How-to: Mac mini Take-Apart
Opening the Case
Recommended Tools
- Putty Knife
Disassembly
The putty knife is used to release the catches that hold the mini’s case together, thereby prying it free its case. This step is challenging, and sounds horrific; thankfully, it’s pretty much downhill from here.
On one side of the mini—not the front or back—carefully slide the putty knife between the base and the aluminum case, to a depth of about a quarter of an inch. This will be a very tight fit and you want to minimize any damage to the plastic base. The plastic catches extend about a third into the mini’s depth, but the putty knife shouldn’t need to go nearly that far. The goal is not to slide between the catches and the case. Rather, you want to get under the lip of the base by half of an inch, then carefully pry the base out of the case. The catches release themselves once enough force is applied.
Slowly and evenly pry the putty knife down and away from the center of the unit. You’ll hear some of the catches release with a pop or a crack. It sounds like they are breaking, but they aren’t. You’ll want to lift the base out a fair amount—about ¼ to ½ of an inch and may need to bring the putty knife down a full 90 degrees. The goal is to be able to remove the putty knife without the base popping back into place. It may take a couple of tries to get this action right.
If the base is wedged out of the case and the putty knife is free, keep working the base out. Some documents suggest repeating this process with the other side of the case, but we find that working the front of the unit is much easier. Part of the base near the front of the unit should be pried out, so slide the putty knife under there and pry that edge up as well. Continue doing this around to the other side and the base should pop free when the last catch is released.
You should now have the base, containing all of the mini’s guts, and the case. Put the case aside.
Reassembly
To reassemble, mate the base to the back of the case by the I/O panel. Once this is carefully aligned, press down evenly on the base until the catches all secure with the familiar popping sounds. Make sure the metal tab in the lid slides in behind its counterpart in the plastic I/O panel; together they form the ubiquitous Kensington security slot.
Often, however, we find that the metal tabs above the plastic I/O panel prevent the base from snapping shut. These tabs press into the mesh just inside the case, thereby completing the electomagnetic shielding. Alas, they often bend slightly when the case is being opened. To remedy this, slide the putty knife under the metal tabs and gently lift, bending them back toward the interior of the case. You don’t want to bend them much, just nudge them a bit, then try fitting the case back together again; repeat as necessary.
Over time you’ll find that the mini gets easier to open as the catches become more flexible. Also beware that over time the flexible mesh elements in the case may tear or distort, affecting the mini’s electromagnetic shielding; be careful as you work around the less rugged areas.