Introduction
Fixing a laptop used to mean popping off the back panel and swapping a part. Somewhere along the way, that got a lot harder.
Right to repair laws are starting to reverse that trend. State by state, lawmakers are forcing manufacturers to hand over the parts, tools, and manuals that independent shops and everyday owners need to fix their own devices.
This article breaks down what these laws actually require, which states are ahead of the pack, and what it means the next time your laptop battery dies or a hinge cracks.
1. What Right to Repair Actually Means
At its core, right to repair legislation requires manufacturers to make the same diagnostic tools, repair manuals, and genuine parts available to independent shops and consumers that they already give their own authorized technicians.
Before these laws existed, a broken laptop screen often meant a trip back to the original brand, at a price the brand controlled. Independent shops simply could not get the parts, even if they had the skill to do the job.
The laws vary by state, but most share a few common threads: access to repair documentation, fair pricing on parts, and the ability to bypass certain software locks that block third-party repairs.
2. Why Laptops Became So Hard to Fix
Manufacturers did not make laptops harder to repair by accident. Thinner designs, glued-in batteries, and soldered components all trimmed size and weight, but they also trimmed the average person’s ability to open the case.
One tactic drew particular attention from regulators: parts pairing. This is a practice where a laptop’s software checks whether an installed part, like a battery or screen, is the exact serialized unit the manufacturer registered to that device. If not, the laptop may flag an error or limit functionality, even when the replacement part works perfectly.
Consumer surveys back up the frustration here. In one widely cited poll, 67 percent of respondents said they had already tried to repair a computer at home, and 57 percent believed everyone should have that option.
3. The States Leading the Charge
Six states have now enacted consumer electronics right to repair laws, with five of those passing in just the last few years. New York, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, and Washington currently have laws on the books covering laptops and similar devices.
New York
New York’s Digital Fair Repair Act has been active since December 2023. Any smartphone, tablet, or laptop sold in the state after July 1, 2023 must come with manufacturer-provided repair resources available to owners and independent shops alike.
Colorado
Colorado’s HB 1121, signed in May 2024, took effect on January 1, 2026. It restricts parts pairing directly and bars manufacturers from using parts-identification software to block repairs or trigger misleading warning alerts.
Oregon and Minnesota
Both states have added their own versions of the law, each reinforcing the same basic idea: consumers and independent shops deserve the same access to parts and documentation that authorized repair centers already have.
4. What the 2026 Wave of Bills Adds
Momentum has not slowed down in 2026. In the first few weeks of January alone, more than 33 right to repair bills were introduced across 13 states, according to the advocacy group The Repair Association.
The 2026 legislative template goes further than earlier versions. It closes a loophole that let manufacturers use software-based restrictions, rather than hardware locks, to control who could perform a repair or access certain parts.
This year’s bills also tend to require that software updates addressing manufacturing defects and security flaws count as part of a manufacturer’s repair obligations, not as a separate, optional service.
5. How Manufacturers Are Responding
Not every brand is responding the same way, and grades tell part of the story. A recent scorecard from a consumer advocacy group tracked eight major laptop brands, including HP, Apple, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung, and ASUS.
The results were mixed. HP jumped two letter grades, moving from a C to a B minus. Lenovo climbed from an F to a C after sharing more scoring information. Acer and ASUS each slipped a step, and the remaining brands held steady between 2025 and 2026.
Here is a quick way to think about the grades:
- Improving: HP, Lenovo
- Slipping: Acer, ASUS
- Unchanged: Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Samsung
Worth noting, eight out of ten brands examined belong to at least one trade association that has actively lobbied against right to repair legislation, even as their public grades improve.
6. What This Means for Your Next Laptop
For a shopper today, these laws translate into a few real, practical benefits. Independent repair shops in states with strong laws can now access the same parts and manuals authorized centers use, which often means shorter wait times and lower prices.
Repair costs are trending down in states where these laws have been active longest. Owners are also finding it easier to get quotes from more than one shop before committing to a fix.
A simple habit is worth building before you buy: check a laptop’s repairability score or grade, the same way you might check a battery life rating, before making a purchase.
7. The Pushback From Industry Groups
Not everyone welcomes these changes. Electronics trade groups have raised concerns that opening up repair access could create new digital security risks, or lead to unsafe repairs performed by people without proper training.
Trade groups such as TechNet and the Consumer Technology Association have lobbied against broad right to repair mandates. Their core arguments tend to fall into a few buckets: security risk, safety risk during untrained repairs, potential harm to intellectual property, and concern that mandated parts sales could raise manufacturing costs overall.
Recycling and refurbishing groups tend to see it differently, arguing that easier repairs keep working electronics out of landfills and support a growing e-waste recovery industry.
8. What Still Needs to Happen
No federal right to repair statute for digital electronics currently exists in the United States. The closest thing to a national policy driver has been the Federal Trade Commission, which has pursued some enforcement under existing warranty law without issuing formal rules.
At the state level, 20 or more states carried active legislation into the current session, and some analysts expect nationwide standards to take shape by 2027 if the current pace continues.
Until then, the law you get depends heavily on where you live, which makes it worth checking your own state’s status before assuming a repair right applies to your laptop.
Key Takeaways
- What it requires: Manufacturers must share parts, tools, and manuals with independent shops and consumers.
- Where it stands: Six states have enacted laws, with New York, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, and Washington leading.
- What is new in 2026: Stronger limits on parts pairing and clearer rules covering defect and security software updates.
- Brand performance: HP and Lenovo improved their repairability grades; Acer and ASUS slipped slightly.
- What is missing: A federal right to repair law for digital electronics still does not exist.
FAQs
Does right to repair apply nationwide in the United States? No, right to repair currently exists only through state laws, since no federal statute for digital electronics has been enacted.
What is parts pairing? Parts pairing is software that checks whether an installed component is the exact registered unit for that device, sometimes blocking or limiting third-party repairs even when the part works.
Which states currently have right to repair laws for laptops? New York, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, and Washington have all enacted consumer electronics right to repair laws.
Do these laws make laptops more expensive? Some manufacturers argue that supplying individual parts could raise production costs, though advocates counter that competition among repair shops tends to lower repair prices for consumers.
Are all laptop brands complying equally? No, recent scorecards show real variation, with brands like HP and Lenovo improving while others like Acer and ASUS slipped slightly in their repairability grades.
Conclusion
Right to repair legislation is steadily reshaping how laptops get built and fixed, pushing manufacturers away from glued-in batteries and locked-down parts and back toward designs that owners and independent shops can actually service. The movement is still uneven across states and brands, but the direction is clear: more access, more transparency, and, eventually, cheaper repairs for the people who rely on these machines every day.
