*How to repair a cracked Nexus 7 screen* We feel for those of you who have cracked the screen on their tablet. If you're looking to replace the screen and digitizer on the Asus Nexus 7 then this is your guide! #Nexus7
***** just depends on the person. Someone who is comfortable with this process and has the time would probably be happy to save the money by doing it themselves. You can buy a new lcd panel for around $110 online. If someone with a 32GB model breaks their screen, they're saving around $140 by repairing the N7 rather than buying a new one (not counting shipping).
Bought a "new" 16gb for $150 and my cat knocked it of the counter and destroyed the screen and digitizer. Want to fix it, but not for as much as replacing it. Maybe after it's replacement comes out it will drop in price.
Spencer Paul , that's exactly the situation I'm in now. Going to wait till after Google I/O before I go ahead with this option though. Even getting it repaired with Asus will be ~$170, still better than another $249 for a 32GB N7
Just so happened to be the proud owner of a broken nexus 7 (charging port/motherboard issues) and a working one... then the working one's screen got cracked - was able to build a franked-nexus from the two thanks to your directions! worked like a charm!
Excellent video! Managed to repair my Nexus without any major problems. The biggest sticking point is the unsticking point! Lost some of the tape in the process but replaced it with some new double-sided tape. New screen works great and saved me some cash as well.
Worked for me. Thank you! Do remember to take the LCD ribbon from your old display, and watch out when removing the body from the display for the tape holding down the middle.
This worked great . A few things that could be added to this would be that there are 2 different looking screws that come out during the disassembly . They are black not silver and are a little longer .The exact location of the replacing of those 2 screws would have helped . Also there is a cable that comes undone when pulling off the tape right after pulling the battery cable. There is no mention of that . Other than that , my replacement went quickly . Having the correct tools (small magnetic tip phillips screwdriver, Guitar pick, etc. ) helps . Thanks for the tutorial.
clayton left out the entire removal of the main connector. How anyone could use and praise this tutorial amazes me. without removing the ribbon, there is no way to reconnect it. Period. Nice
Good video, more or less exact description of the process. There's almost no chance you'll be able to separate the LCD from the screen/digitzer safely and then reattach a new screen. So, any sellers offering a screen/digitizer without the LCD are essentially running a scam. Buy the whole assembly and this repair is pretty easy.
Fabulous video! Works well! GUYS, IF THE TOUCH DOESN'T WORK AFTER FIXING IT, TRY CHECKING THE PRESSURE CLIPS (THE WHITE STUFF) FOR THE RIBBON CONNECTORS AT 2:56
Thanks great video, my nexus is fixed. Did it at night so I used a hair dryer to heat the screen and used a credit card to open it. The only step that was missing was to take the cable ribbon off the old screen and put it on the new screen. Thanks again.
Thanks for the tutorial, just got a new screen replacement for my son's nexus 7 after the drop of doom and it worked great. I own a heat gun so I was able to get the bezel off in about 10 seconds of warming it up (not a single shard of glass came off thankfully!) Nice work. If I can suggest anything (for future videos), make the image with the specific screws a bit more "up front" or flash to it as a full screen image as that was the most challenging part ( I ended up with 18 screws because I did a few extra because I wasn't sure). The back screen was also stuck by one of the ribbon cables so I had to work to get them to separate. But, tablet works as good as new. Especially considering I could have replaced the entire thing from one on eBay for $50 and it cost $55 for the new screen (with tools) :-)
Don't overheat the bezel! I just destroyed mine cos I used my heatshrink gun and the bezel melts very easily. Just use a hairdryer to warm the glue not a 400 degree heat gun!
When removing my screen, I put tape over all the cracked areas so that I was not removing pieces. Made the screen separate from the adhesive all one piece. Then you don't have to worry so much about broken glass. I still had to remove some tiny specs but much better!
It's all one piece, so you need both. Places sell just the digitizer or just the lcd, but end users can't replace just one. Ebay is a good place actually, just make sure it's OEM original.
Worked perfectly. My only problem was that I am British and do not know what this 'the sun' you speak of is. You seem imply it will generate some sort of heat? Anyway - I sat it on a radiator for fifteen minutes and it worked perfectly. : ) Cheers.
Here is an awesome tip for removing the glass from the bezel. Put it in the oven at about 200 degree for about 5-7 minutes. Warms it up nicely and comes off clean. No need for sun or heat gun and works fast.
if i just broke my screen but still have the grey part on the back of the screen in 5:13 do i need to buy the whole screen digitizer and lcd connector or just the screen
Make sure that both the LCD data cable and ribbon cables are connected tightly. If the problem doesn't go away you may need to purchase a replacement data cable, which is around $20 :/
I actually purchased mine from an independent Ebay seller for $130. There is a link for to from Amazon in the description. note that I replaced the full assembly in the video.
Nice instructions. it was just very difficult to remove the glue band from the glass. Instead of staying on the bezel it kept being attached to the glass. In the end I was not able to re-use it anymore. I might have not gotten it hot enough. Alternatively I used the hardcore approach and super glued the new screen to the old bezel. That of course now has become a one time only repair :)
Hi, This is probably a dumb question .... are you replacing the glass, digitizer, AND LCD in this video??? The reason I ask is you can purchase the glass and digitizer for about $20.00 on ebay. If you need all three is about $65.00. Thank you for your help.
THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! I would have had to buy a new tablet if it wasn't for you so thanks, and if I need help on any other electronics I will look to you first. :)
This worked for me. The only thing that was different in my experience was after taking out all the screws, there is a ribbon on the motherboard was still glued to the back of the metal shield covering the back of the digitizer. I couldn't get the adhesive to come loose with a heat gun, since it is in the middle of the tablet and I couldn't apply heat directly. I was able to slide in a thin piece of metal I was using to pry the back off with and gently pry apart that little bit of adhesive.
Yeah I've read several folks had to replace that ribbon cable because it broke during this process. Hopefully mine will be fine - waiting on the parts to repair.
Hi Ed, could you tell me where you got the screen? I found some on amazon and ebay, but they dont look good, I will be very appreciate if you can help me with this, Thank you
Thanks so much for this Android Authority, followed the instructions and went without a hitch. you have severe impact damage on the edges of tablet then you e more than likely going to have to pick out the small pieces of screen from the bezel, and you'll certainly need some more glue on the affected area.
can make a video on how to separate nexus 7 digitizer and lcd I know some did it in here forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42912292&postcount=14 Its just that following a video step by step is much easier
I followed these steps exactly, but once I tried to turn it on the screen is still black. I thought my tablet might just be dead so I charged it and then I began to hear an alert from the tablet. But again when I tried to turn on the screen there was still no image. Oddly enough when I tapped the screen I heard keys being pressed, but still no image. Did I just waste $50 on this stupid replacement or is there a solution to this problem.
Also, how important is the black tape over the LCD connectors? Mine lost most of its stick, but is it insulating or protective? Are the other two connectors into the motherboard used for LCD or backlight? Sorry for all the questions haha, I just want to know what course of action I'm best taking next. Thanks
Worked perfectly! I made one small modification. I didn't have a heat gun and its winter so putting the bezel in the sun wasn't going to soften the adhesive. So I placed the bezel face down on top of a portable room heater (the kind shaped like an old style radiator) It only took a few minutes to soften the glue. My screen was badly cracked so I also bought some double faced electronics tape in case I had to trash the tape on the bezel. But I ended up not needing it. One thing that the video doesn't mention is the replacement screen and digitizer may not come with an LCD display cable. (mine didn't). So be sure to remove it from the old display before you dispose of it. I had to fish my out of the trash.
Thanks for video, replaced mine but touch doesn't work.. Everything else works... Cables look fine and are secure in their holders. Starting to think I got a bad screen......
Thanks for the guide. I just followed it and successfully repaired my daughter's tablet. Having just finished doing it I'd add a few more pointers. If you use a hairdryer to heat the adhesive, heat it from the glass side, that way the glass-side adhesive gets soft and the tape comes off the glass and stays with the bezel (I did the opposite at first, and the tape started coming off with the glass). On my Nexus, there was a ribbon cable on the back of the motherboard stuck to the old glass with two bits of double-sided tape, so it after you take the screws out it doesn't want to let go, pry it open and peak inside. I carefully got at it with tweezers. Also, a couple screws were missing so I pulled out 14, including 2 smaller black ones. My Nexus was a refurbished item, so that might explain the differences, but on the part of your video about removing the screws, the diagram highlighting the screws to remove is cut off on the bottom. It all worked in the end, but I may have taken out some extra screws... Thanks again!!!
65PontiacTempest done this repair once before and no, your data will remain intact so long as you do it correctly, just like unplugging a desktop from the mains, your files are still stored so long as you don't damaged the motherboard.
Just used this guide to change the screen on my nexus 7 3G version. There were a few subtile differences. It was necessary to remove the battery in order to lift some sticky tape that was holding down a ribbon cable that was stuck to the LCD back and there were some other bits of double sided tape that stopped the motherboard falling out as easily as the video showed. Not sure if this is just the 3G version or if the build has changed slightly. Not a great problem anyway to work out.
did exactly as you did, now i've just got a blank screen, with sounds in the background, for example the typing sound when i touch on screen or the screenshot sound, any help please?
Followed directions to a tee. Went back together wonderfully. Booted up. Touch though is spotty on the screen. Getting ghosting when I touch the screen. Any ideas? Help appreciated.
hi , i just changed the digitizer and screen on my nexus 7 , i didn't damaged anything but when i tried to charge it , i got just blinking screen and that's it . might you know what is it? Thank you.
Managed to do all but cannot get tablet to switch on at all. Have charged it up and taken apart again to check all cables are reconnected what else can you advise, please help
my husband and I are trying this and cannot seem to get the screen to remove from the bezel for the life of us. we tried heating it and everything the screen just cracked even more. any help would be appreciated. or if you could find a replacement even
Replaced as described in your video. Went on, but on one edge, when you press down, it seems to have give (as if you press and the frame seems to bend away from your finger creating give) . You did not mention to add double sided tape or another adhesive prior to putting the new screen in place. Is that necessary to do? Also, if the frame edge is slightly bent from the removal, do you think this could this create the issue? If so, what would you do to remedy it? I found it odd that when I took the back off, it was missing a few screws (2). Anyone else find this problem? Thanks for the video. It was very helpful.
I've just completed my repair, thank you very much for the video, getting the glass off the bezel was the trickiest bit and I did order new adhesive so it didn't matter how I managed it, which I did...took me about an hour to do it completely though. All working fine. Thanks
Great video. Fixed my 1st gen Nexus 7. I have the 2nd Gen one so now my son is getting the first one. Thanks for making me feel like a great dad when I see his smile tomorrow. :-)
I'm looking for steps to repair a nextbook 8 that I bought from WalMart. It says it is a Quad Core Android tablet. Note: Quad Core seems to be the name of the producer, not a tech specification for the tablet. Could you tell me if it will be similar to the steps here to replace a broken screen?
