You can find a Mac’s serial number without signing in by checking the case or original packaging, using macOS Recovery Terminal, or viewing the Mac in its owner’s Apple Account on another device. The configurable computer name is different: Apple’s standard instructions show it in System Settings after you sign in, and do not establish a universal way to see it at an ordinary login window.
Know which identifier you need
- Serial number: identifies an individual hardware unit. It is the most useful identifier to provide when asking for support or matching a specific Mac to a record.
- Model name: describes the product family and configuration, such as a MacBook Air or Mac mini model. It does not uniquely identify one physical Mac.
- Computer name: a configurable name for the Mac.
- Local hostname: the name used to identify the Mac on a local network, generally derived from its computer name.
Apple’s serial-number and model guidance describes several ways to retrieve hardware details, while its Mac User Guide explains computer names and local hostnames.
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Find the serial number without signing in
Check the Mac’s case
Look on the underside of the Mac, near the regulatory markings. Apple says the serial number is usually printed there. This works even if the Mac is powered off or stopped at the login window. Read the characters carefully and record the number exactly.
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Check the original packaging
If you have the box, look for the product label and serial number. Apple notes that a barcode scan of an Apple product box might show a leading “S”; that letter is not part of the serial number. In general, Apple hardware serial numbers use the numerals 0 and 1 rather than the letters O and I, which can help when checking a handwritten or typed copy. See Apple’s serial-number guidance for that detail.
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Use macOS Recovery Terminal
If the Mac turns on but does not start up normally, you may be able to reach macOS Recovery and use its Terminal utility. This route requires access to Recovery; it is not an option if the Mac cannot enter it.
- Start the Mac in macOS Recovery. The startup method depends on whether the Mac has Apple silicon or an Intel processor; follow Apple’s Recovery instructions for the Mac.
- From the Recovery menu bar, choose Utilities > Terminal.
- Enter
ioreg -l | grep IOPlatformSerialNumberand press Return. - Read the value shown after
IOPlatformSerialNumber; that is the serial number.
Look in the owner’s Apple Account on another device
If the Mac is associated with an Apple Account you can access, sign in at account.apple.com from another device. Open Devices, select the Mac if it appears, and check its model name and serial number. This does not require signing in on the Mac, but the device must be listed under an account you can access. Apple describes this option in its device lookup instructions.
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Choose the route that fits
| Method | What you need | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Marking on the case | Access to the Mac | Serial number |
| Original packaging | The Mac’s box | Serial number |
| Recovery Terminal | The Mac must start into Recovery, and you must be able to use Terminal | Serial number |
| Apple Account device list | Access to the account associated with the Mac | Model name and serial number when the Mac is listed |
Find the computer name and local hostname
When you can access macOS
On the Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings > General > About. The computer name appears beside Name. To see the local hostname, open System Settings > General > Sharing and look near the bottom.
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Apple explains that “The local network name is your computer’s name with .local added, and any spaces are replaced with hyphens (-).” For example, My Computer becomes My-Computer.local. Apple also says local network names are not case-sensitive. The computer name and local hostname are related, but they are not the serial number.
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When you are stopped at the login window
Apple’s standard guidance does not give a general, guaranteed way to retrieve a Mac’s configured computer name from an ordinary login window without signing in. The serial number on the case or in the owner’s account can identify the hardware, but it does not necessarily reveal the computer name configured in macOS.
Some organization-managed Macs can be configured to cycle information such as the host name, macOS version, and IP address when someone clicks the menu bar at the login window. That is an optional management setting, not a feature to expect on every Mac. Apple documents it in its device-management guide.
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If the identifiers do not match your records
- Compare the serial number character by character, especially 0 versus O and 1 versus I.
- When using a scanned box barcode, ignore a leading “S” if it appears before the serial number.
- Do not treat the model name, computer name, local hostname, and serial number as interchangeable. If a support request asks for the serial number, provide the hardware identifier rather than a name you see in settings.
- If you need the computer name but cannot sign in, check whether an administrator manages the Mac and can confirm its login-window configuration. Otherwise, the standard name lookup requires access to macOS settings.
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