Q&A · Mac SSD Upgrade
Can MacBook SSD Be Upgraded?
Which MacBook models allow SSD upgrades, which don't, and what to do if your Mac has soldered storage at Azizi Technologies Dubai, advice and repair walk-in.
4.9 · 645 reviewsTwo Dubai workshopsMon-Sat 9AM-7PM19 years in Dubai
Quick answer
- Main workshop
- Concord Tower, Media City
- Second office
- IT Center Building, Bur Dubai
- In Dubai since
- 2007
- Google rating
- 4.9 from 645 reviews
- Hours
- Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM
- Enquiries
- WhatsApp or use the quote form on this page
If that did not fix it
Already on soldered storage
If your model is on the soldered list and the question is space, the practical answer depends on what fills the drive. A full disk on an M-series Mac is more often iCloud Photos and Mail attachments cached locally than real project files, and turning on Optimise Mac Storage frees tens of gigabytes without any hardware at all.
Bring the Mac if the drive is genuinely full of working files. We set up an external Thunderbolt SSD, move your Photos library or Lightroom catalogue onto it and leave the internal disk with the room macOS needs to run properly.
The honest answer
On every current MacBook, no — the storage is soldered.
On Apple Silicon MacBooks the storage chips are soldered to the logic board beside the processor and paired to it. There is no connector, no module and no upgrade path, and any shop offering to add capacity inside one of these machines is describing something that does not exist. Older MacBooks with a removable blade or a drive bay could be upgraded; that era ended some years ago and it is not coming back.
What this actually means is that the capacity you chose at purchase is the capacity you have, and the honest route to more space is external. A Thunderbolt 4 SSD runs close enough to internal speed that most people cannot tell the difference in daily work, and it costs considerably less than the equivalent step up Apple charges at order time. We fit and format them here, then run a real speed test before handing it back.
The storage is part of the processor package on every Apple Silicon MacBook.
Close to internal speed in practice, and far cheaper than ordering more capacity up front.
We install, format for macOS and speed-test the drive before you take it away.
If someone quoted you an internal upgrade on a modern MacBook, that is a reason to walk away.
The full answer
Depends on your model - here's the full compatibility map and alternatives for soldered SSDs.
Whether you can upgrade a MacBook SSD depends on the model and year. Upgradable: MacBook Pro Retina 2013-2015 (proprietary blade SSD - replaceable with adapter + standard NVMe), MacBook Air 2010-2017, and old non-Retina MacBook Pro (2.5" SATA SSD). NOT upgradable internally: every Touch Bar MacBook Pro from 2016, the 2018 and later MacBook Air, and every Apple Silicon MacBook have soldered storage; the 2016-2017 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar is the exception, with a removable blade. This includes all M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models and the MacBook Neo - the SSD chips are soldered to the logic board and cannot be swapped.
If your MacBook has soldered storage and you need more space, the best route is an external Thunderbolt 4 SSD: real-world 2,800-3,000 MB/s, near-internal speed, and usually cheaper than ordering a bigger configuration from Apple. Visit our Dubai workshop and we'll fit a compatible Thunderbolt 4 SSD, format it, and migrate your data.
From the bench: what we see with this one
One correction from the bench: the 2016 and 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar has a removable blade SSD, so it is the exception on the soldered side, though the connector is proprietary and the replacement drive must be a matching Apple part. Everything with a Touch Bar from 2016 onwards and every Apple silicon Mac is soldered.
People also ask about the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, which have removable storage modules. Those are raw NAND boards tied to the machine by the security chip; swapping them needs a DFU restore from a second Mac and only works with Apple-matched modules. It is no upgrade path for a laptop owner in any sense.
How Azizi Technologies handles this in Dubai
- Free intake diagnosis at our Dubai Media City or Bur Dubai workshop (or via WhatsApp photos).
- Written AED price quote before any work begins - no surprises, no hidden fees.
- Apple Certified Mac Technician on every Mac job; brand-trained technicians for Windows and Linux.
- 90-day parts-and-labour warranty on every repair.
- Walk-in only, no appointment: Media City for Marina, JLT and Jumeirah, Bur Dubai for Karama, Deira and Downtown.
- Same-day service on most common jobs walked in before 11:00.
Vendor neutral
Platforms We Support
The device maker and the component vendors behind the repairs on our Dubai bench. Parts are named because grade matters more than the price on the sticker.
- AppleMacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio across Intel, T2 and Apple silicon.
- SamsungNVMe SSDs for upgrades on older Intel Macs, and the NAND we recover data from on soldered boards.
- CrucialSSD and memory upgrades on the Macs that still take them, with the data migrated as part of the job.
