Jun 05, 2020

Upgrade MacBook Pro Late 2013 to a 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD

The MacBook Pro Late 2013 uses a proprietary SSD connector, but you can upgrade it to a standard NVMe M.2 SSD with the right adapter. Here’s a video walkthrough covering the full process.

Video guide

What you need

  • A 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD (PCIe Gen 3)
  • A Sintech M.2 NVMe adapter for MacBook Pro 2013 (the connector is not standard — this adapter bridges the gap)
  • Pentalobe P5 screwdriver (to open the bottom case)
  • T5 Torx screwdriver (to remove the SSD)

Steps

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine before starting
  2. Open the bottom case with the Pentalobe screwdriver
  3. Remove the old SSD using the T5 screwdriver
  4. Attach your NVMe M.2 SSD to the Sintech adapter
  5. Insert the adapter + SSD into the slot and secure it
  6. Reassemble and boot from a USB macOS installer to restore from Time Machine