MacBook Upgrade Guide

If you're thinking about upgrading your MacBook and wondering how difficult it might be, stop worrying. If your Mac is a 2010 or earlier model then you will be happy to know the MacBook is one of the easiest Macs to upgrade with more memory or a larger hard drive. The only disappointment is that the MacBook has only two memory slots. Depending on the model, you can add a maximum of 2, 4, 6, or 8 GB. You may also need to acquire small Philips and Torx screwdrivers to complete the upgrades. Check the user guide for your model, via the links below, for the screwdriver sizes you'll need.

If your MacBook is a 2015 model (12-inch MacBook released), then your upgrade path is restricted to external devices, such as additional external storage space.

The first thing you need is your MacBook model number. Here's how to find it:

From the Apple menu, select 'About This Mac.'

In the 'About This Mac' window that opens, click the 'More Info' button.

The System Profiler window will open, listing your MacBook's configuration. Make sure the 'Hardware' category is selected in the left-hand pane. The right-hand pane will display the 'Hardware' category overview. Make a note of the 'Model Identifier' entry. You can then quit the System Profiler.

Upgrading a MacBook's memory is generally one of the easiest upgrades going. All MacBooks have two RAM slots; you can expand RAM to as high as 8 GB, depending on which MacBook model you have.

Thankfully, Apple has made replacing the hard drive in most MacBook an easy process. You can use just about any SATA I, SATA II, or SATA III hard drive in any of the MacBooks. Be aware that there are some storage size restrictions; 500 GB on most of the plastic 2008 and earlier MacBook models, and 1 TB on the more recent 2009 and later models. While the 500 GB restriction seems to be correct, some users have successfully installed 750 GB drives. The 1 TB restriction may be artificially imposed, based only on currently available notebook hard drive sizes.

• Model identifier: MacBook 1,1
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 200-pin PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 2 GB total. Use matched pairs of 1 GB per memory slot.
• Hard drive type: SATA I 2.5-inch hard drive; SATA II drives are compatible.
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 500 GB
• Early 2006 MacBook User Guide
• MacBook Battery Replacement Guide
• Memory and Hard Drive Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 2,1; late 2006 and mid 2007 models
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 200-pin PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 3 GB total. Use matched pairs of 2 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 2 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA I 2.5-inch hard drive; SATA II drives are compatible.
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 500 GB.
• Late 2006 MacBook User Guide
• Mid 2007 MacBook User Guide
• MacBook Battery Replacement Guide
• Hard Drive Replacement Guide
• Memory and Hard Drive Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 3,1; late 2007
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 200-pin PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 6 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA I 2.5-inch hard drive; SATA II drives are compatible.
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 500 GB
• Late 2007 MacBook User Guide
• MacBook Battery Replacement Guide
• Hard Drive Replacement Guide
• Memory and Hard Drive Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 4,1; polycarbonate case models 2008
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 200-pin PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 6 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA I 2.5-inch hard drive; SATA II drives are compatible.
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 500 GB
• 2008 Polycarbonate MacBook User Guide
• MacBook Battery Replacement Guide
• Hard Drive Replacement Guide
• Memory and Hard Drive Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 5,1; polycarbonate case models 2008
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 204-pin PC3-8500 DDR3 (1066 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 6 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA II 2.5-inch hard drive
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 1 TB
• Late 2008 Unibody MacBook User Guide
• Hard Drive Installation Guide
• Memory Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 5,2; polycarbonate case models 2009
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type (early 2009): 200-pin PC2-5300 DDR2 (667 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Memory type (mid 2009): 200-pin PC2-6400 DDR2 (800 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 6 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA I 2.5-inch hard drive; SATA II drives are compatible.
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 1 TB
• Early 2009 Polycarbonate MacBook User Guide
• MacBook Battery Replacement Guide
• Hard Drive Replacement Guide
• Memory and Hard Drive Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 6,1; polycarbonate case models 2009
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 204-pin PC3-8500 DDR3 (1066 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 6 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA II 2.5-inch hard drive
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 1 TB
• Late 2009 Unibody MacBook User Guide
• Hard Drive Installation Guide
• Memory Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 6,1; polycarbonate case models 2010
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory type: 204-pin PC3-8500 DDR3 (1066 MHz) SO-DIMM
• Maximum memory supported: 8 GB total. Use matched pairs of 4 GB per memory slot. Apple officially supports only 4 GB of RAM in these models.
• Hard drive type: SATA II 2.5-inch hard drive
• Hard drive size supported: Up to 1 TB
• Mid 2010 Unibody MacBook User Guide
• Hard Drive Installation Guide
• Memory Installation Video

• Model identifier: MacBook 8,1; aluminum unibody
• Memory slots: none (8 GB RAM soldered to motherboard)
• Maximum memory supported: 8 GB total. 
• Drive type: PCIe Flash storage
• Drive size supported: 256 GB, 512 GB
• 2015 12-inch MacBook User Guide