Glossary › Laptop Repair › Laptop Hinge
What is a Laptop Hinge?
The laptop hinge is the metal joint that connects the screen to the base and holds the lid at the angle you set. Most laptops have two. They are small, they take a lot of force, and when one fails it usually takes part of the case with it.
How a hinge fails
The hinge itself is steel and rarely breaks. What breaks is what it is screwed into. Each hinge is anchored to small plastic or thin metal mounts inside the lid and the base. Over the years the grease inside the hinge dries and the hinge turns stiff. Every time the lid is opened, that extra force goes into the mounts until they crack.
Early signs
The lid is harder to open than it used to be. You hear a creak or a click near one corner. A gap opens between the screen bezel and the back of the lid, or the base starts to split near the hinge. The screen wobbles more than before.
Why it should not be left
Once a mount has cracked, each opening levers the lid apart a little further. The display cable runs through the hinge area and can be pinched or torn, and the screen panel itself can crack from the twisting. A hinge repair done at the first creak is far cheaper than a hinge, lid and screen together.
How it is repaired
Depending on the damage, the hinge is replaced or serviced, the broken mounts are rebuilt or the affected case part is replaced. The right approach depends on the model, which is why hinge repairs are quoted after the laptop has been opened and checked.
How to make hinges last
Open the lid from the middle of the top edge, not from one corner. Do not carry the laptop by its screen, and do not close it on anything left on the keyboard.
Related terms
Laptop Screen PanelSwollen BatteryLiquid Damage