The blog · Place du Mac

Comparisons, guides & advice

Our analyses to help you choose the right Apple gear and peripherals: display comparisons, buying guides and hands-on tests.

SSD · APFS / HFS+

SSD not showing up on your Mac? It may be a formatting issue (APFS vs HFS+)

An APFS-formatted SSD is invisible on older Macs (before High Sierra). Here's why, and how to reformat it to Mac OS Extended (HFS+).

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Guide · Reconditioned

Reconditioned or new?

For a part you never see, tested reconditioned is on a par with new: same 2 year warranty, lower price — and often better than a generic new part.

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Brief · Battery

Cobalt or ternary battery?

Premium or standard? The cathode chemistry (Cobalt/LCO vs ternary/NMC) that changes the battery life, gauge reliability and long-term endurance of your Mac battery.

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Guide · Sound

No sound or crackling sound?

Audio output, volume, Bluetooth: software first. Then, if the sound crackles or distorts, the speaker can be replaced — especially after a liquid spill.

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Guide · Keyboard

Keyboard keys that no longer respond?

Setting, dust, then part: the right order for a key that's dead, repeats or sticks — on every MacBook, spill case included.

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Guide · Camera

Mac webcam not working?

9 times out of 10 it's software: permission, an app holding on to the camera, a service to restart. The free actions, and the rare hardware cases.

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Guide · Network

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth no longer working ?

Forget/reconnect, restart the internet router, re-pair, update: the simple things first. Plus the test that tells you whether the issue is the Mac or the router.

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Guide · Charging

MacBook that won't charge?

Charging is a chain: charger, cable, connector, battery, logic board. How to test link by link and not pay for the wrong part.

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Guide · Data

Recovering your data from a broken Mac

A breakdown doesn't mean lost data. The right moves that save it, the mistakes that destroy it, and when to hand the Mac to a workshop.

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Guide · Buying

A refurbished Mac: is it reliable?

Refurbished ≠ second-hand: tested, serviced, warrantied. What makes it reliable, the role of the grade, and how to recognise a serious refurbishment.

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Guide · Casing

Dented or scratched MacBook case?

Top or bottom: replace the right case, not both. Which damage is cosmetic, which gets in the way of use, and how to find the compatible part.

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Guide · Overheating

Hot Mac running slow?

Fan flat out, slow Mac: why an overheating Mac throttles itself, and how to calm it down — from a free tweak to a dust-out and thermal paste.

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Guide · Flexgate

Flexgate: lines at the bottom of the screen?

Spotlight effect, backlight cutting out when you open the lid: the cable defect on 2016-2018 MacBook Pros, how to recognise it and how to repair it.

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Guide · Trackpad

Trackpad that no longer clicks?

Before changing the trackpad: the #1 cause is often a swollen battery underneath. The right diagnosis (battery, setting, flex cable) so you don't pay for the wrong part.

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Guide · Keyboard

MacBook butterfly keyboard: the flaw and the fix

Repeating, stuck or dead keys on a 2016-2018 MacBook? The butterfly keyboard flaw explained — and how to fix it, key by key, with an AP12 clicker.

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Guide · Startup

MacBook won't turn on?

Black screen, no response: the checks in the right order, from the free fix (charge, reset) to the logic board diagnosis in the workshop.

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Guide · Decision

Repair or replace your Mac?

The rule in numbers to decide: compare the repair to half the price of an equivalent refurbished Mac — plus 3 questions and concrete examples.

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Guide · Storage

SSD full: move to a larger one

Is your Mac upgradeable? Removable, proprietary or soldered: how to recognise your case and gain space for years, without buying a new Mac.

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Guide · Battery

Swollen MacBook battery: what to do?

Lifting trackpad, bulging case: the warning signs, the 3 safety steps, and what replacement really costs — new battery, 2-year warranty.

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Guide · Screen

Broken screen: repair or replace?

Cracks, lines, black screen: a 3-question method to decide, plus real prices for every MacBook family — from the 13″ Pro to the 16″, grades included.

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Guide · Mac Screens

How to spot a quality refurbished Mac screen

After years refurbishing to a strict spec, here are the tells that separate genuine quality work from a well-presented counterfeit.

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Guide · Mac Repair

How to choose a qualified Mac repairer

Free diagnosis, Mac specialist only, Google reviews, a quote capped at the refurbished price… The real criteria, from an expert with twenty years at the bench.

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