Find your Mac's serial number from the Terminal
Read the serial number, model identifier and chip without opening About This Mac.
01Command
$ system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep "Serial Number"02What it does
system_profiler SPHardwareDataType reports the hardware overview Apple shows in About This Mac; piping it through grep isolates the serial line. Drop the grep to also see the model identifier, chip (Apple Silicon or Intel), memory and OS version — useful for support tickets or checking warranty eligibility remotely. The serial is not a secret, but avoid posting it publicly since support staff may use it to check service status.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- macOS system_profiler command referenceEvidence: system_profiler SPHardwareDataType prints hardware details including model identifier and serial number.
- Find the model name and serial number of your MacEvidence: Apple lists the places a Mac serial number appears, including About This Mac and the device surface.
Last verified: 2026-09-16 · Category: System & Settings
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