Mac Mini Late 2014 Easy upgrade to SSD Drive w fresh install Mac OS. Factory reset. Fix frozen Mac. 

Thank you so much! My Mac went from taking 5+ mins to turn on to 20-30 secs - its like a new machine!

Thanks this was super useful I followed this video and the upgrade the 2014 mac mini video. For those following after me when he gets to the macos install and you have to boot up the mac mini holding down option command R, it will automatically fetch the newest compatible version of macos for the device which is macOS Monterey. Don't do the alternate version where you hold down command R cuz that will give you the OS x 10 reboot screen which is not as good. Additionally, if you are using a regular pc keyboard to get into the recovery screen hold down the windows key and the alt key and R, that will bring you to the recovery screen. so its the two buttons in the bottom left corner of your keyboard to the right of the CTRL key. so its bottom left keyboard in the layout of CTRL then Windows Key then Alt key, hold down the windows and alt key and R and it works perfectly. Follow the rest of his video but additionally if you don't plug in ethernet when you get to the install for macos it will say you need an internet connection so go to the top right and click on the wifi symbol and then log in to your wifi.

Wanted to thank all you all for posting videos like this. I did the hd to ssd swap. What a difference! Old bot time was 2 min now 30 seconds . Keep up the good work. Cheers

Super excited! After watching this video I got the courage to order the SSD and replace my HDD. That spinning wheel finally got so bad I cant use my Mac mini at all. Have been seeing the spinning wheel for over a year it finally seems my HD is about to fail. Crazy what a $100+ fix will do. I almost went and bought a whole new Mac but why spend hundreds! Thanks for your work and great tutorial

Fantastic video! Easy to follow and understand. Upgrade is much easier than I'd thought it would be. Cheers! 💯

So I decided to go to my local office depot and I got the SSD. That HDD was driving me crazy! I did every step and re installed MacOS Monterey on my mac mini late 2014. And man! The boost was crazy! Thanks so much for the help! (Just be carefull.) I decided to use the old drive for my old HP laptop because it had a 125GB HDD. Again, Thanks for the help!

Même pour moi qui ne comprend pas l'Anglais, super explications. Bravo à vous et continué votre bon travail. Even for me who does not understand English, great explanations. Kudos to you and keep up the good work.

Excellent video. Well presented, thorough, and complete. Much appreciated, thanks.

Thank you so much. I haven't worked on my own computers since I built that XT about a hundred years ago. I'm going to watch this one more time and then replace my own drive. Take an enthusiastic attaboy out of petty cash.

It's a real shame you cannot upgrade the Ram on these late 2014 models since they are soldered on to the motherboard. I own a late 2012 Mac mini and this is the last Mac mini model where you can upgrade or replace the Ram modules. I am still excited to try out a late 2014 Mac mini soon. Great video!!!

Thank You!! It worked perfectly. The performance boost is real.

Thanks for the helpful video! My mac mini has got a new life now with a 500GB SSD. I didn't have a U-shaped tool to pull the motherboard out, so I put two thin nails in the holes instead and used a short prying tool to pull on the nails.

Excellent video. Just got done upgrading my drive and the process was smooth thanks to your instructions. Thank You!

Thank you so much. My late 2014 Mac mini just started running slow and this really helped me.

Fantastic video, very well detailed. I will now purchase a Samsung EVO 870 from Amazon and carry out the replacement. Thank you

СУПЕР ИНСТРУКЦИЯ!!! Спасибо большое, все получилось и отлично работает. SUPER INSTRUCTIONS!!! Thank you very much, everything turned out and works great!

My goodness, the HD is MUCH easier to remove from my Late 2012 Mini. For once I feel lucky! Great vid!

thank you so much just saved me lots of money ! had a problem because I didn't have a a reboot drive but I was able to find the instructions. I also recommend to let people know about this reboot part. thanks again

amazing video with all the details step by step. Never messed with a Mac before thanks for the help!!!!

I’m replacing my late 2014 Mac mini 5400 rpm stock hd for an Kingston 240 gb ssd. It’s incredible how slow this little is with its default hardware even when it was launched. Just waiting for the t6 screwdriver arrive to rockn roll.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this video, by far the best video there is on this upgrade.

Excellent video, I am about to upgrade my Mac and your video is very helpful.

Well described and love the accent!

Genius Bar wants $180 to replace the SSD. This video is made to save you money! Thanks!

it is much easier. Just open the case, use an M2.SSD and buy a little adapter board which plugs in to the pcb. Finished. This toke me about 10 minutes.

Thank you so much I was going to buy the new mini Mac but I’m just get this one and update it to SSD to get the new software and format 🙏

Excellent. Now I'll have a go with my late 2014 mini after I've decided on 1TB or 2TB. Why don't Apple provide larger drives. Storage is not the expensive these days.

This guy has the tech touch. I havn't? and I would have a very hard time to attempt this

For windows keyboards, HOLD Windows + R

Thanks brother!! Works like it’s on steroids!