- KingstonSSD and memory alternatives to the Samsung and Crucial parts.
- Western DigitalExternal and NAS drives we use for pre-repair backups and as migration targets.
- SeagateBackup and archive drives for the data we copy off a device before it is opened.
Finding us
Office 45, Concord Tower
Azizi Technologies operates two Dubai locations: the main workshop at Office 45, 10th floor of Concord Tower in Dubai Media City, and a second office at the IT Center Building in Bur Dubai. Concord Tower is a short walk from Dubai Internet City metro, with visitor parking on site (first 15 minutes free, then paid).
No appointment is needed during workshop hours, Mon-Sat 9AM-7PM, Fri break 12-2PM · Sun closed. Walk in with the device for a free diagnosis. Repairs are walk-in only; send photos on WhatsApp first if you want the likely cost before the trip.
Walk in, no appointment
Free diagnosis at either Dubai workshop during workshop hours. We no longer collect repairs; businesses on an AMC can hand devices to the engineer on a scheduled visit.
How a repair runs
Diagnosis first, then a written quote before any work starts, then the repair, tested and returned with the work covered by our warranty.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
4 direct answers from the Azizi Technologies team.
What is the fastest external SSD option for a MacBook Pro M-series?
Can I run macOS apps from an external drive?
Is a 2015 MacBook Pro SSD upgrade still worth doing?
What are your workshop hours and locations?
Explore more from Azizi Technologies
Official sources
Non-competitor sources we use for standards, platform rules and regulatory context.
Talk to the Mac SSD Upgrade team
Next step
Mac SSD Upgrade
Need help with your Mac or laptop? Contact Azizi Technologies - Dubai's trusted repair experts since 2007. We respond during workshop hours with a written AED quote and the nearer of our two walk-in workshops.
Two Dubai offices, both walk-in
Concord Tower in Media City and the IT Center Building in Bur Dubai, Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 19:00.Find our offices
IT AMC Dubai: one written SLA for the whole estate
IT annual maintenance contracts with response times in the contract, for offices with or without in-house IT.IT AMC in DubaiGet a quote
What needs fixing?
Four short steps, about a minute. Tell us the job once and we reply on WhatsApp with a price or a written scope, not a call-back.
4.9 stars from 645 Google reviews. Most enquiries answered within minutes during opening hours.
Read them on GoogleMeet the engineers
Real engineers. Real accountability.
Every job is handled by a certified engineer, the same people clients name in our Google reviews.
IT Support Lead
Usman K., thanked by name in our Google reviews
Microsoft Certified
10+ yrs experience
Senior Apple Repair Engineer
Shafeeq Ur Rehman, owner, on the Mac repair and micro-soldering bench
Apple-certified diagnostics · Board-level repair
12+ yrs experience
Network & Security Lead
Infrastructure and firewall team
Cisco CCNA
14+ yrs experience
Data Recovery Engineer
Drive imaging and board-level recovery bench
PC-3000 toolchain
9+ yrs experience
Finding us
Find your nearest Azizi Technologies workshop
Walk in to either Dubai branch for a free diagnosis, or book a visit. Visitor parking at Concord Tower (first 15 minutes free, then paid) (Dubai Media City).
Dubai Media City
Concord Tower, Office 45, 10th floor
Dubai Media City, Dubai
Find us in Concord Tower, Dubai Media City. Visitor parking at Concord Tower (first 15 minutes free, then paid).
Opening hours:
Mon to Sat: 9:00 to 19:00, Friday break 12:00 to 14:00
Sun: closed
Bur Dubai
G 58, IT Center Building, 21 21A Street
Bur Dubai, Dubai
Find us on the ground floor of the IT Center Building, with the walk-in repair counter.
Opening hours:
Mon to Sat: 9:00 to 19:00, Friday break 12:00 to 14:00
Sun: closed
Azizi Technologies
The numbers behind the Media City workshop
- Google rating
- 4.9★
- Verified reviews
- 645
- In Dubai since 2007
- 19 years
- On-site response SLA
- 4 hours
- Remote first response
- 15 minutes
- Dubai walk-in offices
- 2
Verified Google reviews
What MacBook Repair customers say
“Fast, convenient and effective service. They fixed my MacBook keyboard issues in less than 24hrs”
Luu, MacBook keyboard repair · Local Guide
“I spilled a whole glass of water on my MacBook and Azizi technologies fixed it so quickly in one day at a great price and it’s as good as new”
sarah, MacBook water damage · Google
“Shafeeq is an incredible technician! This has been completed within 24 hours of me asking for a replacement screen. Really good service, I highly recommend their services!”
Ritchie Thomas, MacBook screen · Local Guide