What Mac do you may have? Here’s discover out

There are plenty of explanation why you would possibly want discover out what sort of Mac or MacGuide you may have. Perhaps you’re planning to promote a used Mac and also you need discover out what it’s price. If you’re promoting your Mac, you’ll additionally need to have the ability to precisely let the client know what they’re getting. 

Maybe you’re the one shopping for a second-hand Mac and also you need to test that you simply aren’t about to buy an vintage mannequin that gained’t have the facility to take care of your everyday duties.

Alternatively, you might be questioning should you ought to replace the working system and need to ensure that the newest model of macOS gained’t break your laptop. When the subsequent model of macOS arrives on Macs within the fall you might be questioning in case your Mac is ready to run it – should you don’t know which Mac you may have then you can be none the wiser. Read: What model of macOS can my Mac run? for recommendation.

In this text we’ll make it easier to discover out the mannequin identifier, serial quantity and different info that may make it easier to establish which Mac mannequin you may have and the way previous it’s.

The various kinds of Macs

Before we get our detective hats on it’s helpful to run by the various kinds of Mac Apple sells – or has bought. Apple at present makes six forms of Mac. Over the years the corporate has bought Macs which have since been discontinued, such because the 27in iMac, the iMac Pro and the MacGuide.

Currently there are two types of Mac laptop computer:

• MacGuide Air (13in)
• MacGuide Pro (13in, 14in and 16in)

And there are 4 types of Mac desktop:

• Mac mini
• iMac (24in)
• iMac Pro
• Mac Pro

There are various key variations between the Mac fashions Apple sells. While some Macs are focused purely at energy customers, such because the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, different Mac classes can meet the wants of professionals and residential customers alike due to the massive variations in phrases processor and graphics energy on provide. For instance, the divide between the 13in MacGuide Pro and 16in MacGuide Pro is huge. To discover out extra in regards to the totally different Macs Apple makes learn our Mac Buying Guide right here.

How to inform what Mac you may have: Easy technique

There’s a simple solution to establish precisely which Mac or MacGuide you may have:

1. Click the Apple icon within the prime left nook of your Mac.
2. This will convey up a drop-down menu. Pick the highest choice: About This Mac.
3. The ensuing window element what sort of Mac it’s, e.g. iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) or within the case under Mac mini (M1 2020)

Foundry

If you don’t have entry to the Mac in query, or you may’t entry the menu as a result of the Mac gained’t activate, you gained’t have the ability to entry this info. However, you need to nonetheless have the ability to decide which Mac mannequin it’s should you comply with the steps under.

How to discover a Mac’s serial quantity

Every Mac has a serial quantity that uniquely defines it, so if you’ll find out the serial quantity you need to have the ability to establish the Mac. There are a couple of explanation why you might want to search out your Mac’s serial quantity. Your serial quantity helps you acquire guarantee service, it may assist with a technical problem, it’ll warn you if the Mac has been recalled attributable to a identified fault, and, within the unlucky circumstances of getting your Mac stolen, it might make it easier to get well it.

The serial quantity is proven in About This Mac’s most important display (as seen above, though we’ve grayed out the precise serial quantity there). It can be discovered within the Hardware Overview in System Report (System Information/More Information on older macOS variations). Just click on on the Apple Menu > About This Mac.

Assuming you may have registered the Mac along with your Apple ID, additionally, you will have the ability to discover it should you go to the Apple ID website. Here additionally, you will have the ability to discover the serial quantity for units registered to your account within the Devices part.

Foundry

You will even discover the serial quantity on the Mac itself. It is often situated on the underside, however the location of your serial quantity relies on the Mac mannequin.

Here’s an inventory of Macs with the areas the place you’ll in all probability discover the serial quantity and different info:

• iMac: Found on the bottom of the pc. Be positive to modify off your iMac, disconnect the wires after which flip it over, ideally on a gentle floor, to disclose the numbers. If you want to see a visible illustration – go to Apple’s web site.
• MacGuide Air: Found on the again floor of the laptop computer. The location of the numbers will differ between fashions post-2012, 2010-2011 and Original-2009; nonetheless on all MacGuide Airs, the numbers can be on the again floor of the laptop computer. If you want to see a visible illustration –  go to Apple’s web site.
• MacGuide Pro: Found on the again floor of the laptop computer. For actually previous MacGuide Pros which are dated pre-2008 the situation of the numbers can be discovered inside the laptop computer. If you want to see a visible illustration – go to Apple’s web site.
• Mac Pro pre-2013 (Tower laptop): Found on the pc’s again panel, close to the video card’s output. If you want to see a visible illustration –  go to Apple’s web site.
• Mac Pro 2013 (Cylinder laptop): Found on the underside floor of the pc. Be positive to modify off the Mac Pro earlier than turning it over. If you want to see a visible illustration – go to Apple’s web site.
• Mac Pro 2019: You will discover the serial quantity printed on the underside of the Mac, close to the regulatory markings – go to Apple’s web site.
• Mac mini: Found on the underside floor of the pc. If you want to see a visible illustration – go to Apple’s web site.

Another solution to discover the mannequin and serial variety of your Mac is to to test the unique packaging or the unique receipt/bill – that’s to say, should you nonetheless have them!

Once you may have situated the serial quantity you may enter it in the AppleCare protection lookup web page on Apple’s website to additionally discover out the human-readable mannequin title.

How to search out your Mac mannequin identifier

While it’s easy sufficient to find the mannequin title by clicking on the Apple Menu > About This Mac, generally you want a bit of extra info than the product title and 12 months to establish your actual Mac mannequin. Apple additionally lists the mannequin identifier, which might inform you extra in regards to the Mac.