Thank you! It really works great !

super complete video, very nice 👍🏻

Great video! I went through all this as well but I'll tell you it's worth it...WAY faster than when it was new. Plus it sounds like this video was created by Joe Pantoliano! How could you lose? lol

Great video neighbor gave me a 2014 model a1347 it’s slow as hell only 4gb ram hope ssd speeds it up

Did you really need to erase the SSD? It was already formatted properly, and it was empty. You could rename the drive after installing the OS.

Thanks this helped me

Thank you so much! Easy to understand I’m so thankful for your instructions job done 👏👍

I call it the mini Mac too

great video !

Hi! Great video! Ssd sata 2.5 or 3?

Great Video

Great video and very helpful. My stock 500GB HDD is freezing up, spent 2hrs at the Genius Bar where they told me the HDD is bad. Could you please put a link where you got your SSD. My Mac Mini is a late 2014. I was thinking buying from OWC or iFixit. Which one would you recommend? The kit from iFixit comes with all the tools, that's nice. Thanks again.

Nice video

Instead of command R Which key i have to press for normal keyboard ??

Thank you !!!

A lot of people call them Mac Minis.

Can you add a video of how to set up your Mac mini as a security system and the cameras are used.

When I installed the new hard drive is just shows the circle with line through the command r or option r doesn’t work EDIT: if using a windows keyboard use ALT R

It's the HDMI .change it

Would this work with a 2TB SSD as well as 1TB? Great video!

Can you please run a speed test after that installation

Where is the OS image stored before installation?

I've got a 16gb i7 mini, 2014 late, but it's horribly slow and driving me crazy. If I do this SSD upgrade, am I going to see noticeable performance difference? Update: Please read replies for a better alternative/performance to SATA SSDs, you'll thank me later 🙏

Hi, what monitor resolution do yku use with your mac mini? Does 4k 60hz work with this mac mini?

Mac Mini, Mac Mini, Mac Mini,.

Thanks for that advice. I got a Crucial 2TB SSD. The Crucial site tells you the model that's compatible withe your model. I now now have to pluck up courage to have a go. After Big Sur OS is installed will I be able to update to a more recent OS? Will let you know how it goes.

thank you for your video, is that 2.8ghz? beacuse my mac mini 2014 2.6GHz 1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive Configurable to 1TB Fusion Drive or 256GB of flash storage (SSD). this is according to the technical specification. i hope i can make it to at-least 480gb ssd.

Where can I get the security drivers needed to remove those security screws once the plastic bottom plate is removed so I can get to the inside? Thanks!

Disassemble my mac mini but forgot how to reassemble. Thank you so much!

COMO PUEDO COMUNICARME CONTIGO POR CUALQUIER VIA. PORFAVOR. TENGO UNA DE ESA Y NECESITO HACERTE UNA CONSULTA

I want to attempt this to repair my mother's mac mini BUT I 'mafraid she will not remember what her Apple ID is. Can I create an entirely new Apple ID or do I need to recover her original Apple ID? If so, how do I do so?

I got my Mini Mac (2012) a new SSD installed and I'm using a Windows KeyBoard. Using the "Command-Option-R", or "Command-R" keys only starts to install the original OS not the latest. Any advise?

I have just put a new SSD in my 2012 mac mini. When i press opt ctrl R i do not get the rotating globe. I just get a flashing File icon on the screen. The guy in tech support in my "local" apple centre said that they have to reload the operating software. Do you have any suggestions please? Thank you

How to do with windows keyboard? I try many ways but doesn't work:(

What if you want to save data, pictures, etc that are on the old drive?

how do you store all your files apps and photos etc while you change the drives?

Hey. I got a late 2014. How will prologic work after The upgrade.?

u have to get ssd ,,,should be everybody switched back in 2015 at least. when i ordered my 2014 mini i made sure to get the first ram upgrade (8) up from 4 and the cheapest ssd which was 256. my mom got the same thing a year later and she got 8gb but a 500hdd what a peice of junk . im convinced apple purposely throttles the hdd to force u to get the ssd. kinda messed up. it makes a mac feel as slow and unresponsive as a pc. disapointed in apple but now after fixin the stuff for a few years i understand what they are doing (samsung and other big names do the same) i know how to shop and what to research

Didn't work for me. I got an error -5101F

Did you use any method to get bug Sur? Or is it as easy as just using the commands.

Do I need to download the software prior on the Ssd or can I just use the cmd r to install it that way?

Is it really that easy to install bug Sur on 2014 Mac mini? And also dose it run smooth/fast with Big Sur?

How much RAM is that, 4GB or 8GB? Thanks!

How much RAM does your MacMini have?

How do i install using a windows keyboard? Thanks

Much better to put a M2 ssd in it,there is a slot for it,and its easyer to do.....

Where did you get the ssd from?

can you use a standard keyboard to initialize the recovery? I have a macmini but no apple keyboard

Good job, but why do you sound like a cartoon character?

DUDE ........if u dont stop micro explaining every little thing....... i blew my top when u was explaining the frikkin tape...... u do a nice detailed vid i.e all the disassembly wasnt edited so people cant see where a particular screw came out,,thats good , i dont even mind the chatter,,i fix this stuff and fones n ipads all day n yea i talk to the parts but u dont have to explain a screw and take 30secs detailing the shape n color n texture of it lol but yea ok vid id give a thumbs up cause of its completeness

good job

Great video