-24125.png){kind=logo}
Did you know that serial numbers have meaning? They are not just random strings of characters. While part of it is, of course, randomized, the placement of the digits has meaning. This article will give you a rundown of the meaning of MacBook serial numbers.
MacBook Serial Number
Where to find a Mac serial number
If you have a MacBook and you want to find the serial number, look in the following places. If you have a Mac OS X, look at About This Mac. You can find this on your Apple Menu. Open the terminal and type in the following command exactly as follows: system_profiler SPHardWareDataType | grep “Serial Number (system) ”.
Another option is to turn the computer over on the back side and see the serial number. It will be engraved on the back bottom of your MacBook. Also, if you happened to still have the original packaging from your MacBook Air, you can find the model number or configuration on that.
Symbols in a MacBook serial number
When you’re looking at the serial number of a MacBook, the first three symbols usually indicate the country where the product was created. Most MacBooks that you look at nowadays will start with C02, because they are mostly produced in China. You can use a special service to check the origin of a MacBook. They usually allow only 2 serial number checks in 24 hours.
In MacBooks produced after 2010, the first three letters of the serial number indicate the factory where the MacBook was made. The letters can indicate that the MacBook was made in any variety of locations from Colorado, USA to Taiwan, just to name a couple of options. You will want to check a list of possible locations to decipher exactly where your MacBook was produced.
If your MacBook was produced before 2010, there would be an 11-character serial number. The first two characters of that serial number give an idea of where the manufacturing location is. Since 2010, Apple uses 12-digit serial numbers in MacBooks.
Year of Production
The fourth character of the serial number is the year that the MacBook was produced. If the character is a C, that means the MacBook was produced in the first six months of the year. If it is a D, the MacBook was produced in the second half of the year. There may also be other letters ranging from F to Z. These letters alternate the times of production. For example, Fs mean the first half of the year was when the product was manufactured. A “G” would mean that the product was manufactured in the second half. An “H” means it was produced in the second half. The letters continue this way alternating times of production.
The date of production
If you are curious to see the date of production of your MacBook, you can type the serial number in the service and support coverage page on Apple’s website. This will show your model description. If you want to see the model identifier of your MacBook, find the model identifier in System Profiler under “About This Mac”. You can find this in the Apple menu located on the top left corner of your screen. Simply click, “More Info,” and you will see the identifier in the Hardware section. If you can’t find a model and year in the “About this Mac” section, don’t be alarmed. Some Macs don’t have that information. Apple says that because some MacBooks are built to order, they won’t have this info. If the MacBook Air laptop was purchased from a store, it will show the model and year.
Looking for a laptop? Check our collection of refurbished MacBooks.