Nice video. Thanks. Do you know if this requires the Android 4.2+ on Nexus? Most of the sellers on ebay for the LCD+Digitizer assembly are asking for 4.2+. Mine is shattered and the display is not working so it is too late for me to find out, but there is a good chance that mine is on 4.1?
Hi my front glass is not broken but inside the glass probably digitizer is broken. Whats should I buy to repair them. Should I buy touch screen digitizer ? On ebay few of them saying touch screen digitizer I hop thats ok
I successfully replaced a Nexus 7 screen using this guide. I had a minor bit of confusion when removing screws on the micro USB end of the motherboard - you don't have to remove all the screws you see there. As you are looking down at the motherboard for disassembly, the micro USB end toward you, the screw to the right of the micro USB port can stay in (it doesn't connect to the case), as can the screw to the right of the headphone jack. The leftmost screw on that end, which you need to remove, was under a little silver tape. I had to repeatedly soak the bezel and LCD in hot, almost boiling, water to remove the screen from the bezel. That worked better than a heat gun, but I did end up cracking the screen. The tape stuck to the LCD, unlike this video which shows the tape sticking to the bezel. Some work with a hair dryer made it not too hard to release the tape from LCD and put it back on the bezel.
Thanks for this but just a note for people, after step 7 you have to REMOVE THE LCD RIBBON from the old screen you are replacing :- THIS DOES NOT COME WITH THE NEW SCREEN!!! I just realised this and had to go through my bin for the old one!!
So following this guide, I bought and replaced the screen on my Nexus 7, but while all of the screen works, the top is unresponsive, about the top 25% at that, what could be the problem?
hi well, I live in Mexico but my aunt lives in San Diego but i have a question, my LCD display is not broken the digitizer do I have to change all(digitaizer and LCD display) or just the digitaizer. Please answer me
My screen isn't just cracked. It's completely shattered. There isn't a piece larger than a square cm. How likely is it that I'll damage myself in the process of replacing the screen and digitizer?
So at 5.55 you talk about re-seating the lcd connector? u have not explained anything about removing it from where ..? you mean from the old screen or what there are flaws in your methods
Im trying to remove the motherboard from the LCD but it's too hard and I feel like im gonna break it. It's not smooth like the video that almost pop out easily. What could it be?
I'm so pissed, My LCD cracked, and the digitizer glass is completely intact. I was unable to remove the glass in one piece. I was going to give it to an android forum member so they could try and separate the two for a cheap shot at replacing their glass, but intact lcd. This guide was great, however, the glass near the top and bottom has a tonnnnn of adhesive. make SURE it is hot. That's how it broke on me.
I'm fairly new when it comes to opening up gadgets and doing repairs. When I did this a week ago I disposed of all the black tape on the mother board. Any clue as to what kind of tape it was and where I can get my hands on some more?
hey man thanks for your video documentation. managed to get the nexus7 screen (cracked by my nephew) replaced and working. i used a coil room heater to dis-engage the screen from the bezel. since the damage was extensive on the bottom of the tablet had to manually pickup the glass pieces. thanks again!!!
hit the brick wall of lacking a heat gun and living in the UK so also lacking the sunshine. should have access to a heat gun tomorrow otherwise i shall use the oven
replacement done. i left the screws out then put the back on. i had a bad stutter/flicker on screen. after putting the screws back the stutter/flicker got a lot better but is still barely there. what did i do wrong?
Worked well, I needed a new bezel, 20.00 on Amazon. I had to salvage the pogo connectors from the old bezel. I used hot paperclip to slightly melt the black pogo connector lock to the gray bezel post. I bought a screen assembly (after I mistakenly bought only the screen the first time) for about 50.00 on Amazon shipped from China. The new assembly DID NOT have the lock for the lcd ribbon cable. I missed this the first time and screen would not come on. I salvaged the lock (small black bar) from the old assembly and was surprised I got it on and it worked. Screen came up like a champ. Only issue is the audio only works via the headphone jack. Not happy that the bezel was nearly 1/2 the cost of the screen and lcd assembly.
Pretty good instruction. With a few recommendations. 1. Please identify WHICH 15 screws to remove as you can waste time removing unnecessary screws. 2. Reposition your camera to allow viewing of the LCD cable removal. 3.The motherboard removal is more difficult than shown because it is glued to LCD/digitizer with double sided tape and they must be separated using more force than I like. Otherwise, it was very helpful video.
I also found this video helpful in repairing a cracked screen/digitizer. The sun helped in softening the glue to remove my glass shards. Upon reassembly, I could hear sound from the device but my screen remained blank. After four more attempts, I noted a 3/4" by 1/8" black foam pad on my old device, that did not come with the replacement. The pad is located on the lower backside of the digitizer and presses the 4-pin port tight once your reassemble the device. With the old foam pad installed on the back of my new screen/digitizer, the display and touch screen worked fine.
BE CAREFUL!!! I would not recommend using a heat gun! The day I replaced my screen I didn't have the sun out to heat the cracked screen. Instead as recommended in the video, I carefully used my heat gun to gently heat the screen. Going in circles around the screen from about 6" away, I tried to heat the screen just enough to pry the screen from the bezel. After several attempts of trying to gently pry the screen from the bezel and adding a little more heat off and on, I noticed that the bezel was shrinking and deforming along one of the long sides. Unfortunately, once I got the screen off, the bezel was slightly deformed and shrunk along one long side and no longer usable with the new screen... I had to order a new bezel ($20 eBay). ALSO... If I had to do it all over again I would order a new bezel with the new screen anyway because I think its too much of a PIA to try to remove the old one and then pick out all the little bits of glass. NOTE TOO... I did not notice that the new screen didn't come with the LCD ribbon cable. In my frustration with the deformed bezel, I inadvertently threw away the old cracked screen with the ribbon cable still attached. Fortunately those ribbon cables are also available for ($8 eBay) which I had to order today...