To discover the mannequin variety of your Mac comply with these directions:

1. Click the Apple icon within the prime left nook of your Mac.
2. This will convey up a drop-down menu. Pick the highest choice: About This Mac.
3. Click on System Report (or on Macs working older working programs, click on on More Information).
4. In the Hardware Overview you will notice the Model Identifier.

Note that the mannequin identifier may be shared by a couple of Mac, so you’ll nonetheless want extra info to confidently establish the Mac in query.

How to search out your Mac mannequin quantity

Apple additionally assigns a mannequin quantity to its Macs. This quantity could also be used for a single version of Macs primarily based on CPU and different components or would possibly span a dozen or extra distinct variations of mannequin line. EveryMac presents perception on this subject—which is that it’s unattainable to know Apple’s selections right here. Models numbers (generally referred to as “family numbers”) seem like A2179. They’re printed in your Mac.

How to search out the advertising half quantity

Apple additionally assigns an element quantity to its units that may outline the nation for which it manufactured a selected configuration of {hardware} or a mixture of traits, just like the distinction between an area grey and gold MacGuide Air. This quantity is printed on a Mac and on the packaging that got here with it. It appears to be like like MGND3LL/A (a 13-inch M1-based 2020 MacGuide Air in gold).

This is price checking should you assume the Mac you’re shopping for secondhand may need initially been purchased elsewhere.

How to search out how previous your Mac is

Finding out how previous your Mac is a crucial step in direction of uncovering the small print of the parts Apple used inside it.

Once when the Mac in query was launched (which isn’t essentially when it was bought) you’ll find out which technology of processor is inside in addition to different info which will make it easier to decide whether or not it’s higher of worse than one other Mac.

To discover out the age of a Mac comply with these steps:

1. Click the Apple icon within the prime left nook of your Mac.
2. This will convey up a drop-down menu. Pick the highest choice: About This Mac.
3. The ensuing window ought to present you the data you want, e.g. iMac (27-inch, Late 2013).

That date is when that exact technology of Mac launched. It could also be that the Mac was manufactured and bought a while after that date, so it will not be that previous bodily.

For instance, you should purchase a brand new Mac mini from Apple proper now (a 3.0GHz Intel-powered mannequin), however that mannequin hasn’t been up to date since 2018.

Once the date the mannequin was launched, you’ll find out details about the processor and different parts inside it, as we clarify right here: How to test the specs of your Mac: discover out processor and RAM info.

How to establish your Mac visually

Apple doesn’t incessantly make main design adjustments, so some Macs are simple to establish by appears to be like alone and you’ll in all probability be assured that you’re taking a look at a Mac mini or an iMac, for instance. However, it gained’t essentially be apparent if the 27in iMac you’re looking at is a decade previous or solely a few years previous as a result of Apple hadn’t up to date the design in a very long time.

Mac laptops is usually a little tougher to differentiate from each other. One easy solution to test what sort of Mac laptop computer you may have is to open the lid of your Mac laptop computer – you’ll probably see the title of the mannequin printed on the black bar under the display. That’s so long as you don’t have a MacGuide Pro from between 2012 and 2016 – Apple eliminated the title from the bezel for various years, however the title returned in later fashions.

Screen

If your Mac has a display, measuring the display diagonally can assist you establish which mannequin it’s. However, you need to remember that Apple tends to spherical up or spherical down the display measurement when naming it’s MacBooks.

You may have any of the next display sizes, relying on the age of your Mac:

• 13.3-inches – 13in MacGuide Pro or MacGuide Air
• 14.2-inches – 14in MacGuide Pro from 2021
• 16-inches – 16in MacGuide Pro from 2019 or earlier
• 16.2-inches – 16in MacGuide Pro from 2021
• 21.5-inches – 21.5in iMac (discontinued)
• 23.5-inches – 24in iMac from 2021
• 27-inches – 27in iMac or iMac Pro (discontinued)

Another solution to distinguish is the display high quality – older MacGuide Air’s from earlier than 2018, and a few older fashions of the MacGuide Pro would not have Retina shows. Retina shows have extra pixels for a superior picture.

Colour

The pre-2018 MacGuide Air was solely out there in silver, whereas the newer design of the MacGuide Air (which is slimmer) is available in Gold, Space Grey and Silver.

The MacGuide Pro has all the time had a metallic case since its introduction in 2006 (when it changed the PowerBook G4 sequence). Initially the MacGuide Pro was a silver aluminium end, however since 2016 it has are available in Space Grey or Silver.

The 24in iMac is available in a wide range of colors together with blue, inexperienced, pink, silver, orange, yellow and purple. The discontinued 21.5 and 27in iMac fashions had been encased in aluminium and had been since 2007. If your iMac is white (or every other shade of plastic), it’s a lot older. On the opposite hand, in case your iMac is Space Grey then it’s an iMac Pro.

When Apple launched the Mac mini in 2005 it was white and silver, the design didn’t change considerably till 2010 when it obtained an all aluminium case, and once more in 2011 when it misplaced the optical drive. In 2018 the Mac mini went professional with a Space Grey case. Then when the M1 Mac mini arrived in 2020 it returned to an aluminium case.

If you may have a Mac Pro that’s black and appears a bit of like a trash can, then you may have the 2013 Mac Pro. If it’s an aluminium field with a cheese-grater entrance then it’s one of many fashions with an Intel-processor inside that Apple launched between 2006 and 2012. Or, if these holes on the entrance are a bit bigger and look a bit like alien faces, you then’ve obtained the most recent Mac Pro. If it’s obtained a plastic case then you may have a pre-Intel Mac Pro.