How to Find Your Laptop Model Number

The short answer

Your laptop's model number is the small string of letters and numbers that unlocks the right repair quote, the correct replacement part and a valid warranty claim. Get it wrong and you can end up with a screen that does not fit, a charger that will not charge, or firmware meant for a different machine. Get it right and everything that follows is faster, cheaper and less stressful.

If you just need the answer quickly, there are two reliable ways. Turn the laptop over and read the label or etched code on the underside, or, in Windows 11, open the System Information app by pressing the Windows key and R, typing msinfo32 and pressing Enter. Between those two, most laptops are identified in well under a minute.

A few things are worth knowing before you start, because they have changed recently. Windows 10 has now retired, the command-line trick most guides relied on has been pulled out of Windows, and the majority of laptops no longer have a battery you can pop out to peek underneath. The methods below all account for that.

Model number versus serial number: what is the difference?

This trips people up constantly, and mixing the two up is exactly how the wrong part gets ordered, so it is worth thirty seconds to get straight.

The model name or number identifies the whole product line, such as Dell Inspiron, Lenovo IdeaPad, HP Pavilion or ASUS Vivobook. It usually mixes letters and numbers and often includes a family name. Crucially it is not unique to your machine, because thousands of identical laptops share it. It tells us what kind of laptop you have, but not which specific one.

The serial number is unique to your individual laptop. It is the fingerprint of your exact machine, and it is what manufacturers use to check your warranty and pull up your precise configuration. No two laptops share a serial number.

Then there are the brand-specific identifiers, which is where most of the confusion lives:

• Dell uses a Service Tag, a unique seven-character code, plus an Express Service Code, which is just that same tag turned into a long number for the phone system. On a Dell, the Service Tag effectively is the serial number for that chassis.
• HP uses a product number and a serial number. HP is explicit that the name printed on the front of a laptop can represent many different models and is often not enough to get the right support, so for drivers and parts the product number is what matters.
• Lenovo uses a Machine Type Model (MTM), something like 21HD001PGE, alongside the serial. The MTM nails down the exact configuration, which makes it the single most useful code when ordering spares.

The practical takeaway: if you can give us the serial number, Service Tag or MTM, that is gold, because it identifies your exact machine. The model name on its own is a helpful start, but it is the beginning of the conversation, not the end. You will want one or more of these whenever you contact a manufacturer, register a warranty, download drivers, or ask us for a laptop repair quote.

Check the underside label (the 30-second check)

Always start here, because it is free, instant and needs no software. Flip the laptop over gently, with the lid closed, on a soft surface, and look for a printed sticker or, increasingly on modern machines, text etched directly into the metal casing. You will usually find the model name, a serial number and one or two barcodes. Many newer premium laptops have moved from glossy stickers to laser-etched codes, which last longer but can be harder to read in poor light, so a phone torch held at an angle works wonders.

A quick word on the old "remove the battery" trick. It used to be common advice to switch off, slide the battery out, and read the label hidden in the bay. That mostly no longer applies. The overwhelming majority of laptops now ship with sealed, internal batteries that are not designed to be removed at home, a consequence of the thin-and-light design trend.

So please do not prise your laptop open looking for a hidden label. On a sealed machine you risk cracking the chassis or, far worse, puncturing the lithium battery, which is genuinely dangerous. If your laptop does still have a removable battery (some older models, certain rugged business machines and a few ThinkPads), then by all means switch it off, slide the battery out and check the bay, where the model number is often printed. If the battery is sealed in, leave it be and use one of the methods below. And if you ever do need the battery out of a sealed laptop, that is exactly the sort of job to bring to a laptop repair workshop rather than force yourself.

Find it in Windows 11

If the labels are worn, etched into oblivion, or you simply cannot be bothered turning the laptop over, Windows already knows exactly what hardware it is running on. Windows 10 reached the end of its support life on 14 October 2025, so everything here is for Windows 11, including one method that no longer works the way it used to.

