Top Cover Replacement Guide

Power off the Framework Laptop by navigating to the Windows icon on the bottom left and clicking on "Power" followed by "Shut down," or if on Linux, the equivalent action there.

Unplug your power cable from the USB-C Expansion Card in your Framework Laptop.

Close the lid on your Framework Laptop and place it upside down on a soft, non-marring surface, such as the bag that it shipped in.

Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, unscrew the 5 fasteners on the Bottom Cover. These fasteners will remain attached in the Bottom Cover so that you do not lose them.

The fastener on the bottom left (circled in orange) will not unscrew as far as the others, as it is acting as a lifter for the Input Cover.

Flip back over, and open the lid to 120 degrees.

The bottom right corner of the Input Cover lifts up when the five fasteners are properly unscrewed from the previous step. You should not have to use any excessive force to remove the Input Cover.

Carefully lift the cover up from the bottom right corner. If you need to, you can use the spudger end of the Framework Screwdriver to lift it as well. Lift the Input Cover off the Mainboard, flip it over (keyboard side down), and place it about halfway on the Bottom Cover.

Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, unscrew the fastener on the WiFi module.

Remove the fastener and gently lift off the WiFi Bracket.

Disconnect the antenna cables from the WiFi card.

Pull the antenna cables out of the rubber routing guides and the routing channels near the hinge.

Disconnect Webcam Cable from Mainboard and pull the cable out of the routing channels near the hinge.

Disconnect the Display Cable from the Mainboard.

Find the black Display Cable that connects the display to the mainboard. Unplug the cable by pulling it directly upwards using the black pull tab.

Carefully lift up the silver grounding tape that is holding the Display Cable to the hinge.

Free the Display Cable from the Bottom Cover and carefully remove it from any routing pegs. It will remain connected to the display.

Open the Framework Laptop 180 degrees to remove the Bezel.

The Framework Bezel is attached by magnets so you will not require any tools to remove it. Just use your fingernail and pry the Bezel away from the display from one of the top corners of the Framework Laptop.

Once the Bezel starts peeling off towards the bottom of the Display, lift it up using caution. You might feel a little resistance due to the adhesive at the bottom of the display.

Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, unscrew the 4 fasteners connecting the Display to the Top Cover.

The Display is now fully unattached to the Top Cover, you can gently lift it up from the corner using your fingernail.

Using the T5 Bit in the Framework Screwdriver, unscrew the two fasteners connecting the Webcam Module to the Top Cover.

Remove the magnetic washers under the screws.

Flip up the latch on the Webcam Cable

Using your fingernail or the spudger side of the Framework Screwdriver, flip up the black latch on the Webcam Cable to disconnect it.

Remove the Webcam module.

Lift the module out of the cover by handling the module only by the edges.

The Webcam Module is now fully disconnected from the Top Cover.

Unscrew the three fasteners on the right Hinge using the T5 bit in your Framework Screwdriver, and then remove the Hinge from the Top Cover.

Repeat this for the three fasteners on the left Hinge and remove the Hinge from the Top Cover.

Lift up the Laptop slightly and remove the now disconnected Top Cover, which will have the antenna and camera cables still attached.

Take the new Top Cover and place it under the hinges.

Fasten the three fasteners back in on the left and right hinges.

Make sure the black latch on the connector is flipped up so that you can slide the Webcam Cable into the connector. Slide the cable straight in until the white line is almost at the edge of the connector.

Flip the black latch down to secure the cable in place.

Find the two washers and orient them so that the notch on both washers are located at the bottom corner as indicated with the red arrows in the first image. These need to be aligned with the notch on the Top Cover.

Using the T5 Bit in the Framework Screwdriver screw in both fasteners.

There are four alignment pins located on the Top Cover. They are located right next to the four fastener slots. Place the silver brackets connected to Display directly over the pins.

Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver screw the four fasteners into place.

Route the Display Cable through the channel in the Top Cover, over the left hinge, and plug it back into the Mainboard.

Route the Antenna Cables over the right hinge, through the routing channels near the hinge, through the rubber channels on the Mainboard.

Route the Webam Cable over the right hinge, through the routing channels, and plug it back into the Mainboard.

Carefully connect the black and white WiFi antenna cables into their respective sockets on the module. Make sure to align them well before applying force to click them into place, as the connectors are small and fragile.

Once both the black and white WiFi Antenna cables are connected to the module, make sure they are rotated downwards as indicated in the second picture with the blue arrows.

While keeping a finger on top of the antennas to hold them in place, insert the WiFi module into the socket on the Mainboard.

Once the module is properly inserted into the Mainboard, carefully route both the black and white WiFi Antenna cables into the black rubber routers as indicated in the first image. Place both the cables behind the metal structure located near the top right of the WiFi module as well.

Place the WiFi Bracket over the WiFi module and place the fastener in the hole. Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, screw the fastener into place.

Align the corners of the Bezel to the display and place it down. The Bezel is attached by magnets and should easily click into place.

Make sure that all of the corners and edges of the Bezel are fully connected to the Top Cover. If the corners are not aligned. carefully lift up the part of the Bezel and guide it into place.

Gently place the Input Cover keyboard side down on the Bottom Cover as indicated on the image. The cover should be about an inch and a half away from the bottom of the Mainboard so that you can comfortably install the Touchpad Cable.

Locate the loop on the end of the Touchpad Cable and insert your finger into it.

Using slight force, connect the Touchpad Cable by aligning it to the socket on Mainboard. You should hear it click into place once properly connected.

Once the Touchpad cable is secured to the Mainboard, flip the Input Cover over the Bottom Cover so that the keyboard is facing up and attach it to the Bottom Cover by aligning the top and bottom edges of both covers.

Tip: The covers are magnetic and should fit into one another easily. If you feel any resistance simply lift the Input Cover up and try again.

The cable should be inserted far enough that the white line almost touches the receptacle.

If it is not inserted far enough, you'll need to flip up the black latch on the other side of the connector, slide the cable in further, and then close the black latch again.

Close the Framework Laptop and place it upside down to reveal the fasteners on the Bottom Cover.

Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, screw all 5 fasteners back into the Bottom Cover.