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Question from Yvette S.: Hi, Rick. I have a question about my three year old MacBook Pro.
My son usually helps me but he’s out of town at the moment.
It needs a new battery, but I can’t find the model number so I don’t know which battery I need to buy.
Can you tell me where to look for the model number?
Rick’s answer: Yvette, specific model numbers can be difficult to track down on some MacBooks, but since you’re able to use your MacBook Pro from wall power you’ll be able to find it with the help of this page on the Apple website.
All you have to do is follow the simple instructions on that page and you’ll have the information you need to order the replacement battery in no time.
When you’re ready to purchase the battery, your local Best Buy or other electronics retailer can order one for you.
Or if you prefer, you can simply order one yourself
Bonus tip: You don’t need to buy a genuine Apple-brand battery for your MacBook Pro. I recommend that you order a third-party aftermarket battery instead and save the (often substantial) difference in price.
Experience has shown that third-party laptop batteries are often better batteries than the original, and they are almost always less expensive. Just make sure you choose a battery that has lots of overwhelmingly positive user reviews and no serious negatives.
And now, one final note…
Replacing the battery in a MacBook Pro isn’t a simple “pop out the old one and insert the new one” type of task. If you don’t have experience working with the innards of computers you might to need to enlist someone to help you.
I hope this helps, Yvette. Good luck!
Update from Yvette: Thanks, Rick. That was a big help!
Bonus tip: This post explains how to quickly display the “System Information” screen on your MacBook Pro (or any type of Mac for that matter).