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How to upgrade RAM on the 2018 Mac mini – multiple guides

One of the changes Apple made in the 2018 version of the Mac mini is that the RAM is now removable. If you’re wondering how to upgrade RAM on the 2018 Mac mini, iFixit has an 11-step guide …

While Apple recommends that the work is performed by an Apple Store or authorised service center, it can be done yourself – and iFixit rates it as an easy task.

For a relatively easy performance boost, replace the existing RAM modules in your 2018 Mac Mini. The process is very similar to that of the 2014 Mac Mini models. Up to 64GB of installed RAM is possible, using any combination of 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB DDR4-2666 SODIMM RAM modules.

You’ll need a few tools:

  • TR6 Torx Security Screwdriver
  • iFixit Opening Tools
  • Spudger
  • T9 Torx Screwdriver
  • P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver Retina MacBook Pro and Air

The total cost of these runs to $28 (with more expensive options available).

The company offers a couple of cautions.

This guide is a work in progress. Reload periodically to see the latest changes!

An awesome member of our community made this guide. It is not managed by iFixit staff.

To which I’d add: be careful where you buy your RAM. I once upgraded the RAM in a classic MacBook Pro, and what turned out to be faulty RAM generated some very difficult to diagnose issues further down the line.

Once you start the work, you have to be careful when removing the antenna plate from the underside of the machine.

Do not completely remove the antenna plate; it is still connected to the Mac mini by an antenna cable.

To save possibly damaging the antenna cable, we’re going to disconnect it. If you were really careful, you could possibly skip steps 3-7.

But otherwise, it looks straightforward – check it out for yourself here.

There’s another guide here, and Brandon Geekabit has a YouTube video, below, on how to upgrade RAM on the 2018 Mac mini.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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