Bought a replacement screen and followed your instructions. I'm not super techy but consider myself a decently intelligent gal so I figured, "what the heck, I'll try it." Your instructions were easy to follow. I got it done and my husband was super shocked and impressed (he's the techy one and he didn't think I would be able to do it.) Felt good to prove him wrong!! Thanks a million!
When disattaching digitizer and lcd I raged so hard, so both are broken now :D .... ;( Is it worth buying full setup(lcd+digitizer+bezel) for 50-60$, from eBay, Amazon, Aliexpress? Is it worth its quality?
Careful: the example shown applies only to the 16GB WiFi version! The 32GB 3G version has a different perimeter screw layout, and requires a different screen/digitizer assembly. The link in the uploader's description is for a WiFi assembly...
I replaced the digitizer two times on two seperate nexus 7's and both times i just get a white screen when i turn the tablet on. What could be causing this problem? (Oh and also it would have helped me alot if you would have gone more in depth on how to separate the old screen from the bezel because it was a night-mare for me and in your video you easily popped it off like it was not even attached.)
SASHA! I did the same and I got red screen first with flickering screen ... then I disconnected again and after that just seeing white screen ... did u find the resolution ?
Hi All, Dropped my Nexus and completely destroyed Screen. My new screen came with set of tools and installed and working in about 1 hour. Sticky back plastic would not cooperate due multi fractures glass, so lost time replacing with heavy duty double sided tape. Nexus now working again thanks for brilliant video and instructions
Excellent guide!!! I bought a Nexus 7 off eBay to replace my wife's Nexus 7. She cracked the screen on the old one, so I removed the motherboard from the old one and put it into the replacement. Once I reassembled, everything worked like new. All in an hour. Thank you Android Authority!
One addition - If your screen is shattered you can use some clear packing tape over that shattered area to keep fragments from falling all over the place. (Those could really slice a foot or a finger) This process worked but I was not able to save the adhesive tape. The screen was literally shattered in one corner. Bezel was intact except for a couple of scratches. This was my wife's tablet so I was able to get her a new 2013 model the same week the Nexus 9 was announced for a great price. (Now the prices have gone up again I guess because a lot of folks don't want that bigger screen.) In any case now once I get the new parts I will have a nice little tablet. (My older ASUS TFT101 is getting slower week by week. Need to stop the software updates because I think the newer versions are eating up processor time on that older processor) Thanks again for the step by step guide. I will use it again to make sure I get everything back together in the right order and place.
Hi. I bought a replacement screen from ebay and embarked on your tutorial - unfortunately when I got the bezel off - I realised the replacement you were talking about is the whole shebang - not just the glass front! I've chucked the whole lot in the bin now and followed my daughter's advice - Tomorrow morning Apple iPad mini with accidental damage cover! It was a fun hour spent tinkering anyway!
Excellent tutorial. Son sat on his Nexus, very unhappy. Bought the screen and digitizer through Verydeal on Amazon UK (£50) and used this tutorial. Took me just over half an hour, hardest part is the bezel. Used a hairdryer to heat it, more heat the better. Take your time on this part. Reassembled the unit not working again and have a very happy son.
I literally JUST dropped my tablet and the screen crack, It SUCKS! But the touch screen function still works, but not at the part where the screen cracked. So would I need to replace the Digitizer as well? Because I found basically what was this tutorial in words and it said that that explanation wasn't for me.
*How to repair a cracked Nexus 7 screen*
We feel for those of you who have cracked the screen on their tablet. If you're looking to replace the screen and digitizer on the Asus Nexus 7 then this is your guide!
#Nexus7
touché ;)
I thought you could just throw money at the problem until it was fixed
***** just depends on the person. Someone who is comfortable with this process and has the time would probably be happy to save the money by doing it themselves. You can buy a new lcd panel for around $110 online. If someone with a 32GB model breaks their screen, they're saving around $140 by repairing the N7 rather than buying a new one (not counting shipping).
Bought a "new" 16gb for $150 and my cat knocked it of the counter and destroyed the screen and digitizer. Want to fix it, but not for as much as replacing it. Maybe after it's replacement comes out it will drop in price.
Spencer Paul , that's exactly the situation I'm in now. Going to wait till after Google I/O before I go ahead with this option though. Even getting it repaired with Asus will be ~$170, still better than another $249 for a 32GB N7
Just so happened to be the proud owner of a broken nexus 7 (charging port/motherboard issues) and a working one... then the working one's screen got cracked - was able to build a franked-nexus from the two thanks to your directions! worked like a charm!
Excellent video! Managed to repair my Nexus without any major problems. The biggest sticking point is the unsticking point! Lost some of the tape in the process but replaced it with some new double-sided tape. New screen works great and saved me some cash as well.
Worked for me. Thank you!
Do remember to take the LCD ribbon from your old display, and watch out when removing the body from the display for the tape holding down the middle.
Revived my wife's Nexus 7 with a new screen following your guide. Thanks!
