Computer Repairs in the UK

Finding a good computer repair shop in the UK

A local computer repair shop is the place that gets a laptop working again the same week for a fraction of replacing it: screens, batteries, keyboards, charging ports and hinges replaced; Windows or macOS reinstalled and the data kept; viruses and scam software removed; a slow machine transformed with a solid-state drive and more memory; and the data recovered from a drive that has stopped responding. Most fix Windows PCs, laptops and Macs, many do phones and tablets too, and the good ones tell you straight when a repair is not worth the money.

The trade has no licence, so the shop's reputation is the guarantee. Look for a fixed diagnostic fee that comes off the repair, a written quote before work starts, genuine or good-quality parts with a warranty on them, and a clear line on your data: it stays on the machine, a backup is offered before anything risky, and nobody browses it. For a business, look for a shop that also does networks, email and remote support, so one call covers the office.

The listings here show each shop's reviews, what it repairs, turnaround and contact details, so you can see who is nearby, who does Macs or data recovery, and whose customers say the machine came back fixed at the price quoted.

What computer repair shops do

Hardware: laptop screens, batteries, keyboards, charging ports, hinges and fans; PC power supplies, motherboards and graphics cards; and the cleaning that stops overheating.

Software: Windows and macOS reinstalls and repairs, virus and malware removal, updates that broke things, driver problems, and setting up a new machine with your data moved across.

Upgrades: solid-state drives and memory that make an old machine fast again, larger storage, and a clone of the old drive so nothing is lost.

Data recovery: files from drives that have failed, been formatted or dropped, from simple software recovery to clean-room work through a specialist partner.

For businesses: networks and Wi-Fi, email and Microsoft 365, backups, remote support and maintenance contracts.

Before you book a computer repair

• Back up anything you can before you hand the machine over, and say whether the data matters more than the machine.
• Ask the diagnostic fee and whether it comes off the repair; a fixed fee with a written quote before work starts is the norm.
• Ask about parts: genuine or good aftermarket, and the warranty on parts and labour.
• Ask the turnaround; a screen or SSD is usually a day or two, a part on order a week.
• For a Mac, check they work on Macs regularly; the parts and tools differ.
• Be wary of anyone who rings you or pops up on screen offering to fix your computer; real repair shops do not cold-call.

What computer repairs cost in the UK

As a rough guide, a diagnostic costs £20 to £50, usually deducted from the repair; a laptop screen £80 to £200 fitted depending on the model, a battery £50 to £120, a charging port £60 to £110; virus removal and a Windows reinstall £50 to £100; an SSD upgrade with the old drive cloned £80 to £180 including the drive; and memory £40 to £100. Data recovery runs £60 to £150 for software recovery and £300 to £900 for a physically failed drive. Mac repairs are a third to a half more for parts. Hourly rates are £40 to £80.

A repair over half the price of an equivalent new machine is rarely worth it, and a good shop will say so. An SSD in a five-year-old laptop is the best value repair there is.