Make a micro SIM card from a SIM card. How to make a Micro SIM card from a regular SIM

When buying a new phone or smartphone, we first look at the moments that matter most to ourselves. For some it is design, while others pay attention to technical characteristics. However, almost no one is ever interested in what slots a new gadget has for SIM cards. At this stage, you may encounter the problem of how to cut a SIM card into a micro-SIM using improvised means, because you already want to use the device, but the card simply won’t fit into it. In this article we will look at several methods on how you can trim your card without damaging it.

Using a ready-made micro-SIM as a template

The easiest option would be to find a friend who already has a ready-made card of the size we need. With modern trends in reducing the size of everything and anything related to technology, this will be quite easy to do. This will simplify the first method of solving the problem of how to cut a SIM card for a micro-SIM.

After this, you will need to combine your card with the cut one so that the cut control corners and chips completely coincide, and trace the outline. To cut plastic, you can use any available means, be it a knife, scissors, or even a needle heated over a lighter. When cutting, try to match the outlined outline as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to cut, because you won’t be able to catch the chip, and therefore the card will remain intact in any case.

This was the first way to cut a SIM card under a micro-SIM with your own hands. But what to do if no one has a ready-made card of the required size? The second method will come to the rescue, for which you will need a computer and a printer.

Printing the template

If there is no template for cutting a SIM card to fit a micro-SIM, the template can be found on the Internet, downloaded and printed. This method requires having a computer and printer on hand. In addition to them, you will need a blank sheet of paper and good glue or double-sided tape.

The downloaded template should be printed so as to maintain the dimensions and proportions. The template will indicate exactly where all the lines should go. Using glue or double-sided tape, glue the cut-out paper printout evenly onto your card and trim it along the lines indicated on the template.

After performing this procedure, it is advisable to remove the glued paper from the card so that it does not accidentally remain in the slot when the SIM card is removed and spoil it. Now you already have two ways in your arsenal on how to cut a SIM card under a micro-SIM yourself. However, this is not all, because there is a third and simplest method, which, however, will require small financial costs, but has its advantages.

Using a special cutter (hole punch)

If you know that this card to be cut is definitely not the last, and in the near future you will have to carry out this manipulation with several more cards, then you should think about buying a cutter. It is a small press containing knives that cut the card strictly to the required size.

With it you won’t have to spend a long time transferring sizes, looking for templates, etc. Often, such cutters, or hole punchers as they are called, have the ability to cut cards to any modern size. In addition, after trimming, the plastic frame remains intact, into which, if necessary, the trimmed SIM card can be glued back. The cost of this device is quite low, and you can find it in almost any mobile accessories store. Its purchase will allow you to save not only money on cuttings in service centers, but also your own time, because the process itself takes no more than 5 seconds. This is the third and easiest method on how to cut a SIM card for a micro-SIM. But there is another one that can rightfully be called strange, but deserves the right to exist.

Trimming with a heated mold

The Chinese, when developing cutting devices, went even further and made a budget version of the cutter. It is a metal mold on a knitting needle, which should be heated on gas or a lighter, then carefully applied to the card and melted the desired part.

Quite sophisticated, but still practical and fast way. It is perfect for those who do not want to overpay for a cutter, but would not mind speeding up and making the cutting process easier. Now, faced with the question of how to cut a SIM card for a micro-SIM, you will know at least four options. And you can choose among them the most suitable one for you.

Conclusion

Don't be afraid to make some manipulations with your equipment. In almost any outcome, your card will continue to work unless you touch the chip itself. Knowing how to cut a SIM card under a micro-SIM with your own hands, you will save a small part of the family budget, as well as your time, which can be spent on going to a service center.

If you are unlucky, your hand trembles and the card turns out to be damaged, then you shouldn’t worry too much either. In the official store of your operator you will be given a duplicate. Some operators do this for free. In addition, modern cards are already pre-cut to all necessary standards, so all that remains is to break out the one suitable for your smartphone from the mount.

Cutting a SIM card to micro is very simple: just arm yourself with the right template, scissors and patience.

SIM consists of two parts - a plastic backing and a chip on which all the information about your number and contacts is stored. When cutting it with your own hands, it is very important not to damage the chip contacts, otherwise all the work will be in vain. Also, an incorrectly cut SIM may not fit into the slot or may be smaller than the required size.

Most smartphones use mini-SIM, micro-SIM or nano-SIM. In recent years, operators have been releasing universal cards that do not need to be cut out yourself. These SIM cards have a collapsible body consisting of frames for each type of card. To turn a universal mini SIM into a micro SIM, just “squeeze” the card of the required size out of the large frame. Before cutting your SIM, check if you have a universal SIM card that can easily be converted into micro or nano.

How to cut a SIM card to micro: template

If you have a regular SIM card from which you can’t simply remove the extra frame, use our cutting template. The size of the micro SIM card is 15×12 mm. Cutting a SIM card for a micro SIM will be much easier if you mark the dimensions on the back of the card (where there is no chip). But for greater accuracy, we recommend using a paper template.