System Information (the go-to)

This is the most reliable built-in method and it has not changed in Windows 11.

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box.
2. Type msinfo32 and press Enter.
3. The window opens on System Summary.
4. Read System Manufacturer (for example "HP") and System Model (for example "HP Spectre x360 Convertible").

Those two fields give you the make and model straight from the machine's own firmware. You can also type "System Information" into the Start menu search if you prefer clicking to typing.

PowerShell (the wmic command has been retired)

Here is the important change. For years the go-to command was wmic csproduct get name. That command is on its way out: Microsoft has confirmed the old WMIC tool is being removed from Windows 11, it is already disabled by default on recent versions, and it will not survive future releases. On an up-to-date Windows 11 laptop the old wmic commands will likely just fail. The modern, supported replacement is PowerShell.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (or Windows PowerShell).
2. For the model, type Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem and read the Model field.
3. For the serial number, type Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS and read the SerialNumber field.

These pull the same information the old command did, through the current tool. If you find a guide telling you to use wmic, that is a quick sign it has not been updated, which is worth bearing in mind when you trust random advice with your hardware.

DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag)

1. Press Windows key + R, type dxdiag and press Enter.
2. On the System tab, read System Manufacturer and System Model.

On a fresh Windows 11 install, dxdiag occasionally needs the Graphics Tools optional feature first, though on machines upgraded from Windows 10 it is usually already there. If it will not run, just use msinfo32 instead.

Settings, System, About

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Go to System, then scroll to About.
3. Under Device specifications you will see your model name.

This shows the model nicely, but it does not reliably show your hardware serial number. The Device ID and Product ID listed there are Windows software identifiers, not the manufacturer's serial. For the real serial, use the PowerShell Win32_BIOS command above or the physical label. The one exception is Microsoft's own Surface devices, covered below.

Find it by brand: Dell, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, Acer and Surface

Sometimes the quickest route is the one your manufacturer built for the job. Here is how it works on the brands we see most often in the workshop.

Dell

Dell laptops carry the Service Tag (seven characters) and Express Service Code mentioned earlier.

• The sticker or etching on the base shows both. On newer Dells it is often laser-etched rather than printed.
• SupportAssist, Dell's preinstalled app, shows the Service Tag on its main screen and can detect the machine automatically.
• The Dell support site turns a Service Tag into your exact model, drivers and warranty status.
• In the BIOS/UEFI: turn the laptop on and tap F2 repeatedly the moment the Dell logo appears. If Windows starts loading you have missed it, so restart and try again. The Service Tag and model appear on the Overview tab.

Lenovo

Lenovo's key identifier is the Machine Type Model (MTM). The marketing name (say, ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9) is shared across many configurations, whereas the MTM (for example 20XW000BUS) pins down your exact spec, which is what we need to order the right part first time.

• The base sticker shows the serial, model name and the all-important MTM.
• Lenovo Vantage, the preinstalled app, shows the serial, product number and even the BIOS version.
• The Lenovo support site has a prominent Detect Product feature that auto-identifies your machine.
• In the BIOS, ThinkPads show the MTM (tap F1 at startup); some IdeaPad and Yoga models use the small Novo button to reach the firmware menus.

Lenovo's families are worth knowing: ThinkPad (business), IdeaPad (everyday), Legion and LOQ (gaming) and Yoga (convertibles). If one of those is printed above the keyboard, you are already halfway there.

HP

HP draws a clear line between the product number (use this for support and parts) and the simpler model name on the case.

• HP Support Assistant: click Start, type "HP", open the app, and the serial and product number appear on the dashboard.
• Press Fn + Esc together and HP's System Information window appears with the product name, product number and serial. Some models use Ctrl + Alt + S instead. This will not work through a docking-station keyboard, so use the laptop's own keys.
• The sticker on the base labels the product number as "Product NO" or "P/N", and the serial as "Serial NO", "S/N" or "SN".
• HP's support site can detect the product for you.

