Mac · Display Repair
Mac Screen Replacement
- Flexgate fixed
- True Tone restored
- Backlight fuse repair
- Original lid kept
Cracked Retina glass, a dark screen you can still read with a flashlight, or vertical bars creeping up from the bottom of the lid, a Mac display can fail in ways that look identical but need completely different fixes. We tell them apart before we quote you.
On a MacBook, the Retina display is a bonded assembly: glass, panel, backlight, and the flex cables all built into one lid. Apple's only answer is to swap the entire assembly. Because we do board-level work in-house, we have more options, a panel-only bond repair to save the original lid, a flexgate cable fix, or a backlight-circuit repair on the logic board itself when the screen is fine and the problem is a blown fuse. We diagnose which one you actually need instead of defaulting to the most expensive part.
When you need a screen replacement
- Cracked or shattered Retina glass, with the image distorted, blacked out, or bleeding where the panel is damaged
- Screen looks dark or off, but you can see a faint image when you shine a flashlight at it, that's a working panel with a dead backlight circuit, often a board-level fuse, not a broken screen
- "Stage light" effect or uneven vertical bars along the bottom of the display, sometimes worsening as you open the lid past a certain angle, classic flexgate display-cable wear
- Horizontal or vertical lines, flickering, color bands, or artifacts across an otherwise lit panel
- No image at all even under a flashlight, but the Mac boots, chimes, or shows up on an external monitor, the panel or its data cable, not the logic board's video
- Hinge stiffness, a cable pinch, or damage where the display meets the body after a drop or a hard close
Honest by default
Every device starts with a $65 diagnostic and a written report, exact cost and timeline before we touch it. The fee applies toward your repair.
Mac screen cost depends on three things: the exact model, whether it's a panel-only bond repair or a full display-assembly swap, and whether the real fix is actually a board-level backlight repair instead of a panel at all. Panel-only repairs and flexgate cable work are typically far cheaper than a complete assembly, but only some models and damage types qualify, and we'll tell you straight which applies. The $65 written diagnostic pins it down before you commit, and it applies toward your repair.
Full display swap vs the targeted repair we can do
| What matters | Full assembly swap (Apple's only option) | Targeted repair (board-level) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Replace the entire lid | Panel-only bond, flexgate cable, or backlight-circuit fix |
| Keeps your original lid | No | Often yes |
| Relative cost | Highest | Usually lower when the fault is targeted |
| When it is right | The panel is truly shattered through | Flexgate, a backlight fuse, or a savable panel |
Because we do board-level work in-house, we diagnose which repair your Mac actually needs instead of defaulting to the most expensive part.
Our screen replacement process
Find the real fault
We start with the flashlight test and an external-display check to separate three very different failures: a damaged panel, a backlight circuit problem on the logic board, and a worn flexgate display cable. The $65 written diagnostic tells you exactly which one you have, and applies toward the repair.
Panel-only vs full assembly
If the glass or panel is the issue, we walk you through both routes honestly: a panel-only / LCD bond repair that reuses your original lid and costs less, or a complete display-assembly swap, the only path Apple offers. We tell you which makes sense for your model and your budget, not which one bills the most.
Board-level repair when it isn't the screen
When the flashlight test shows a working panel, the fix lives on the logic board: a blown backlight fuse, a failed backlight driver IC, or, on the affected MacBook Pro models, extending and reinforcing the flexgate cable. This is microsoldering work most shops mail out. We do it here, and we find what caused the fuse to blow so it doesn't blow again.
Reassemble, calibrate, and test
We restore brightness across the full range, confirm True Tone where the model supports it, check for backlight evenness and dead pixels, and cycle the hinge and lid-angle to make sure a flexgate-style fault won't return. You get it back working and verified, not just reassembled.
Mac questions, answered.
Is panel-only repair cheaper than replacing the whole display assembly?
My MacBook screen is dark but I can see the image with a flashlight, is it the screen or the board?
What is flexgate, and can you repair it without replacing the screen?
Will True Tone still work after a screen repair?
How long does a Mac screen repair take?
What warranty comes with a Mac screen repair?
Why bring your Mac to WeFixed
Most shops treat every Mac display problem as a parts swap and mail the hard cases out. We've spent 11 years doing board-level and microsoldering work in-house, so when your "screen" problem is really a blown backlight fuse, a failed driver IC, or a worn flexgate cable, we fix the actual fault instead of selling you a whole assembly you don't need. When it genuinely is the panel, we'll tell you honestly whether a cheaper panel-only repair or a full assembly is the right move. One lab in Clarendon, Arlington, walk in, or mail it in tracked from anywhere in the 50 states.
More for your Mac
Get your Mac price now
Get a real, upfront price on most common repairs in a few taps. For board-level work or anything trickier, leave a request and a technician confirms your exact quote.