What Is the Right to Repair, and What Does It Mean for You?

The "right to repair" is the simple idea that when you own something, you should be able to fix it, or have it fixed affordably, instead of being pushed into buying a replacement. For computers and laptops, that means access to spare parts, tools and the information needed to repair them. It is a movement that has gathered real legal force in recent years, though as of 2026 the rules still have significant gaps, especially for laptops and phones. This guide explains what the right to repair means, where the law stands, and what it means for you in practice.

As an independent Manchester repair business, this is close to our heart, because championing repair over replacement is exactly what we do every day. Below you will find the honest picture: the history, the law on both sides of the channel, the e-waste numbers, the money side, the manufacturers leading the way, and a practical checklist you can use today.

What "right to repair" actually means

At its core, the right to repair is about ownership. When you buy a laptop, a phone or a washing machine, the argument goes, you should be free to maintain and repair it, or choose who repairs it, rather than being locked into the manufacturer or forced to throw it away when one part fails.

In practice, it comes down to four concrete things. First, spare parts: manufacturers making them available at a fair price, to ordinary owners and independent repairers alike, not just to their own service network. Second, information: repair manuals, wiring diagrams and diagnostic guidance, so a fault can be found and fixed. Third, tools: repairs that do not need exotic, manufacturer-only equipment. Fourth, no artificial blocks: no software that disables a phone or laptop simply because a genuine but non-approved part has been fitted. For decades much of this was difficult or impossible, with parts withheld, designs made deliberately hard to open, and repairs steered back to the maker at high prices. The right to repair movement, and the laws now following it, aim to change all four, and it is a cause that campaign groups across Europe have pushed hard for.

How we ended up needing a law

It is worth understanding why a "right" to repair is even necessary. For most of the history of consumer electronics, repair was normal. Radios, televisions and early computers came with circuit diagrams, and a local engineer could order a part and fix the fault. Over the last 20 years or so, that quietly changed.

Devices became thinner, sleeker and sealed shut. Batteries that used to pop out in a second were glued in place. Memory and storage that used to be a simple upgrade got soldered directly to the mainboard, so a small fault could write off the whole machine. Unusual screw heads, hidden clips and strong adhesives made opening a device a job in itself. Some manufacturers stopped selling parts to anyone outside their own network, withheld manuals, and added software that paired individual components to a specific device. Put together, these choices nudged you towards one outcome when something broke: buy a new one. The right to repair movement grew up in direct response, arguing that ownership should mean more than the right to throw something away. France was an early mover, introducing a repairability score in 2021, and the European Union has since gone considerably further.

Where the UK stands in 2026

The UK took a first step in 2021 with its own right to repair rules, but they were narrow. They sit within the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021, which came into force on 1 July 2021. The rules focus on white goods and a few related products: washing machines, washer-dryers, dishwashers, fridges and freezers, electronic displays such as televisions, and light sources. For those products, manufacturers must make spare parts and repair information available. Parts have to be supplied for between seven and ten years after the last unit of a model is made, with a grace period of up to two years for the parts to become available after a product goes on sale. That was genuine progress for household appliances.

The big gap, though, is the one that matters most for a computer repair business and its customers: laptops, tablets and smartphones were left out, along with cookers, hobs and microwaves. These are among the biggest contributors to electronic waste, yet the 2021 UK rules did not compel manufacturers to make them more repairable or to supply parts to independent shops. Worse, a chunk of the early rules only required parts to be sold to "professional repairers" rather than to the public. So in 2026, while your washing machine is better protected, your laptop and phone still depend largely on the manufacturer's policies and on a healthy independent repair sector, which is exactly the gap that businesses like ours help fill.

The EU directive: going further in 2026

The more significant development is happening across the channel. The EU's Right to Repair Directive was adopted in June 2024 and entered into force shortly after, and member states must transpose it into national law and apply it from 31 July 2026. It goes considerably further than the UK's 2021 rules. Although the UK is no longer in the EU, this matters here too, because manufacturers often apply the same designs, parts policies and software to all their European markets, so UK consumers frequently benefit in practice.

The directive's headline measures, set out by the European Parliament, include several things at once:

• Spare parts at a reasonable price. Manufacturers must make parts available for the durations set by the related ecodesign rules, and they cannot use contracts, hardware or software to block independent repairs.
• A ban on "part pairing". Makers may not stop a working third-party, second-hand or even 3D-printed part being used, provided it is safe, which tackles one of the most frustrating barriers to independent repair.
• A longer guarantee on repaired goods. If you choose repair over replacement within the legal guarantee period, the guarantee on the product is extended by at least 12 months, so repair is rewarded rather than penalised.
• A European repair information form. On request, a repairer must set out the nature of the fault, the price and how long the job will take, so you can compare quotes clearly.
• A European online repair platform. National sections will help people find local repair shops, sellers of refurbished goods and community repair cafes.

Together these tackle the practical, everyday obstacles to fixing things, and they signal a clear direction of travel that will shape the devices sold here too.