This worked great . A few things that could be added to this would be that there are 2 different looking screws that come out during the disassembly . They are black not silver and are a little longer .The exact location of the replacing of those 2 screws would have helped . Also there is a cable that comes undone when pulling off the tape right after pulling the battery cable. There is no mention of that . Other than that , my replacement went quickly . Having the correct tools (small magnetic tip phillips screwdriver, Guitar pick, etc. ) helps . Thanks for the tutorial.
clayton left out the entire removal of the main connector. How anyone could use and praise this tutorial amazes me. without removing the ribbon, there is no way to reconnect it. Period. Nice
Good video, more or less exact description of the process. There's almost no chance you'll be able to separate the LCD from the screen/digitzer safely and then reattach a new screen. So, any sellers offering a screen/digitizer without the LCD are essentially running a scam. Buy the whole assembly and this repair is pretty easy.
Fabulous video! Works well!
GUYS, IF THE TOUCH DOESN'T WORK AFTER FIXING IT, TRY CHECKING THE PRESSURE CLIPS (THE WHITE STUFF) FOR THE RIBBON CONNECTORS AT 2:56
Thanks great video, my nexus is fixed. Did it at night so I used a hair dryer to heat the screen and used a credit card to open it. The only step that was missing was to take the cable ribbon off the old screen and put it on the new screen. Thanks again.
Thanks for the tutorial, just got a new screen replacement for my son's nexus 7 after the drop of doom and it worked great. I own a heat gun so I was able to get the bezel off in about 10 seconds of warming it up (not a single shard of glass came off thankfully!)
Nice work. If I can suggest anything (for future videos), make the image with the specific screws a bit more "up front" or flash to it as a full screen image as that was the most challenging part ( I ended up with 18 screws because I did a few extra because I wasn't sure).
The back screen was also stuck by one of the ribbon cables so I had to work to get them to separate. But, tablet works as good as new. Especially considering I could have replaced the entire thing from one on eBay for $50 and it cost $55 for the new screen (with tools) :-)
Don't overheat the bezel! I just destroyed mine cos I used my heatshrink gun and the bezel melts very easily. Just use a hairdryer to warm the glue not a 400 degree heat gun!
When removing my screen, I put tape over all the cracked areas so that I was not removing pieces. Made the screen separate from the adhesive all one piece. Then you don't have to worry so much about broken glass. I still had to remove some tiny specs but much better!
A brilliant and quick fix, not for those of a nervous disposition though! Thank you.
Thank you i was waiting for a video like this, now i just need to buy the whole replacement part
It's all one piece, so you need both. Places sell just the digitizer or just the lcd, but end users can't replace just one. Ebay is a good place actually, just make sure it's OEM original.
Worked perfectly. My only problem was that I am British and do not know what this 'the sun' you speak of is. You seem imply it will generate some sort of heat? Anyway - I sat it on a radiator for fifteen minutes and it worked perfectly. : )
Cheers.
I was just thinking how the hell I'm going to use the sun. Lol UK = no sun. But I guess I'm going to do the same as you.
Just air bubbles trapped below the screen protector, you can see me remove the protector at 7:36
Good how to now I feel confident in doing my own. You stated in your video you would leave link for purchase of new one but can't find it. Help!
Here is an awesome tip for removing the glass from the bezel. Put it in the oven at about 200 degree for about 5-7 minutes. Warms it up nicely and comes off clean. No need for sun or heat gun and works fast.
labrocca hairdryer is safer
if i just broke my screen but still have the grey part on the back of the screen in 5:13 do i need to buy the whole screen digitizer and lcd connector or just the screen
Make sure that both the LCD data cable and ribbon cables are connected tightly. If the problem doesn't go away you may need to purchase a replacement data cable, which is around $20 :/
I actually purchased mine from an independent Ebay seller for $130. There is a link for to from Amazon in the description. note that I replaced the full assembly in the video.
Nice instructions. it was just very difficult to remove the glue band from the glass. Instead of staying on the bezel it kept being attached to the glass. In the end I was not able to re-use it anymore. I might have not gotten it hot enough. Alternatively I used the hardcore approach and super glued the new screen to the old bezel. That of course now has become a one time only repair :)
Hi, This is probably a dumb question .... are you replacing the glass, digitizer, AND LCD in this video??? The reason I ask is you can purchase the glass and digitizer for about $20.00 on ebay. If you need all three is about $65.00. Thank you for your help.
THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! I would have had to buy a new tablet if it wasn't for you so thanks, and if I need help on any other electronics I will look to you first. :)
Try this if you get a black screen after reassembling...
support.google.com/googleplay/troubleshooter/3337561?hl=en-GB#ts=3337942
THANK YOU!
This worked for me. The only thing that was different in my experience was after taking out all the screws, there is a ribbon on the motherboard was still glued to the back of the metal shield covering the back of the digitizer. I couldn't get the adhesive to come loose with a heat gun, since it is in the middle of the tablet and I couldn't apply heat directly. I was able to slide in a thin piece of metal I was using to pry the back off with and gently pry apart that little bit of adhesive.
Yeah I've read several folks had to replace that ribbon cable because it broke during this process. Hopefully mine will be fine - waiting on the parts to repair.
Hi Ed, could you tell me where you got the screen? I found some on amazon and ebay, but they dont look good, I will be very appreciate if you can help me with this, Thank you
Amazon
windy49 maybe thats why mine wont turn on now. only need a digitizer but im just buying the whole lcd digi setup.
Ed Yother Same here, thought I forgot something and checked out other videos but they also didnt had the glue. Weird.
Thank you. This video made replacing the screen on my son's Nexus a snap. I always recommend ordering the screen, digitizer and bezel together.