This is how you can make a SIM cutting template at home:

• Take a sheet of thick paper, attach a regular SIM card to it and circle it. Flip the design over so that the beveled corner is at the bottom right.
• Step back 1.85 (2) mm from the left edge and draw a straight line as shown in the picture above.
• You need to retreat 1.4 mm from the top edge and draw another line - it will go almost along the chip.
• Using new lines, draw a rectangle the size of a micro sim (15x12 mm), Cut out the resulting blank.
• Trim the upper left corner of the rectangle, 2.5 mm from the edge, as shown in the picture.

The SIM cutting template is ready, just cut it out of paper. You can glue the template in the place where you will cut the card for the micro SIM, but if you are afraid of staining the chip with glue, just attach the stencil to the SIM card and trace it with a thin pencil or felt-tip pen in the cut areas.

It is best to cut a new SIM card with thin scissors. To avoid nicks in the plastic, try to trim each side in one motion.

Cutting the SIM using a special cutter

If you need a micro SIM card, but you don’t understand how to cut the template or don’t want to waste time on it, there is another way out. Special cutters for SIM cards are sold on the Internet and mobile phone stores. They help you quickly and without unnecessary hassle cut the card to the desired size: micro or nano. However, buying a cutter only makes sense if you change your SIM frequently. However, the device is inexpensive and will last for many years.

Try inserting the cut card into the slot of your smartphone. If she sits in it like a glove, and the gadget catches the net without problems, we congratulate you - the trimming was successful.

If you need to insert the cut card into another slot, for example, back into a phone with a regular SIM, use the removable frames that come with universal SIM cards. Do not try to glue the cut parts to the damaged card and, especially, do not insert any foreign objects into the SIM slot. If you cut the card incorrectly or touched the contacts, simply move on to the next section of our article.

How much does it cost to replace a SIM card with an operator?

The easiest way to turn a regular SIM card into a micro one is not to cut it out yourself, but to contact your operator. Select the cell phone store closest to you, take your passport and old card with you, and go get a new one. Replacing a regular SIM with a micro SIM is absolutely free. And if they demand money from you, feel free to call the operator’s hotline and complain about scammers.

As a rule, replacing a SIM card takes no more than 10 minutes. The store employee will need to enter your passport information into the database to make sure that you are a client of the selected operator. After this, you will be given a universal SIM card, from which you can make a micro or nano one. It is not necessary to return the old card - it will automatically become invalid. You can save it as a keepsake or use it to create templates for cutting SIMs.

The Micro-SIM that the operator will issue will definitely work. By entrusting the replacement of a SIM card to professionals, you do not risk damaging the contacts when cutting or cutting out an irregularly shaped card.

The new SIM will not work immediately - most likely you will have to wait about 15 minutes. Don't worry, this is a normal procedure - it still takes a little time to transfer the number to the new chip.

By the way, in addition to the well-known mini-SIM, micro-SIM and nano-SIM, there is an unusual SIM card format - eSIM. This is what is used in the new iPhones. We talked in detail about eSIM in.

How to make a microsim from a regular SIM card? You need to start with markings. Take a pencil, sharpen it sharply and outline the metal chip of your SIM card with a clear line. You should end up with a rectangle with sides of 12 and 15 millimeters.

Take a closer look, you may have a SIM card with a slightly larger chip, this happens, but this will not stop you from making a micro SIM card. Anyway, keep the size 12 by 15 mm. You will need to cut right along with the foil, so take your time and try to be very careful and precise.

Now we begin to trim directly. The plastic from which the SIM card is made is quite dense and durable. And you need to cut very precisely. Therefore, take care immediately of a convenient and well-sharpened tool. It is very appropriate to use ordinary nail scissors here; they are usually quite sharp. In addition, they are small in size - which is exactly what is needed for such a delicate operation!

And don’t forget to cut off one of the corners of the resulting rectangle.

Now insert the SIM card into the phone slot. If everything matches in size and shape, congratulations, your micro SIM card is ready!

It may turn out that your new SIM card is slightly larger than the slot for it. And you need to cut so little additionally that even with nail scissors it won’t be possible to do it. In this case, don’t even try to cut it, you might just ruin everything. Use a piece of sandpaper and use gentle sanding motions to remove excess plastic where needed.

There is also a little device that will help a lot if you need to turn a lot of regular SIM cards into micro-SIM cards:

It is worth noting that SIM cards are generally used by all mobile operators to identify subscribers. Thanks to this, any subscriber can easily and quickly change cell phones and tablets without changing their phone number, but simply by moving their SIM card to another phone. There are now several known SIM card form factors: regular and micro-SIM.

All SIM cards include microprocessor with software and IMSI data(international mobile subscriber identifier), serial number, temporary information about the network and services available to the user, as well as some other data (for example, the phone book), access to which can be protected by a PIN code system.

Surprisingly, the SIM cards we are all familiar with are actually called mini-SIM. A full-size SIM card is similar in format to a bank card - their dimensions are exactly the same: 85.6x53.98x0.76 mm . The familiar “SIM cards” that we use in mobile phones, mini-SIM, are “broken out” from such a card. Pay attention to the kit that you purchase when connecting. The size of a standard SIM card from mobile operators is 25x15x0.76 mm.

