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.
Find Your MacBook Model Number
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.
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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.
RAM Upgrades
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.
Storage Upgrades
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.
MacBook Models
Early 2006 MacBook
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
Late 2006 and Mid 2007 MacBooks
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 2007 MacBook
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
2008 Polycarbonate MacBook (Review)
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
Late 2008 Unibody MacBook (Review)
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
Early and Mid 2009 Polycarbonate MacBooks
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
Late 2009 Unibody MacBook (Review)
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
Mid 2010 Unibody MacBook
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
Early 2015 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display
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
Published: 1/11/2011
Updated: 7/14/2015
