Feb 01, 2014 The easiest way to find your Mac’s serial number is from the “About this Mac” information panel. This can be accessed via the Apple menu, as shown below: Once open, click on the grey OS X version string. Clicking on this string will toggle the string showing the OS version, the OS build number, and finally your system’s serial number. The serial number on your Mac is also important when you need to access some of the benefits offered by Apple. You will not need it every day to access your computer, but you should be able to find it when you need it. The following are the four methods you can use to find the serial number on your Mac.
Check here first
Depending on the product, you can find your serial number:
- On the surface of your product.
- In iTunes, if your product syncs with iTunes.
- On a Mac, by choosing About This Mac from the Apple menu.
- On an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iPod, or Apple Watch, in Settings > General > About.
If you don't have your product or it won't turn on
- If you have your product's original packaging, you can check the barcode to find the serial number.
- If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iPod, you can get the serial number from the Devices tab in iTunes preferences.
- You can also find your product's serial number on the original product receipt or invoice.
You can also choose a product below for details about finding the serial number:
Get help
Apple registration numbers and Apple hardware product serial numbers might have the number '0' (zero), but never the letter 'O.' Serial numbers don't have the number '1' (one) or the letter 'i.'
Report a lost or stolen Apple product.
Mac Identification (Identify Different Macs)
Also see: iPod, iPhone & iPad Identification
When EveryMac.com was founded in 1996, it wasn't necessary to help one identify which Mac they had because each Mac had a unique name on the front. If someone needed information on the Performa 6400/180, for example, it was simply a matter of locating the Performa section of the site and clicking on the applicable computer.
Starting with the iMac line, however, and continuing with subsequently introduced lines, Apple began to provide less and less information on the hardware itself and it has become more of a challenge to identify different models.
This page provides information on identifiers that can be used to spotlight a particular Mac, where to find these identifiers on different Macs, and the strengths and weaknesses of each identifier for precise identification and differentiation.
If you find this page useful, please Bookmark & Share it. Thank you.
Identify Your Mac Using EveryMac.com's 'Quick Specs'
EveryMac.com's flip down 'Quick Specs' on all 'By Series' and 1998 and later 'By Year' pages provide the Introduction Date, Discontinued Date, Order Number, Model Number, EMC Number, Subfamily, and Model Identifier as well as the Standard RAM, Standard VRAM, Standard Storage, and Standard Optical Drive.
For those who know quite a bit about their Mac -- when it was purchased new and/or at least one or two secondary pieces of information -- these 'Quick Specs' generally are sufficient to identify a particular Mac.
Identify Your Mac Using EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup
For those with less information -- without physical access to the Mac (trying to buy a used model from a third-party online with incomplete information, for example) or with a friend's or customer's Mac (particularly if it won't boot) -- EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup as well as the 'Lookup' function within the EveryMac app for the iOS and Android can help to track down a particular Mac using whatever limited info is available.
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature allows one to quickly display all models that match a particular Order Number, Model Number (referred to as the Family Number on some older Macs), EMC Number, Model Identifier, Serial Number, or Intel processor number.
Given the option, Order Numbers (which vary by country) are the best identifier to distribute as they are almost always precise enough to identify the exact Mac and much safer to share than Serial Numbers.
For highly experienced users, this likely is all the info needed on these identifiers and all the instructions needed to use EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature:
Identifier | Looks Like | Found On |
Order Number | MA970B/A MB467LL/A MD093E/A | Some Receipts Some Packaging Some Documentation Some Promo Info |
Model Number | A1278orM8493 | Hardware |
EMC Number | 2254or1969C | Some Hardware |
Model Identifier | MacBook5,1 | About This Mac |
11 Character Serial Number | W88401231AX | About This Mac Some Hardware Some Packaging Some Receipts |
12 Character Serial Number | C02CG123DC79 | About This Mac Some Hardware Some Packaging Some Receipts |
Intel Processor | P8600or4260U | Intel Documentation |
If you cannot retrieve applicable Macs using any one of the above identifiers, but are able to track it down using another one, please share any missing information with EveryMac.com. The Ultimate Mac Lookup feature is quite comprehensive, but it will become even more so with your additions. Thank you.
For much more detailed information regarding limitations of each identifier and more specific information about how to locate these identifiers, you also may find the following Q&As helpful:
- Where can I locate the Order Number for my Mac? Are Order Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific Mac using Order Numbers?
- Where can I locate the Model Number or Family Number on my Mac? Are they unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific Mac using this identifier?
- Where can I locate the EMC Number on my Mac? Are EMC Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific Mac using EMC Numbers?
- Where can I locate the Model Identifier (Model ID) or Machine Model for my Mac? Are Model Identifiers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific Mac using the Model Identifier?
- Where can I locate the Serial Number on my Mac? Are Serial Numbers unique? What are the limitations identifying a specific Mac using the Serial Number?
You additionally may find complete lists of G3 and later Macs By Identifier helpful:
It is hoped that by having as many possible ways to identify Macs available, you will have enough information to pinpoint exactly which Mac you have or intend to purchase.
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