Lol😏😏😏
Thanks so much for this Android Authority, followed the instructions and went without a hitch. you have severe impact damage on the edges of tablet then you
e more than likely going to have to pick out the small pieces of screen from the bezel, and you'll certainly need some more glue on the affected area.
can make a video on how to separate nexus 7 digitizer and lcd I know some did it in here forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42912292&postcount=14
Its just that following a video step by step is much easier
I followed these steps exactly, but once I tried to turn it on the screen is still black. I thought my tablet might just be dead so I charged it and then I began to hear an alert from the tablet. But again when I tried to turn on the screen there was still no image. Oddly enough when I tapped the screen I heard keys being pressed, but still no image. Did I just waste $50 on this stupid replacement or is there a solution to this problem.
i had similar problem. my LCD ribbon was not correctly plugged in
mine had the smae problem but i coudnt foix it :(
When u set it in the sun did u have the glass toward or away from the sun?
Also, how important is the black tape over the LCD connectors? Mine lost most of its stick, but is it insulating or protective? Are the other two connectors into the motherboard used for LCD or backlight? Sorry for all the questions haha, I just want to know what course of action I'm best taking next. Thanks
Hi Android Authority,
Can you please provide instructions to remove digitizer from lcd screen?
Worked perfectly! I made one small modification. I didn't have a heat gun and its winter so putting the bezel in the sun wasn't going to soften the adhesive. So I placed the bezel face down on top of a portable room heater (the kind shaped like an old style radiator) It only took a few minutes to soften the glue. My screen was badly cracked so I also bought some double faced electronics tape in case I had to trash the tape on the bezel. But I ended up not needing it. One thing that the video doesn't mention is the replacement screen and digitizer may not come with an LCD display cable. (mine didn't). So be sure to remove it from the old display before you dispose of it. I had to fish my out of the trash.
description is updated with links, although some links may die with time as sellers will sell out of spare parts.
Thanks for video, replaced mine but touch doesn't work.. Everything else works... Cables look fine and are secure in their holders. Starting to think I got a bad screen......
Worked perfect! Thanks! Took me 30 minutes to finish, my first time ever doing this. My tablet is fixed!
Followed your steps and fixed my Nexus 7! I feel kinda like a bad ass. Thanks AA!
Thanks for the guide. I just followed it and successfully repaired my daughter's tablet. Having just finished doing it I'd add a few more pointers. If you use a hairdryer to heat the adhesive, heat it from the glass side, that way the glass-side adhesive gets soft and the tape comes off the glass and stays with the bezel (I did the opposite at first, and the tape started coming off with the glass). On my Nexus, there was a ribbon cable on the back of the motherboard stuck to the old glass with two bits of double-sided tape, so it after you take the screws out it doesn't want to let go, pry it open and peak inside. I carefully got at it with tweezers. Also, a couple screws were missing so I pulled out 14, including 2 smaller black ones. My Nexus was a refurbished item, so that might explain the differences, but on the part of your video about removing the screws, the diagram highlighting the screws to remove is cut off on the bottom. It all worked in the end, but I may have taken out some extra screws... Thanks again!!!
Any saved data on the tablet wont be erased after the battery is disconnected correct?
65PontiacTempest done this repair once before and no, your data will remain intact so long as you do it correctly, just like unplugging a desktop from the mains, your files are still stored so long as you don't damaged the motherboard.
Just used this guide to change the screen on my nexus 7 3G version. There were a few subtile differences. It was necessary to remove the battery in order to lift some sticky tape that was holding down a ribbon cable that was stuck to the LCD back and there were some other bits of double sided tape that stopped the motherboard falling out as easily as the video showed. Not sure if this is just the 3G version or if the build has changed slightly. Not a great problem anyway to work out.
Do not place the benzel in an oven, like some have suggested. It will warp it.
What screen do I need to buy to replace the cracked screen..theres so many to choose from! X
did exactly as you did, now i've just got a blank screen, with sounds in the background, for example the typing sound when i touch on screen or the screenshot sound, any help please?
Followed directions to a tee. Went back together wonderfully. Booted up. Touch though is spotty on the screen. Getting ghosting when I touch the screen. Any ideas? Help appreciated.
hi , i just changed the digitizer and screen on my nexus 7 , i didn't damaged anything but when i tried to charge it , i got just blinking screen and that's it . might you know what is it? Thank you.
i have the same problem :S anyone ??
Managed to do all but cannot get tablet to switch on at all. Have charged it up and taken apart again to check all cables are reconnected what else can you advise, please help
Thanks mate, i've repaced the LCD+Digitizer in 10 mins! Perfect tutorial!
Help, followed all thesteps and the screen is not turning on... the tablet is fine and working but not the new replacement screen Help
my husband and I are trying this and cannot seem to get the screen to remove from the bezel for the life of us. we tried heating it and everything the screen just cracked even more. any help would be appreciated. or if you could find a replacement even
Replaced as described in your video. Went on, but on one edge, when you press down, it seems to have give (as if you press and the frame seems to bend away from your finger creating give) . You did not mention to add double sided tape or another adhesive prior to putting the new screen in place. Is that necessary to do? Also, if the frame edge is slightly bent from the removal, do you think this could this create the issue? If so, what would you do to remedy it? I found it odd that when I took the back off, it was missing a few screws (2). Anyone else find this problem? Thanks for the video. It was very helpful.
Was your Nexus 7 already factory default when you began?
