rescue data from a damaged SSD with a third-party file recovery tool.

Take out the MacBook Air SSD enclosure you have bought and then install the original MacBook Air SSD into it. After that, connect the enclosure to your computer…

If You Are Running macOS:

If you are using macOS, you need to use a Mac data recovery software to rescue your data from the damaged or corrupted drive. As a free Mac data recovery tool, Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a good choice.

This software can run on macOS and then rescue your data from different kinds of storage devices like hard drive, SSD, memory card, and more. As long as the drive is not physically damaged, this software can always work to recover data from it.

It has a trial edition and you can first use it to see whether it can find your needed data. Go to the MiniTool download center to get this free software.

Here is a guide on how to use Stellar Data Recovery for Mac to rescue data from a damaged drive.

1. Install this software on your computer and then open it.

2. On the following interface, you can choose to recover everything or customize the scanning range according to your actual requirements.

choose what to recover

3. Click Next to continue.

4. Select the drive you want to scan on the following interface.

select the target drive

5. Click Scan.

6. When the scanning process ends, you can see the scan results. Then, you can go to check whether you can find your needed files.

If Stellar Data Recovery for Mac can find your needed files, you can upgrade this software to a full edition and then recover your needed files without limits.

select a location to save files

If You Are Running Windows OS:

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a special data recovery software designed for Windows OS. You can first use the trial edition of this software to check whether it can find the files you want to rescue. This software can even support HFS+ file system.

Press the following download button to download and then install this software on your computer.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Then, it’s a step-by-step guide on how to restore your files from the corrupted SSD with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

1. Open the software to enter This PC interface.

2. Select the target SSD and press the Scan button to continue.

select the target SSD to scan

3. Likewise, when the scanning process ends, you will see the scan results that are listed by the path. You can open each path to find the files you want to restore. Or, you can also use the Type and Find features to find your needed data easily.

scan results

4. MiniTool Power Data Recovery Trial Edition doesn’t allow you to recover files. You need to enter the MiniTool official store to get a suitable edition, register the software, and then restore your files to a safe location.

These are the integrated 5 steps you should do to upgrade MacBook Air SSD.

Bottom Line

Want to upgrade MacBook Air SSD by replacing it with a new one? This article tells you all the things you need to do, including the preparations, data backup, SSD assembly, operating system installation, and data recovery.

Should you have any questions when performing MacBook Air SSD upgrade, you can contact us via [email protected], or let us know in the comment. You can also share your suggestions and solutions here.

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