A handy quirk: HP consumer model numbers usually start with the screen size, so 15-dy2021nr is a 15-inch laptop and 14-ab0000sa a 14-inch. The Spectre line is the main exception.

ASUS

• The sticker on the underside shows the model code, for example X515EA.
• The MyASUS app, preinstalled on most recent models, shows the model and serial on its home screen.
• The BIOS (tap F2 at startup) lists the model under the main system information.

ASUS naming runs like this: "ASUS Vivobook 15 X515EA" breaks into the series and size (Vivobook 15), the family (X515) and the variant (EA). Their families include Zenbook, Vivobook, ROG and TUF (the last two being gaming lines). ASUS publishes an official how to find your model name guide.

Acer

• The sticker on the base shows the serial number and an SNID, Acer's own service ID.
• Acer Care Center (Start, All apps, Acer folder) shows the SNID and serial on its My System tile.
• The BIOS (F2 at startup, Main tab) lists the serial.

One genuinely useful Acer tip: their SNID and serial numbers never use the letter O, only the number zero, so if you think you are reading an O, it is a 0. Acer's serial-number guide covers it.

Microsoft Surface

Surface devices are a little different, and conveniently one of the few where Windows Settings does reliably show the serial.

• The Surface app (Device information, then Serial number) is the easiest route.
• Settings, System, About shows the serial under Windows Specifications, which works here because it is a Microsoft device.
• Physically, the serial is engraved near the base of the kickstand on a Surface Pro or Go, or near the hinge under the keyboard on a Surface Laptop.

Microsoft's official serial-number guide covers every Surface model.

Why the exact model and serial matter for repairs

This is the part people most often underestimate, and it is why we are sticklers for the precise identifier rather than "a silver Lenovo, fairly new".

Screens are the perfect example. Two laptops with the identical model name on the box can ship with completely different LCD panels inside. Manufacturers source screens from several suppliers, and those panels can differ in resolution, refresh rate, surface finish, the connector type (a 30-pin versus a 40-pin connector, for instance) and even the mounting brackets. Order a screen off the model name alone and there is a real chance it will not fit or will not display correctly. What we actually need is the panel part number printed on the back of the screen, or the manufacturer's spare-part number, and we work back to those from your exact model and serial.

The same precision applies across the board. Batteries vary by exact model, with the wrong shape, connector or capacity. Keyboards differ by layout and region (a UK keyboard is not a US one) and by model revision. Chargers must match the right wattage and connector (a barrel jack versus USB-C), because one that is too weak will charge the laptop slowly or not at all.

On top of the parts question, manufacturers tie your warranty status and your correct drivers and firmware downloads to the exact Service Tag, MTM or serial. Feed in the wrong identifier and you risk downloading firmware meant for a different revision, which, as we cover in our guide to BIOS updates, is one of the few ways to genuinely brick a motherboard. So when we ask for your exact model, we are not being fussy, we are making sure the part that arrives is the part that fits, first time.

Which method should you use?

You do not have to try everything. The label and System Information will sort most people in seconds; the brand tools and BIOS are there for when a laptop will not boot or you need a specific code.

Your situation	Fastest way to find it
Laptop turns on and runs Windows 11	System Information (msinfo32)
You need the serial number specifically	PowerShell (Win32_BIOS), or the underside label
Laptop will not boot into Windows	The underside label or etching, or the BIOS/UEFI
Dell	Service Tag on the base, in SupportAssist, or the BIOS Overview tab
Lenovo	Machine Type Model on the base sticker or in Lenovo Vantage
HP	Fn + Esc, HP Support Assistant, or the base sticker
Microsoft Surface	The Surface app, or Settings, System, About

If any of that feels like more than you fancy dealing with, that is genuinely what we are here for. If you are anywhere in Manchester and you are not sure what you have got, send us a photo of the sticker on the base of your laptop and we will identify it for you. We offer free collection and return across Greater Manchester, no-fix-no-fee, and an honest quote before any work begins. Get a free quote or call us on 0161 820 1992.