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How to Check Your Laptop’s Specs and Model Number (Windows 11, Mac and Chromebook)

By LaptopOwners · Updated · 9 min read

To check your laptop’s specs on Windows 11, open Settings, then System, then About. That one page shows the model name, processor, installed RAM and Windows version. On a Mac, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. On a Chromebook, open Settings, then About ChromeOS, then Diagnostics.

What it depends on is how much detail you need. The About pages answer most questions. For free RAM slots, whether the drive is an SSD, or which graphics chip you have, you go one level deeper. And if the laptop won’t turn on, the model and serial number are printed on the bottom.

Where each spec shows up

Each system has one starting screen and one deeper tool. The map below shows which to open first.

One screen per system shows most specs: About on Windows 11 and Mac, Diagnostics on a Chromebook Decision diagram for finding a laptop’s specs. It starts with the question: does the laptop turn on? If no, read the label: the serial number, Service Tag or model is printed or etched on the bottom cover, and the box barcode label, the receipt or the Apple Account Devices list at account.apple.com also show it. If yes, pick the system. Windows 11: start at Settings, System, About for the model, processor, RAM and Windows version, then go deeper in Task Manager’s Performance tab for RAM slots, SSD or HDD and the graphics chip, or System Information (msinfo32) and dxdiag. macOS 27: start at Apple menu, About This Mac for the model, chip and serial, then go deeper in System Settings, General, About, System Report. ChromeOS: start at Settings, About ChromeOS, Diagnostics for CPU, memory and battery, then check storage in Settings, System preferences, Storage management. Finally, enter the serial number or Service Tag on the maker’s support site to see the exact build. One screen per system shows most of your specs Start with the first box, go deeper only for RAM slots, drive type or graphics. Does the laptop turn on? No Yes Read the label Windows 11 macOS 27 ChromeOS On the laptop Bottom cover sticker or etching: serial, Service Tag or model Start here Settings > System > About: model, CPU, RAM, version Start here Apple menu > About This Mac: model, chip and serial Start here Settings > About ChromeOS > Diagnostics: CPU, memory, battery Off the laptop Box barcode label, receipt, or Apple Account > Devices Go deeper Task Manager > Performance: slots, SSD or HDD, GPU then msinfo32 Go deeper System Settings > General > About > System Report Storage Settings > System preferences > Storage management Last step for the exact build: type the serial or Service Tag into the maker’s support site.
Sources: Microsoft: Find information about your Windows device (updated Sep 28, 2026), Apple: Find your Mac model name and serial number (published Sep 21, 2026), Google Chromebook Help: Use Diagnostics, Google: Free up space on your Chromebook, Dell: Locate your Service Tag; all checked October 24, 2026.

How to check laptop specs on Windows 11

Windows 11 version 26H2 is the newest release on Microsoft’s release information page, made available September 29, 2026. Version 25H2 is still supported on Home and Pro, and some laptops sold since early 2026 run 26H1, so yours may be on one of those. The paths below come from Microsoft’s own support pages, which don’t split them by version.

1. Settings > System > About (30 seconds)

Right-click Start, choose Settings, select System, then About. Microsoft says the page shows the device name with the model name under it, then Device specifications (processor, installed RAM and whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit) and Windows specifications (edition and version) (Microsoft). For most questions, you’re done here.

2. Task Manager > Performance (RAM slots, SSD or HDD, graphics)

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select the Performance tab, then CPU. The processor’s full name sits at the top (Intel). Then click through the other entries on the left.

  • Memory shows the total RAM and, near the bottom, a count of memory slots in use, such as 1 of 2. Memory maker Kingston’s RAM upgrade guide points to this tab for the slot count (Kingston). Read the myth box below before you trust it.
  • Disk 0 (and Disk 1, if you have two) usually names the drive type, such as SSD or HDD. Microsoft first added that label to Task Manager in 2019 (Windows Insider blog). If yours shows no type, Lenovo suggests checking System Information or Device Manager, “where it may list the type of drive,” or the spec sheet (Lenovo).
  • GPU 0 and GPU 1 name each graphics chip. A laptop with two GPUs usually has a built-in chip and a separate one. Microsoft’s DirectX team explains that dedicated memory on a separate GPU is its own video memory, while a built-in chip borrows shared system memory (Microsoft DirectX blog, July 21, 2017).

3. System Information and dxdiag (everything else)

Type msinfo32 in the search box and open System Information (Microsoft). Its System Summary lists the processor and far more detail than Settings (Intel). If someone asks for your full specs, type dxdiag in the search box instead and use Save All Information, which Microsoft calls “an easily shared format” (Microsoft).

For storage, go to Start, then Settings, then System, then Storage (Microsoft). That’s drive space, not RAM.

How to check specs on a Mac

Choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. Apple says the window shows your model name and the serial number (Apple). On an Apple silicon Mac it has a line labeled Chip, and on an Intel Mac a line labeled Processor (Apple).

