How to Open a Desktop Computer Case

A computer case houses all the parts of a computer. You'll need to open the case to access the various components inside, like the hard drive, motherboard, video card, etc.

Every computer case is a little different, but these instructions will point you in the right direction no matter what computer case you may have.

11 Ways to Keep Your Computer Cool

01

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Turn the Computer Off

Picture of a man turning off a computer — © Edward Shaw/E+/Getty Images

Before opening the case, you must turn the computer off.

Shut down your operating system as you normally do. On the back of your computer, locate the power switch and turn it off, as shown above.

Some computers don't have a power switch on the back. If you don't find one, skip to the next step.

02

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Unplug the Power Cable

Picture of someone unplugging the power cable from a computer — Unplug the Power Cable. © Tim Fisher

Unplug the power cable that's currently plugged in to the power supply on the back of your computer.

This is an important step! It may seem overly cautious to remove the power cable in addition to powering off the computer normally, but some parts of a computer remain powered on even when the computer seems to be off.

03

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Remove All External Cables and Attachments

Picture of someone removing the network cable from a computer — Remove All External Cables and Attachments. © Tim Fisher

Remove all cables and other devices attached to your computer. This will make it much easier to work and to move it around as needed.

04

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Remove the Side Panel Retaining Screws

Picture of someone unscrewing the side panel of a computer case — Remove the Side Panel Retaining Screws. © Tim Fisher

Remove the outermost screws from the case—the ones that are holding the side panels to the rest of the case. You'll likely need a phillips-head screwdriver to remove these screws, but some cases have screws you can turn by hand.

Set them aside, or unscrew them as far as you can if this case doesn't have fully removable screws. You'll need to use them to secure the side panels to the case again when you're through working inside your computer.

Take care not to remove the screws that are securing the power supply to the case. These screws are more inset than the case retaining screws and may cause the power supply to fall into the computer, possibly causing damage.

05

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Remove the Case Side Panel

Picture of someone removing the side panel of a computer case — Remove the Case Side Panel. © Tim Fisher

The case side panel can now be removed.

Sometimes the panel can simply be lifted off while other times it may be attached to the case in a slide-lock manner. No matter the mechanism, you should be able to easily jar it loose.

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