No matter whether you bought a new or used laptop, sooner or later, you’ll need to find its exact model and hardware specs for one reason or another. Troubleshooting or wanting to check your hardware specs before you pre-order that game. Or maybe you want to recommend your device to a friend, but you forgot what model of laptop you own.
Whatever the reason, finding out what type of laptop you have is easier than it might seem at first glance. In most cases, all you need to do is flip the device on its bottom. Or maybe press a couple of keys after turning the device on. At most, you’ll need to type a couple of words in the Windows search bar.
If you need a secondary monitor but all you have is your notebook, read our guide on how to use a laptop as a monitor. If your laptop CPU is getting too hot, check our guide on how to reduce CPU temperature in your laptop. If you don’t know if your CPU thermals are too high or not, our guide on the safe CPU temperature range should help.
Find your laptop model type on the bottom side of your laptop
This method is the quickest and most straightforward way to find out what kind of laptop you have. Just flip the device on its bottom side and look for a sticker or a direct print on the body of the device.
Those should contain information about the exact model of your laptop, or at least a model number you can then google for details. Different manufacturers have their own way of listing information.
For instance, ASUS devices have a model number listed under the “model” label on the bottom side. Google the model number, and you should find out your laptop model. The Asus Zenbook 14 model number, found on the bottom side, is “UX425J.”
MSI laptops have their model name listed under the “SKU” label on the bottom side. For detailed specs, google what’s listed under the “Model No.” tag. Lenovo devices have the full model name listed on the bottom side. You can read something like Legion 5 15ACH6 or IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6.
HP devices have the model of the laptop listed along with a model number to the right. Something like HP Pavilion Aero Laptop followed by the model label and then 13-be008nq. Gigabyte notebooks have their model name listed on the same sticker that contains the barcode.
This method is quick and easy, but, in some cases, like with ASUS laptops, you need a second device with internet access to find out what model of laptop you have. As long as your device is operational, you can find the exact model of the computer without internet access in the device’s BIOS. You don’t even need to have the OS installed for this method.
How to find your laptop model type in BIOS
As long as it works, every laptop out there has a working BIOS. To enter the BIOS, you usually need to press Del or F12 key as soon as the computer turns on. Once inside, you can find what laptop you have in just a couple of seconds. We have listed the BIOS keys, and where can you find this info for different laptop brands below:
Acer
- To access the BIOS settings in Acer laptops, either press F2 or Delete.
- To find out the model of your laptop, look for the “Product Name” label under the “Information” tab in the BIOS.
Alienware
- Alienware laptop owners should press the F2 key after your computer turns on.
- The model name is listed under the “BIOS Setup” label on the upper right side of the screen.
ASUS
- ASUS laptops should be turned off before you try accessing the BIOS. While the device is powered off, press and hold the F2 key and then press the power button. Hold the F2 key until the BIOS configuration menu appears.
- Once you access the BIOS configuration menu, press the F7 key to enter the Advanced mode.
- Next, click on the “Advanced” located on the top of the screen between the “Main” and “Boot” tabs.
- Once inside the advanced menu, select the “ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility” option. Once inside, look for the “Model” label.
Dell
- To access the BIOS on Dell devices, press F2 once the device powers on.
- Once inside, your laptop model should be listed under the “Product Name” tag on the main BIOS screen.
Gigabyte
- BIOS key on Gigabyte notebooks is Del.
- After you access the BIOS, you can see what laptop you have on the main BIOS tab under the “Project Name” tag.
HP
- You can enter the BIOS on HP devices by pressing the Esc key right after the computer powers on.
- Once you see the Startup Menu, press the F10 key to access the BIOS Setup Utility.
- After you access the BIOS Setup Utility, you can find your laptop model under the “Product Name” label.
Lenovo
- If you own a Lenovo notebook, turn the device on and repeatedly press Fn+F2 or just F2, depending on the device you own.
- Once inside the BIOS setup, click on the blue “More Settings” button located in the lower left part of the screen.
- Next, look for the “Information” tab.
- Once there, you can find out your laptop model under the “Product Name” tag.
MSI
- For MSI laptops, the BIOS key is Del.
- Once inside the BIOS setup, look for the “Marketing Name” tab in the main BIOS menu.
Razer
- As for the Razer notebooks, press the F1 or Del key repeatedly once the device powers on and you see the Razer logo on the screen.
- After you enter BIOS, you can find what laptop you own on the main BIOS menu under the “Product Name” label.
Other ways to find what type of laptop you have and its hardware specs
There are more ways to find out what kind of laptop you have and its hardware specs.
You can read our guide on how to check your PC specs to read about those methods.
If you decide to follow the System Information method, look for the “System Model” and “System SKU” labels found on the System Information screen.
Control Center type of app
Another method of finding out your laptop model unique to notebooks includes a control center app found in most laptops. Each manufacturer has its own app for tweaking power and other settings as well as for accessing unique features.
On ASUS devices, the app’s called My ASUS; on HP notebooks, the app’s called HP Command Center, etc. The control app usually includes the manufacturer’s name combined with command, control, center, menu, etc.
When you locate the control center app on your laptop, the device model should be listed under the “System,” “System Information,” “Information,” or similarly named tab.
Conclusion
As you can see, you can find out what laptop you have in a matter of seconds. Better still, in most cases, you don’t even need an internet connection or an operating system.
The odd one out here is ASUS. The company decided not to share the full model name anywhere in the BIOS or on the device body. If you own an ASUS laptop, chances are you’ll need to be online to find precisely what laptop model you own.
Before we end this guide, one last piece of advice. If your device cannot power on and doesn’t include any sticker or print on its body, you can probably find its model name if you open the bottom panel. Most devices only require unscrewing a number of screws and then simply lifting the bottom part of the body.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, feel free to take the device to a repair center. Some devices, especially ultrathin laptops, have a pretty complex procedure for opening their bottom panel that can lead to damaging the device if done by an inexperienced person.
On the flip side, the bottom panel opening procedure should be a walk through the park, even for relatively inexperienced repair technicians. Any half-decent repair shop should be able to open your laptop without damaging it.
However, if your laptop is dead and still under warranty, we recommend sending the device to the official repair center instead. Do not try opening it yourself.