Active1 year, 7 months ago
A friend of mines has a MacBook with MacOS X 10.5.8 Leopard on it but it doesn't bear a serial number.
We checked 'About this Mac'.
We checked 'System Information'.
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. About This Mac shows an overview of your Mac, including the name and version of its operating system, its model name, and its serial number: If you see an About This Mac window like the following, double-click the version number beneath “OS X” to reveal the serial number.
A friend of mines has a MacBook with MacOS X 10.5.8 Leopard on it but it doesn't bear a serial number. We checked 'About this Mac'. We checked 'System Information'. And we even checked underneath the MacBook where Apple usually engraves the MacBook's serial numbers. My friend can't view most websites and doesnt have any of the original packaging.
And we even checked underneath the MacBook where Apple usually engraves the MacBook's serial numbers.
My friend can't view most websites and doesnt have any of the original packaging.
Is there anything else we can do to find out the MacBook's type and serial number?
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3 Answers
If the main thing you're after is the serial number, you can use Terminal to fetch it.
More specifically:
- Launch Terminal
- Copy and paste the following command:
ioreg -l | grep IOPlatformSerialNumber
- Press return
NOTE: If the above doesn't work then something strange is going on. However, depending on the model of MacBook, you may be able to remove the battery and check around the battery bay to see if the Serial Number and Ethernet ID are printed there.
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About My Mac Serial Number
If you see an About This Mac window like the following, double-click the version number beneath “OS X” to reveal the serial number:
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Contact Apple support and collect any and all receipts or purchase information you might have. The WiFi and Bluetooth and other serial numbers might help establish the serial number unless the machine was assembled or repaired with parts from several machines.
A logic board repair can cause the serial to be wrong or missing. Some very few models may ship without a serial and electrical or physical failures can also cause this.
bmikeMac Serial Number Identification
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You might want the model name or serial number of your Mac when checking warranty coverage, searching for specifications or other information about your model, creating a home inventory, and more. Identifying your Mac model is also important when selling or giving away your Mac or learning whether it's compatible with the latest operating system or other software or hardware.
Use About This Mac
Choose About This Mac from the Apple menu () in the upper-left corner of your screen. About This Mac shows an overview of your Mac, including the name and version of its operating system, its model name, and its serial number:
If you see an About This Mac window like the following, double-click the version number beneath “OS X” to reveal the serial number:
Use System Information
Open the System Information (or System Profiler) app from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder, or click the System Info (or More Info) button in About This Mac. Select Hardware on the left side of the window, then find the model name and serial number on the right:
If you can't use About This Mac or System Information because your Mac doesn't finish starting up, look for a serial number or model name on the outside of your Mac, or on its original packaging, receipt, or invoice.
You can also log in to appleid.apple.com and look for your Mac in the Devices section. Click on your Mac to view its serial number.
Mac Serial Lookup
If you still need help, find an Apple service provider near you.