The Dell Latitude 5440 is one of the best Dell laptops for business, so it might be important for you to upgrade or replace your storage at some point. The good news is that since it’s for enterprise users, the Latitude 5440 is a little different from some other great laptops in that it’s designed to be reused, so the storage isn’t soldered to the motherboard. If you have the right tools to open the bottom of the laptop, have backed up the files on your laptop, and have purchased a spare SSD, you can swap out storage pretty easily. We have a step-by-step look for you at the process right here.
What you’ll need
There are a few tools and supplies that you’ll need to upgrade the storage in your Dell Latitude 5540. First, you’ll need a new SSD. Your Dell Latitude 5440 will take any M.2 2230 SSD. You’ll also need a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the bottom cover. While it’s optional, you’d also want to consider an anti-static wrist strap, so you don’t end up damaging your laptop or yourself. And you’ll need a prying tool to remove the cover without damaging it. Of course, it’ll be helpful to have a spare USB drive for backing up your files and reinstalling Windows, although you could also use a spare HDD or SDD.
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iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit
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iFixit Anti-Static Wrist Strap
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SanDisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 Flash Drive
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SYONCON AP425 M.2 2230 SSD
Before working on your laptop
There are a few things to keep in mind before you dive in. First, make sure to backup your files on an external drive. Then, you’ll need to set up a Windows 11 reinstallation. You can follow our Windows 11 installation guide for more.
You’ll have to go into the BIOS and put your system into service mode to disable the battery without unplugging it physically from the motherboard. Here’s what to do.
- Shut down your computer and disconnect it from power.
- Disconnect all peripherals.
- Power on your computer and hold down the B key on the keyboard for three seconds.
- Press any key to continue.
- The computer will beep, enter service mode, and shut down.
- If your computer can’t go into service mode, skip to step 5 below and remove the battery.
- If your computer has a SIM card slot, remove the SIM and the slot itself.
How to upgrade the storage in the Dell Latitude 5440
- Make sure your laptop is turned off.
- Turn the laptop over, with the hinge facing away from you.
- Remove the eight Phillips head screws at the bottom of the laptop. There are three on the rear, two on the bottom, and three in the middle.
- With a pry tool, start near the hinge, and lift the bottom cover off the laptop.
- Once the lid is off, you can unplug the battery from the motherboard (if you weren’t able to disable it with the steps above).
- If you have one, attach your anti-static wrist strap to the side of the laptop.
- Look to the right side of the device. Remove the two Phillips head screws that secure the solid-state drive thermal shield.
- Slide and lift the shield off.
- Slide and lift the SSD away from its slot in a downward motion.
- Take your new SSD and align the notch on it with the tab on the slot. Push it in with an upwards motion.
- Make sure the SSD slides into the slot, and then replace the thermal shield on the top.
- Screw in the two Phillips head screws to secure it back in place.
- If you unplugged it, plug the cable for the battery back into the motherboard.
- If you used one, remove the anti-static wrist strap.
- Replace the back cover.
- Screw the eight screws on the back cover into place.
- Plug your PC into a power outlet.
- Power back on your laptop, and the computer will exit service mode.
And that’s it! Now that you’ve installed the SSD back into your laptop make sure you go through the steps to re-install Windows 11. Once the operating system is reinstalled, you can restore all of your data from a backup.
Dell Latitude 5440
$1419 $2181 Save $762
The Dell Latitude 5440 is a solid business laptop. This year’s model features the latest 13th-generation Intel P-series or U-series CPUs, a new option for Nvidia MX graphics, and 5G connectivity, along with faster DDR5 RAM.