I've just completed my repair, thank you very much for the video, getting the glass off the bezel was the trickiest bit and I did order new adhesive so it didn't matter how I managed it, which I did...took me about an hour to do it completely though. All working fine. Thanks
Great video. Fixed my 1st gen Nexus 7. I have the 2nd Gen one so now my son is getting the first one. Thanks for making me feel like a great dad when I see his smile tomorrow. :-)
I'm looking for steps to repair a nextbook 8 that I bought from WalMart. It says it is a Quad Core Android tablet. Note: Quad Core seems to be the name of the producer, not a tech specification for the tablet. Could you tell me if it will be similar to the steps here to replace a broken screen?
Nice video. Thanks. Do you know if this requires the Android 4.2+ on Nexus? Most of the sellers on ebay for the LCD+Digitizer assembly are asking for 4.2+. Mine is shattered and the display is not working so it is too late for me to find out, but there is a good chance that mine is on 4.1?
Hi my front glass is not broken but inside the glass probably digitizer is broken. Whats should I buy to repair them. Should I buy touch screen digitizer ?
On ebay few of them saying touch screen digitizer I hop thats ok
I successfully replaced a Nexus 7 screen using this guide. I had a minor bit of confusion when removing screws on the micro USB end of the motherboard - you don't have to remove all the screws you see there. As you are looking down at the motherboard for disassembly, the micro USB end toward you, the screw to the right of the micro USB port can stay in (it doesn't connect to the case), as can the screw to the right of the headphone jack. The leftmost screw on that end, which you need to remove, was under a little silver tape.
I had to repeatedly soak the bezel and LCD in hot, almost boiling, water to remove the screen from the bezel. That worked better than a heat gun, but I did end up cracking the screen. The tape stuck to the LCD, unlike this video which shows the tape sticking to the bezel. Some work with a hair dryer made it not too hard to release the tape from LCD and put it back on the bezel.
Thanks for this but just a note for people, after step 7 you have to REMOVE THE LCD RIBBON from the old screen you are replacing :- THIS DOES NOT COME WITH THE NEW SCREEN!!! I just realised this and had to go through my bin for the old one!!
So following this guide, I bought and replaced the screen on my Nexus 7, but while all of the screen works, the top is unresponsive, about the top 25% at that, what could be the problem?
hi well, I live in Mexico but my aunt lives in San Diego but i have a question, my LCD display is not broken the digitizer do I have to change all(digitaizer and LCD display) or just the digitaizer. Please answer me
After i followed these steps my nexus wont boot up help?!
My screen isn't just cracked. It's completely shattered. There isn't a piece larger than a square cm. How likely is it that I'll damage myself in the process of replacing the screen and digitizer?
'Like A Boss' thx soooo much man, you saved my ass! great infomation' great video!
Where did you buy your replacements?
So at 5.55 you talk about re-seating the lcd connector? u have not explained anything about removing it from where ..? you mean from the old screen or what there are flaws in your methods
I've just broken mine and I'm feeling very guilty because it was a birthday present a couple years ago. Good to see this video exists, thanks.
Im trying to remove the motherboard from the LCD but it's too hard and I feel like im gonna break it. It's not smooth like the video that almost pop out easily. What could it be?
I'm so pissed, My LCD cracked, and the digitizer glass is completely intact. I was unable to remove the glass in one piece. I was going to give it to an android forum member so they could try and separate the two for a cheap shot at replacing their glass, but intact lcd. This guide was great, however, the glass near the top and bottom has a tonnnnn of adhesive. make SURE it is hot. That's how it broke on me.
My screen has a crack line only half of screen works do i just need to replace glass or do i have to buy full display
u gotta buy the screen with digitizer
I'm fairly new when it comes to opening up gadgets and doing repairs. When I did this a week ago I disposed of all the black tape on the mother board. Any clue as to what kind of tape it was and where I can get my hands on some more?
I had to get a new bezel, how do I move the POGO connectors to the new bezel?
How do I know which screen to buy? There are several on Amazon, referring to various generations of the tablet.
hey man thanks for your video documentation. managed to get the nexus7 screen (cracked by my nephew) replaced and working. i used a coil room heater to dis-engage the screen from the bezel. since the damage was extensive on the bottom of the tablet had to manually pickup the glass pieces.
thanks again!!!
hit the brick wall of lacking a heat gun and living in the UK so also lacking the sunshine. should have access to a heat gun tomorrow otherwise i shall use the oven
where did you buy your replacements?
replacement done. i left the screws out then put the back on. i had a bad stutter/flicker on screen. after putting the screws back the stutter/flicker got a lot better but is still barely there. what did i do wrong?
the slight stutter fixed itself
Well done guys. Keep it up
Awesome tutorial - I just replaced my Nexus 7 motherboard from an eBay unit with a broken screen. Couldn't be easier. Thanks!
What happens when your screen is partly blurred? Is it just the lcd?
I really need to know!
When I took mines apart. It was a Non Frame Assembly. I did not exposed the battery> Is difficult to explain !
Worked well, I needed a new bezel, 20.00 on Amazon. I had to salvage the pogo connectors from the old bezel. I used hot paperclip to slightly melt the black pogo connector lock to the gray bezel post. I bought a screen assembly (after I mistakenly bought only the screen the first time) for about 50.00 on Amazon shipped from China. The new assembly DID NOT have the lock for the lcd ribbon cable. I missed this the first time and screen would not come on. I salvaged the lock (small black bar) from the old assembly and was surprised I got it on and it worked. Screen came up like a champ. Only issue is the audio only works via the headphone jack. Not happy that the bezel was nearly 1/2 the cost of the screen and lcd assembly.