Repairability scores: France's index and the new EU label

One of the most useful things to come out of all this is a way to compare how repairable a product is before you buy it. France led the way, introducing a repairability index on 1 January 2021. It gives products a score out of 10 based on five criteria: how easy the device is to take apart, the availability of spare parts, the price of those parts, the availability of technical documentation, and factors specific to the product type. A higher score means an easier, cheaper repair.

The EU has now built on that idea. From 20 June 2025, smartphones and tablets sold in the EU carry an energy label that rates not just energy use but durability and repairability, with a repairability score from A (best) to E (worst). The same package of ecodesign rules sets minimum standards that go well beyond the old UK regime. The French index is being folded into this Europe-wide label over time. As with the rest of EU policy, these rules tend to influence the global designs that reach UK shelves, so the device you buy here is increasingly shaped by them.

New EU requirement for phones and tablets (from June 2025)	What it means
Repairability score A to E	A clear rating on the energy label so you can choose a device that is easy to fix
Spare parts kept available	Parts must be supplied for at least seven years after a model leaves the market
Software and security updates	Updates provided for at least five years, so the device stays safe to use
Battery endurance	Batteries must keep at least 80 per cent of capacity after 800 full charge cycles
Durability	Devices must survive at least 45 accidental drops without losing function

The Right to Repair Europe campaign welcomes these rules while noting the gaps: only a handful of part types must be sold to ordinary owners and repair cafes, with the full range reserved for professional repairers, and pricing transparency still needs work. It is progress, not perfection.

Part pairing: the software lock that blocks repairs

Of all the barriers to repair, part pairing is the one people find hardest to believe until it happens to them. Part pairing, sometimes called serialisation, is when a manufacturer ties an individual component (a screen, a battery, a camera, a fingerprint reader) to one specific device using a unique serial number stored in software. Fit a genuine, identical part taken from another unit, or a good-quality compatible part, and the device may refuse to enable features, show a permanent warning, or report that the part is "unknown".

The effects are real and frustrating. A replacement battery might no longer show its health status. A swapped screen might lose automatic brightness or true-tone colour. A new fingerprint sensor or face-recognition module might simply not work unless the maker's own system pairs it. None of this is because the part is faulty. It is a software lock. For independent repairers it pushes up costs and rules out otherwise perfect second-hand parts, and for you it can mean a device that works but nags you forever. This is exactly why the EU directive bans the practice (with narrow, justified exceptions), and why the right to repair movement treats part pairing as a priority. When you buy your next device, it is worth asking, or checking reviews, to see how aggressively a manufacturer pairs its parts.

Why it matters: e-waste and the planet

The right to repair is not just a consumer-rights principle, it carries real environmental weight. Manufacturing new electronics consumes scarce raw materials and produces significant carbon emissions, and electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world. The numbers, from the Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (published by the United Nations agency UNITAR and the ITU), are sobering.

Global e-waste (Global E-waste Monitor 2024)	Figure
E-waste generated in 2022	About 62 million tonnes
Increase since 2010	Up around 82 per cent
Projected for 2030	About 82 million tonnes
Formally collected and recycled	Only about 22.3 per cent
Recoverable resources going to waste	Around 62 billion US dollars a year

Put another way, the world is throwing away electronics roughly five times faster than it is recycling them, and a fortune in recoverable copper, gold and rare metals is being buried or burned. Extending the life of devices through repair is one of the most effective everyday ways to reduce that impact, and studies show repairing instead of replacing dramatically cuts both waste and emissions, as Earth.org explains. Every laptop that gets a new battery or SSD instead of going to landfill is a small, direct contribution to those numbers moving in the right direction. If you do reach the end of the road with a device, our guide to sustainable, eco-friendly technology is a good place to start.

The money side: why repairing usually beats replacing

The environmental case is strong, but for most people the deciding factor is cost, and here repair usually wins comfortably. A modern laptop that feels slow or has one broken part is rarely worn out. More often it needs one targeted fix or upgrade, and that costs a fraction of a new machine of similar quality. Our guide on repair versus replace walks through how to weigh it up, and our page on how much it costs to fix a laptop gives realistic expectations before you commit.

The biggest wins are upgrades. Swapping an old mechanical hard drive for an SSD can make a tired machine feel new, and adding more memory (RAM) helps it handle more at once. Both are modest jobs that can buy years of extra life. Common repairs are similar value: a fresh battery, a replacement screen, or a new keyboard all cost far less than starting again, and they keep your existing setup, software and files exactly as you like them. A new device also carries hidden costs in time: reinstalling programmes, transferring data and learning a new system. We always give an honest diagnosis first, so you can make the call with real numbers in front of you rather than guessing.

Manufacturers who are getting repair right

It is not all bad news from the makers. Pressure from campaigners, customers and the new rules has started to change behaviour, and a few companies now compete on repairability rather than fighting it.

