How to find the serial number of your Windows PC (laptop, desktop, 2-in-1)

How to find the serial number of your Windows PC (laptop, desktop, 2-in-1)

Do you have a laptop, desktop PC, 2-in-1 device, or tablet with Windows 10 or Windows 11? Do you need your laptop’s serial number for warranty claims or insurance issues? Do you need technical support from your PC manufacturer, and they’re asking for the serial number? If this is the case, then you’re in the right place, as this guide shares four ways in which you can retrieve it:

Advertisement

1. Use the “wmic bios get serialnumber” command (in CMD, PowerShell, or Windows Terminal)

One of the easiest ways to get the serial number of your laptop, PC, 2-in-1 device, or tablet in Windows is to start Command Prompt, open PowerShell, or run Windows Terminal, depending on which you prefer. One way to do this is to right-click (or tap and hold) the Windows button and then choose Terminal in the menu that appears.

Starting the Windows Terminal

Starting the Windows Terminal

Then, in the command-line app that you’ve opened, copy and paste the following command and press Enter:

wmic bios get serialnumber

You’ll immediately see the SerialNumber field with the actual number mentioned beneath it, similar to the screenshot below.

wmic bios get serialnumber

wmic bios get serialnumber

This method works for all Windows laptops, desktops, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices, no matter who manufactured them: Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Samsung, Microsoft, MSI, or Razer. It even works on Apple laptops on which you’ve installed Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Advertisement

2. Find the serial number on the back of your laptop, PC, tablet or 2-in-1

If the previous method did not deliver a serial number, and all you get are empty fields, like in the screenshot below, there are several other places where you might find the serial number:

No serial number is returned for some PCs

No serial number is returned for some PCs

If you have a laptop, flip it over, and you’ll likely see the serial number on a sticker in an entry labeled SN, SN#, or something similar. For example, here’s how it looks on an ASUS ROG Flow X16 (2022).

The laptop's serial number on a sticker

The laptop's serial number on a sticker

There aren’t any stickers on some laptops like the HP model I’m using. However, the serial number is directly printed on the back of the laptop in a really small font. So, I had to take a picture with my smartphone and zoom in on it to make sense of it.

On this HP laptop, the serial number is printed on its back in small letters

On this HP laptop, the serial number is printed on its back in small letters

For some laptops with a removable battery, the serial number may be found on a sticker inside the battery compartment, under the battery. Therefore, read the user manual for removing the battery, follow the instructions, and find the sticker with the information you want.

If you have a branded desktop PC that you’ve bought from the likes of Dell, Lenovo, HP, and so on, your PC will have a serial number. And it’s usually found on a sticker on the back, top, or side of the case. The serial number may also be on a sticker inside the case, so you might have to open it up. The serial number is easier to find if you have a mini PC. All you have to do is flip it over and look at the data printed on it.

Flip your mini-PC to find the serial number

Flip your mini-PC to find the serial number

If you can’t find the serial number on the PC itself, fire up Google or Bing, and search the web for instructions specific to your model. The manufacturer’s website usually has information on where exactly to look. Another place where you find the serial number is in your computer’s registration documentation, purchase order, or warranty receipt.

Advertisement

3. Find the serial number in the support apps provided by your manufacturer (ASUS, HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc.)

Laptops, tablets, 2-in-1s, and prebuilt PCs usually come with a preinstalled support app from their manufacturer. For example, on my HP laptop with Windows 10, I have the HP Support Assistant app, which gives me details about the specific device I’m using, helps me find driver and BIOS updates, and so on.

HP Support Assistant

HP Support Assistant

On the Home tab of HP Support Assistant, I see the name of my device and the Serial number mentioned, similar to the screenshot below.

HP Support Assistant tells you the serial number

HP Support Assistant tells you the serial number

On an ASUS laptop with Windows 11, I’ve found the MyASUS app preinstalled.

MyASUS

MyASUS

Again, on the Home tab of MyASUS, I can see the product name and the laptop’s serial number.

MyASUS tells you the serial number

MyASUS tells you the serial number

Acer, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, MSI, Razer, and all other manufacturers have similar apps which provide product information, including the serial number.

4. Boot to the BIOS (UEFI) to find the serial number

Another solution is to access the UEFI/BIOS on your Windows laptop or PC. Here are some guides to help you with this task:

Then, on the Main screen of the UEFI, you’ll find detailed system information, including the Serial Number. Here’s how it looks on my HP laptop:

A laptop serial number shown by the BIOS Setup Utility

A laptop serial number shown by the BIOS Setup Utility

This information is even more visible on ASUS laptops, where you have a dedicated Serial Number section on the top, similar to the screenshot below.

A laptop serial number shown by the BIOS Utility

A laptop serial number shown by the BIOS Utility

Laptops, PCs, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices from other brands also offer this information in their BIOS/UEFI.

Did you find the serial number of your Windows PC?

This guide should have helped you find the serial number for most laptops, PCs, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices with Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, there’s one situation where this guide won’t help: when you’re using a desktop computer that you or someone else has built from custom parts. Then, your PC doesn’t have a serial number because it wasn’t pre-built by a PC manufacturer. Only individual components of your PC have serial numbers, like its motherboard, but the PC itself doesn’t have one.

Discover: Productivity Hardware and Sound Recommended System and Security Tutorials Windows