I have two bad Nexus 7 and I'm going to use this video to rescue one them and give the other a nice burial.
does the screen come woth the lcd? cuz i only have yhe screen byitself
Pretty good instruction. With a few recommendations. 1. Please identify WHICH 15 screws to remove as you can waste time removing unnecessary screws. 2. Reposition your camera to allow viewing of the LCD cable removal. 3.The motherboard removal is more difficult than shown because it is glued to LCD/digitizer with double sided tape and they must be separated using more force than I like. Otherwise, it was very helpful video.
I also found this video helpful in repairing a cracked screen/digitizer. The sun helped in softening the glue to remove my glass shards. Upon reassembly, I could hear sound from the device but my screen remained blank. After four more attempts, I noted a 3/4" by 1/8" black foam pad on my old device, that did not come with the replacement. The pad is located on the lower backside of the digitizer and presses the 4-pin port tight once your reassemble the device. With the old foam pad installed on the back of my new screen/digitizer, the display and touch screen worked fine.
BE CAREFUL!!! I would not recommend using a heat gun! The day I replaced my screen I didn't have the sun out to heat the cracked screen. Instead as recommended in the video, I carefully used my heat gun to gently heat the screen. Going in circles around the screen from about 6" away, I tried to heat the screen just enough to pry the screen from the bezel. After several attempts of trying to gently pry the screen from the bezel and adding a little more heat off and on, I noticed that the bezel was shrinking and deforming along one of the long sides. Unfortunately, once I got the screen off, the bezel was slightly deformed and shrunk along one long side and no longer usable with the new screen... I had to order a new bezel ($20 eBay). ALSO... If I had to do it all over again I would order a new bezel with the new screen anyway because I think its too much of a PIA to try to remove the old one and then pick out all the little bits of glass. NOTE TOO... I did not notice that the new screen didn't come with the LCD ribbon cable. In my frustration with the deformed bezel, I inadvertently threw away the old cracked screen with the ribbon cable still attached. Fortunately those ribbon cables are also available for ($8 eBay) which I had to order today...
audio too too too soft!!! tune it up in the next video!!
Bought a replacement screen and followed your instructions. I'm not super techy but consider myself a decently intelligent gal so I figured, "what the heck, I'll try it." Your instructions were easy to follow. I got it done and my husband was super shocked and impressed (he's the techy one and he didn't think I would be able to do it.) Felt good to prove him wrong!! Thanks a million!
When disattaching digitizer and lcd I raged so hard, so both are broken now :D .... ;(
Is it worth buying full setup(lcd+digitizer+bezel) for 50-60$, from eBay, Amazon, Aliexpress? Is it worth its quality?
Careful: the example shown applies only to the 16GB WiFi version! The 32GB 3G version has a different perimeter screw layout, and requires a different screen/digitizer assembly. The link in the uploader's description is for a WiFi assembly...
I replaced the digitizer two times on two seperate nexus 7's and both times i just get a white screen when i turn the tablet on. What could be causing this problem? (Oh and also it would have helped me alot if you would have gone more in depth on how to separate the old screen from the bezel because it was a night-mare for me and in your video you easily popped it off like it was not even attached.)
SASHA! I did the same and I got red screen first with flickering screen ... then I disconnected again and after that just seeing white screen ... did u find the resolution ?
Hi All,
Dropped my Nexus and completely destroyed Screen. My new screen came with set of tools and installed and working in about 1 hour. Sticky back plastic would not cooperate due multi fractures glass, so lost time replacing with heavy duty double sided tape. Nexus now working again thanks for brilliant video and instructions
Excellent guide!!! I bought a Nexus 7 off eBay to replace my wife's Nexus 7. She cracked the screen on the old one, so I removed the motherboard from the old one and put it into the replacement. Once I reassembled, everything worked like new. All in an hour. Thank you Android Authority!
One addition - If your screen is shattered you can use some clear packing tape over that shattered area to keep fragments from falling all over the place. (Those could really slice a foot or a finger)
This process worked but I was not able to save the adhesive tape. The screen was literally shattered in one corner. Bezel was intact except for a couple of scratches. This was my wife's tablet so I was able to get her a new 2013 model the same week the Nexus 9 was announced for a great price. (Now the prices have gone up again I guess because a lot of folks don't want that bigger screen.)
In any case now once I get the new parts I will have a nice little tablet. (My older ASUS TFT101 is getting slower week by week. Need to stop the software updates because I think the newer versions are eating up processor time on that older processor)
Thanks again for the step by step guide. I will use it again to make sure I get everything back together in the right order and place.
Hi. I bought a replacement screen from ebay and embarked on your tutorial - unfortunately when I got the bezel off - I realised the replacement you were talking about is the whole shebang - not just the glass front! I've chucked the whole lot in the bin now and followed my daughter's advice - Tomorrow morning Apple iPad mini with accidental damage cover! It was a fun hour spent tinkering anyway!
Excellent tutorial. Son sat on his Nexus, very unhappy. Bought the screen and digitizer through Verydeal on Amazon UK (£50) and used this tutorial. Took me just over half an hour, hardest part is the bezel. Used a hairdryer to heat it, more heat the better. Take your time on this part. Reassembled the unit not working again and have a very happy son.
I literally JUST dropped my tablet and the screen crack, It SUCKS! But the touch screen function still works, but not at the part where the screen cracked. So would I need to replace the Digitizer as well? Because I found basically what was this tutorial in words and it said that that explanation wasn't for me.