Approach	What they do	Repairability signal
Framework	Modular laptops designed so you can swap the battery, storage, memory, ports and even the mainboard yourself, with every part sold openly	iFixit gave the Framework Laptop 12 a perfect 10 out of 10
Apple	Runs an official Self Service Repair programme offering genuine parts, tools and manuals, and has made newer designs easier to open	Official parts and guides now available to owners, not just Apple stores
Fairphone	Phones built from the ground up to be opened and repaired, with long software support	A long-running benchmark for repairable smartphone design
Typical sealed ultrabook	Glued-in battery, soldered memory and storage, hidden fixings	Hard and expensive to repair or upgrade

Framework is the clearest example of repair done right, with the Framework Laptop 12 earning a perfect score from the repair specialists at iFixit. Apple, long criticised on this front, now runs an official Self Service Repair programme that sells genuine parts, tools and manuals to owners in the UK and across Europe, a real shift from a few years ago. None of this means you should rush out and buy a new machine, but if you are replacing something, choosing a repairable design (and checking the new A to E repairability score) protects you for years to come.

What it means for you right now

Here is the encouraging part: you do not have to wait for the law to catch up. You can already exercise your right to repair today, by choosing to fix and upgrade your devices rather than replace them, and by using an independent repairer when the manufacturer is unhelpful or expensive.

Independent repair shops are the practical heart of the right to repair movement. We source quality parts, repair and upgrade laptops and PCs that manufacturers would rather you replaced, and keep working machines out of landfill. Looking after your devices helps too, as our laptop care guide explains, since a well-maintained machine needs fewer repairs and lasts longer. If your computer simply feels slow rather than broken, our guide on why a laptop runs slow is often all you need. Every time you choose repair over replacement, you are voting with your wallet for a more sustainable, less wasteful approach to technology, and supporting local businesses in the process.

Your right-to-repair checklist

If something has gone wrong, or you just want to get more life out of a device, here is a simple order to work through:

• Back up your files first. Before any repair or upgrade, make sure your data is safe. Our guide on why backing up matters explains how, and if files are already lost we offer data recovery.
• Find your exact model number. The right part depends on the exact model, and our guide to finding your laptop model number shows you where to look.
• Get an honest diagnosis and quote. Find out what is actually wrong and what a fix would cost before deciding, so you are comparing repair against replacement on real figures.
• Ask about parts. Genuine, high-quality compatible or tested second-hand parts can all be good options. A reputable repairer will explain the trade-offs.
• Consider an upgrade at the same time. If the machine is open anyway, an SSD or extra memory is often the cheapest way to add years of useful life.
• Choose a repairable design next time. When you do eventually buy, check the repairability score and whether parts are sold openly.
• Recycle responsibly if it is truly dead. If a device really has reached the end, take it to a proper recycling point rather than the bin, so its materials can be recovered.

Myths about repair, and the facts

A few common beliefs stop people getting their devices fixed when they easily could. Here are the ones we hear most:

• "It is not worth repairing, it is too old." Age alone says little. A six-year-old laptop with an SSD and enough memory can be perfectly capable for everyday tasks, while the fix is often modest.
• "Using a third party voids my warranty." Independent repair does not automatically void your statutory consumer rights, and the new EU rules actively reward repair with a longer guarantee on the work.
• "Only the manufacturer can get the parts." Increasingly untrue. Many parts are available to independent repairers and owners, and the law is steadily widening that access.
• "A new one will be faster anyway." Often a slow machine is held back by a failing hard drive or too little memory, not by being outdated. Fix the bottleneck and the speed returns.
• "Repairs never last." A quality part fitted properly can outlast the rest of the machine, and reputable repairers stand behind their work.

When repair is worth it, and when it is not

We believe in repair, but we will always be honest when it is not the right call, because pushing a pointless repair helps nobody. Repair usually makes sense when the fault is a single, replaceable part (a battery, screen, keyboard, charging port, drive or memory), when the rest of the machine is sound, and when the cost is well below a comparable replacement. Upgrades almost always make sense, since they are cheap relative to the benefit.

Replacement starts to make more sense when several major parts have failed at once, when a device is so old that parts are genuinely unavailable, when liquid damage has spread across the mainboard, or when the cost of repair creeps close to the price of a better machine. Even then, it is worth a quick professional opinion first, because what looks fatal often is not. Liquid spills and "it will not turn on" faults in particular are frequently fixable, and a proper diagnosis costs far less than a wrong guess. If you are unsure which side of the line you are on, that is exactly what we are here to tell you, plainly and without a hard sell.

How Manchester PC supports your right to repair

We have always believed in repairing rather than replacing wherever it makes sense, long before it was a legal talking point. We will diagnose your laptop or PC honestly, source the right parts, and fix or upgrade it to give it a longer life, and we will tell you plainly when a repair is genuinely not worth it rather than pushing one either way.

We cover Manchester and the surrounding areas with free local collection and return, fair pricing and honest advice. Whether it is a laptop repair, a desktop computer repair, a MacBook repair or an upgrade to extend the life of a machine you already own, get a free, no-obligation quote or call us on 0161 820 1992, and exercise your right to repair.