Micro-SIM is the newest version of the subscriber module, differing from all previous ones in size - 15x12x0.76 mm. It was first discussed back in 1998, but the final version of the form factor was agreed upon only at the end of 2003. The main purpose of creating micro-SIM was the possibility of its use in miniature devices for which regular SIM cards are too large. True, no one specified what kind of devices these could be. Probably some kind of spy stuff.

The launch of mass production of micro-SIM was organized at the instigation of Apple. All of its new devices could only work with miniature SIM cards.

Externally, micro-SIM and regular SIM differ only in size. Basically, To use a regular SIM card in an iPad or iPhone 4G, you just need to carefully cut it to micro-SIM size. It will work just as well as a factory one, and this straightforward "file-finishing" method is suggested as the simplest solution. Now almost all operators in the world and in Russia they change standard cards to micro-SIM for free. To do this, just go to the service office and write a statement.

Meanwhile, not everything is so simple. Despite the complete identity of the chips themselves, the micro-SIM specification provides for a number of new functions that SIM cards of other formats do not have. First of all, we are talking about supporting simultaneous access to the map of several applications via virtual channels. This means that data over the telecom operator's network will be transmitted in parallel streams, rather than sequentially, as was previously the case.

New specifications describe increased security features, in particular, a system for mutual authentication of the card and the cell to which it is connected. This allows you to prevent IP spoofing - a fairly common method of hacker attack, which consists of intercepting a subscriber’s IP address and then using it either to enter secure networks or to replace the real IP address in order to obtain the necessary data on the attacker’s device.

Strengthening security measures can also be considered the emergence hierarchical PIN code system with universal PIN code, application code and local code. By analogy with computer operating systems, a universal code provides full system administrator rights, and all others have limited rights to perform certain actions. Obviously, such a measure should prevent not so much accidental damage to data stored on the card (and on the connected device), but rather malicious attacks aimed at gaining control of the terminal, including using unauthorized software.

And finally, the fourth new function included in the micro-SIM specifications is support for an expanded phone book of increased volume, which allows you to save second names of subscribers, groups, as well as email addresses on the SIM card.

How to make a micro-SIM from a regular SIM card

The manufacturing technology is very simple. To do this, we will need sharp scissors, a sharpened pencil, and a ruler with millimeter cutoffs. It is worth considering that all work must be carried out extremely carefully and carefully.

Stage No. 1. We measure the length and width of a standard SIM card. The SIM cards in our phones have the following dimensions, mm: 25 x 15 x 0.76. We are required to update them to the micro Sim standard: 15 x 12 x 0.76. There is no need to focus on the thickness - it is the same for both SIM card standards.

Stage No. 2. Mark the cutting lines. We draw a 15 x 12 mm rectangle around the metal chip and mark the lines with a pencil.
It’s worth noting here that some SIM cards have an oversized chip - in this case you need to cut it using metal, however, the chances are that the SIM card will survive it about 50/50.

Stage No. 3. Cut with scissors. Slowly cut off the excess plastic on the sides. Women's nail scissors are ideal for this operation - they are quite miniature and at the same time very powerful. After cutting, you need to compare the size of the resulting SIM card with the SIM card slot of your iPad or iPhone 4. If the SIM card is larger, carefully cut further with scissors.

After this, your micro-SIM is ready.

For our part, we would like to note once again that MTS, Beeline and MegaFon subscribers can change their regular SIM card to a micro-SIM completely free of charge at customer service centers. With other operators the situation is somewhat more complicated, and here you can use a homemade method of manufacturing micro-SIM

The first thing that can be advised to a person who is faced with the need to switch from a standard SIM card to a MicroSIM: contact your cellular operator. Most mobile operators provide free replacement of regular SIM cards with Micro-Sim. This is the safest and most reliable way. This way you absolutely do not risk being left without a SIM card.

The second thing we can recommend is purchasing a special gadget designed to “cut” regular SIM cards to Micro SIM sizes. Such devices come in a variety of designs and prices. You can buy a similar device for between $4 and $15.

Well, what should you do if you have a new phone in your hands (for example, an iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S3) that only supports Micro SIM, and there is no way to go to your cellular operator to get a replacement card. And there’s little desire to spend extra money on a special “cutter” device. Only one thing comes to mind: Shouldn’t we cut the SIM card ourselves?

So let's see how they differ, and whether it is possible in principle to convert a regular SIM card into a MicroSIM on your own. Regular SIM cards, or more precisely mini-SIM, have long been used in GSM networks around the world, and have dimensions of 25x15x0.76 mm. A couple of years ago, with the advent of the iPhone 4, a new standard appeared - Micro-SIM. The dimensions of micro SIM cards are 15x12x0.76 mm. In fact, Micro-Sim is a regular SIM card, with the same size contact pad, but reduced dimensions of the plastic case.

How to make a micro-SIM yourself from a regular SIM card

Warning: during this procedure, your SIM card may fail, so all actions must be performed in the correct sequence and be very careful. It’s better to first practice on old SIM cards, and only then go into battle.

1) Using a ruler and a thin marker, apply markings to a regular SIM card

2) We take a stationery knife and bait the marked