Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Internal Battery Replacement

Written By: Sarah Westberg

Comments: 13

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Internal Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

10 - 20 minutes

Introduction

The internal battery of a laptop supplies power to the device when it is not plugged into an outlet. When the battery begins to lose power, has started to drain quickly or is damaged (like in the case of a swollen battery), you will want to replace the battery of your Lenovo ThinkPad T480.

This guide will walk you through the steps to replacing the internal laptop battery of your Lenovo ThinkPad T480.

Prior to beginning this guide, be sure to disable the internal battery first, then turn off the device and remove it from the charging cable.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Disable the battery, power down, and unplug your device before you begin.
Flip the laptop over so the bottom of the device is showing.

Step 2

Using your fingers, slide the lock on each side of the battery to the unlocked position.
Remove the battery from the slot.

Step 3

Using the Phillips #1 screwdriver, loosen the six captive screws.

Step 4

Insert the blue plastic opening tool into the space between the lower case and the chassis.
Slide the opening tool around the perimeter of the case to release the clips holding the case and the chassis together.
If it feels like the battery well portion of the back cover isn't loose, these clips may be holding the cover to the laptop. Use your opening tool to pry the clips loose and try removing the cover again.
Remove the back case.

I found a tough spudger (or even better a plectrum) is best here as the clips, although easy to separate, hold the case firmly leaving a tight gap which a soft spudger may fail to enter.

Benjamin Kinsey -

Hi Benjamin, thanks for the tip!

Sarah Westberg -

You also have to pry the near the battery. I experienced that you can't pry the front side.

Minko Kelko -

I used a credit card to pry the clips loose, it worked great. Added 2nd RAM stick easily.

NFR Computers -

Step 5

Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the two 4.6 mm screws that secure the internal battery to the frame.

Step 6

Use the spudger to slide the battery socket connector parallel to the motherboard and out of its socket on the motherboard.

Step 7

Lift the battery straight out of its recess and remove it.
If the battery is difficult to remove from the recess, use a nylon spudger to gently lift it on one edge, making it easier to grasp and remove by hand.
To prevent damage or potential fire, do not bend or flex the battery. Only use a plastic spudger and avoid any sharp tools that could puncture the battery.

DO NOT wedge out the battery - T480 has two screws that hold down a plastic battery tray which easily lifts out after the two frame screws are removed. Wedging out will ruin the battery and could damage the cell and cause a fire.

Poseidon219 -

The guide says to remove those two screws. They are "lifting" with the wedge. Probably more of a way to promote their tools than out of necessity, but idk

Lorenzo Serrano -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Author

Sarah Westberg

Member since: 11/03/19

29423 Reputation

7 comments

"What you need" contains a wrong part.

cumledomla -

Hi @cumledomla, I've added the internal battery for this guide. Thanks for pointing that out! The external battery will show up in the "What you need" section because it's imported from the prerequisite guide for the external battery. Hope this helps.

Sarah Westberg -

The "Battery 2" on my T480 does not load. Is Battery 2 the internal or the external battery?

Finn Hove -

Battery1 is the internal

pride tafirei -

Battery 2 is the external battery.

Peter Falk -

Does anyone know more details about the the two 4.6 mm screws securing the internal battery to the frame?
I have a refurbished t480 with no internal battery, so to install one I will need to also get hold of suitable screws.

I'm assuming 4.6 mm is the length, how about pitch or gauge? Or are they M# something or another style where all that is standardised?
Or any idea where I could look for a part number?

Dru -

Hi Dru, you are correct that 4.6 mm is referring to the length of the screws. I looked up the hardware maintenance manual and it shows the screws are M2 x 3 mm, small head, nylon coated. When I measured the screws, the length was different, but you may want to go with the length in the hardware maintenance manual or try both lengths to see which fits best. However, both screw lengths are M2. The manual also lists the Torque as 0.181 Nm (1.85 kgf-cm). I hope this helps! Here is a link to the hardware maintenance manual.

Sarah Westberg -