For more, Apple’s guide for macOS 27 says to choose Apple menu, then System Settings, click General, then About, then System Report (Apple). Holding Option and choosing Apple menu, then System Information gets you there too. Select Hardware to see the model identifier and part number (Apple). Storage is in System Settings, then General, then Storage (Apple).

If you’re checking whether a Mac is still supported, compare the model name with Apple’s macOS 27 Golden Gate list, which goes back to the 2020 M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.

How to check specs on a Chromebook

Select the time at the bottom right, open Settings, then About ChromeOS, then Diagnostics. Google says the app covers the battery (health and cycle count), CPU usage and memory, and needs ChromeOS version 90 or later (Google). You can also type Diagnostics into the launcher search. Google’s pages don’t give a Settings path for the model name, so read the label on the bottom or the box. On Dell Chromebooks, Dell says pressing Alt+V on the sign-in screen shows the serial number at the upper right (Dell).

Storage is under Settings, System preferences, Storage management (Google). While you’re in About ChromeOS, open Additional details and read the Update schedule, which tells you when updates end (Google). Our Chromebook vs laptop guide explains what that date means.

Spec by spec: where to find it

Spec Windows 11 Mac Chromebook
Model name Settings > System > About About This Mac Label on the bottom or the box
Serial number Bottom label; Dell: BIOS (F2) or SupportAssist About This Mac; System Information > Hardware Label on the bottom; Dell: Alt+V on the sign-in screen
Processor Settings > System > About; Task Manager > Performance > CPU About This Mac (Chip or Processor) Diagnostics > CPU
RAM (memory) Settings > System > About; Task Manager > Memory System Report Diagnostics > Memory
RAM slots Maker spec sheet (Task Manager is a hint only) Maker spec sheet Maker spec sheet
Storage and space Settings > System > Storage System Settings > General > Storage Settings > System preferences > Storage management
SSD or HDD Task Manager > Performance > Disk System Report Maker spec sheet
Graphics Task Manager > Performance > GPU; dxdiag System Report Maker spec sheet
OS version Settings > System > About System Settings > General > About Settings > About ChromeOS

Sources: Microsoft, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, Apple, Apple, Google, Google, Dell; checked October 24, 2026.

RAM vs storage: the mix-up behind most spec questions

RAM is the working memory; storage is where your files live. Windows calls one “Installed RAM” in About and lists the other under Storage. A Tom’s Guide forum poster said their Asus Vivobook “says it has 117gb memory” in My PC, and that they’d somehow filled the laptop’s memory, even though their music recordings live on an external drive (thread). That figure is the drive. RAM doesn’t fill up with files, and deleting files frees storage, not RAM.

If a listing or a friend quotes a spec you don’t recognize, our laptop spec decoder explains what each number means.

How to check laptop specs without turning it on

Turn the laptop over. Apple says a Mac’s serial number is usually on the underside near the regulatory markings, and may also be on the box next to a barcode (Apple). Dell says the Service Tag “might be etched directly on the bottom cover or on a sticker” (Dell). Lenovo’s help page names the printed label, its Lenovo Vantage app and Detect My Product on its support site as ways to find the serial number (Lenovo).

No label and no box? For a Mac, sign in at account.apple.com and open Devices, or enter the serial at checkcoverage.apple.com to see the model name (Apple). Store receipts and order emails usually list the full model too.

Once you have the serial or Service Tag, type it into the maker’s support site. Dell says to enter the Service Tag at Dell.com/support (Dell). On Windows, Dell also gives a PowerShell command that prints it: GWMI -Class Win32_Bios | select SerialNumber. The support site shows the exact build, which matters when two laptops share a name but not a chip.

FAQ

How do I check my laptop model number?

On Windows 11, go to Settings, System, About; the model name sits under the device name. On a Mac, choose About This Mac. If the laptop won’t start, read the label on the bottom or the box.

How do I check RAM on my laptop in Windows 11?

Settings, System, About shows installed RAM. Task Manager, Performance, Memory shows it too, with a count of slots in use. That count isn’t proof of a free physical slot, so check the maker’s spec sheet before buying more.

How do I check what graphics card my laptop has?

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open Performance and look at GPU 0 and GPU 1. Two entries usually means a built-in chip plus a separate graphics card. On a Mac, use System Report.

Is 117 GB of memory the same as RAM?

No. A figure like that in This PC or My PC is storage. RAM is listed as Installed RAM in Settings, System, About, and on a Mac in System Report.

What to do next

  1. Open Settings, System, About (or About This Mac) and write down the model name, processor and RAM.
  2. Check Task Manager, Performance for the drive type and graphics chip if you’re thinking about an upgrade.
  3. Look up your exact build on the maker’s support site with the serial number before buying RAM or an SSD.
  4. If the laptop is old, check how long laptops last and run the numbers in our repair, upgrade or replace calculator.
  5. Shopping for the next one? Paste the listing into the spec decoder and compare it with a refurbished option.

Sources

All checked October 24, 2026, unless another date is given.

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