How to find exactly which MacBook you have
MacBooks are priced by model and chip, so the calculator needs to know three things: whether it is an Air or a Pro, the screen size, and the exact chip, including whether it is a Pro or Max version. Those three together are worth more to the price than any other detail, so it pays to get them exactly right.
Apple makes this easy on any MacBook that turns on, because one menu shows all of it. For a MacBook that will not start, which we also buy, the underside and the serial number tell you the rest. This guide covers both routes and the details that trip people up, such as telling a 14-inch Pro from a 13-inch one.
A MacBook that turns on: About This Mac
- Click the Apple menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
- Choose About This Mac.
- Read the name at the top, then the Chip, Memory and Serial number lines underneath.
- For storage, open System Settings, choose General, then Storage.
Look for: A heading such as MacBook Air, 13-inch, M2, 2022, followed by Chip: Apple M2 and Memory: 8 GB. That one heading gives you the model, the screen size, the chip and the year in a single line.
A MacBook that will not start: the underside
- Close the lid and turn the MacBook over on a soft surface.
- Find the small printed text near the hinge edge. You may need good light or a phone torch.
- Note the model number, which starts with A, and the serial number.
Look for: Text such as Model A2681, followed by the serial number. The A-number identifies the model family and screen size. A search for that A-number on Apple's support site lists which MacBook it belongs to.
Check the serial number with Apple
- Find the serial number in About This Mac, on the underside, or on the original box label.
- Open checkcoverage.apple.com in a browser.
- Enter the serial number and the code shown on screen.
Look for: The model name Apple shows at the top of the results, for example MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023). It also shows whether the MacBook is still under warranty or AppleCare, which is worth mentioning when you sell.
Air or Pro, sizes and chip names
The quickest physical tell between an Air and a Pro is the ports. Every MacBook Pro 14 and 16 from 2021 onwards has an HDMI port and an SD card slot on its sides, and the MacBook Air does not. The older MacBook Pro 13 with an M1 or M2 has a Touch Bar strip above the keyboard, which no Air has.
Screen sizes are written into the model name, but they are easy to mix up. The Air comes in 13-inch and 15-inch. The Pro came in 13-inch with the M1 and M2, and in 14-inch and 16-inch from the M1 Pro onwards. A 14-inch Pro has a notch at the top of the screen and a much thinner bezel than the 13-inch Pro, so if your Pro has a notch, it is a 14 or a 16. The MacBook Neo 13 with the A18 Pro chip is its own line and shows as MacBook Neo in About This Mac.
Chip names matter more than they look. An M3, an M3 Pro and an M3 Max are three different chips with different graphics, memory limits and prices, and the calculator lists them separately. Read the Chip line exactly as written, including any Pro or Max at the end.
If About This Mac shows Processor with an Intel name instead of a Chip line, it is an Intel MacBook. We do not price Intel MacBooks on this site.
- MacBook Air, 13-inch, M2, 2022
- Air 13, M2
- MacBook Air, 15-inch, M3, 2024
- Air 15, M3
- MacBook Pro, 13-inch, M1, 2020
- Pro 13 with Touch Bar
- MacBook Pro, 14-inch, 2023, Chip: Apple M3 Pro
- Pro 14, M3 Pro
- MacBook Pro, 16-inch, 2021, Chip: Apple M1 Max
- Pro 16, M1 Max