MacBook Screen Repair Prices Are Out of Control
So a guy came to me with a MacBook, and he had one simple request: cut the head off. Okay, not literally but basically, he wanted me to remove the entire screen. Why? Because replacing a MacBook screen is insanely expensive.
We’re talking hundreds of dollars. Sometimes $300 or more, depending on the model. And this guy didn’t want to pay that. Can’t blame him.
The Plan: No Screen, No Problem
So here's what we did: I agreed to remove the display and turn his MacBook into a kind of makeshift Mac Mini.
The idea was to:
Carefully remove the broken screen
Reassemble the MacBook
without it
Plug it into an external monitor
Sounds simple, right? Sort of.
How We Turned a Broken MacBook Into a Headless Mac
Now, removing a MacBook screen isn’t exactly beginner-friendly. You're dealing with:
Tiny screws (some hiding under rubber pads)
Delicate flex cables for the display, camera, and Wi-Fi antennas
Hinge tension that’s annoying to manage
The constant fear of breaking something else
But with the right tools (and a lot of patience), we got it off cleanly. We unplugged everything, removed the hinges, and carefully separated the screen from the chassis.
The good news? No smoke. No sparks. No broken connectors.
Turning It Into a Mac Mini
Once the screen was out, I reassembled the top case, plugged everything back in, and connected it to an external monitor using USB-C.
And just like that, it booted up and worked it perfectly great!
No screen? No problem. It functioned exactly like a Mac Mini, with the keyboard, trackpad, and ports all working fine. The only thing missing was the built-in display and in this case, the guy didn’t miss it.
Is This Worth Doing?
Honestly, if your MacBook’s screen is dead but the rest still works, and you don’t want to fork over hundreds for a new display, this is a great option.
It’s not for everyone. If you travel with your laptop or need portability, this obviously isn’t ideal. But if you’re mostly using it docked with a monitor anyway, it’s a clever (and budget-friendly) solution.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, this guy didn’t want to pay for a MacBook screen replacement and honestly, I don’t blame him. Prices are through the roof. Instead, we turned his busted MacBook into a headless workstation, and now it works great.
Thinking about doing the same? Either get help from a repair expert or make sure you’re super comfortable with MacBook internals.
Until next time, I’ll be over here fixing things people say are “unfixable.”
See you in the next article!
