Check an iMac serial.
Enter an iMac serial and Macfax returns the exact model and year, including the randomized serials Apple has used since 2021. Every Apple Silicon iMac is the 24-inch design; the identifier table below tells the generations apart.
130iMac serials identified
116looked up in the last 30 days
Find the serial on an iMac.
- On the chassis: printed on the underside of the stand's foot. Tilt the screen up gently to read it.
- On any Mac that boots: Apple menu → About This Mac shows the serial.
- Off the machine: the original box carries it on the barcode label, and it appears on the Apple invoice.
- Buying one? Ask for a photo of About This Mac and one of the stand's underside, and check the two serials match.
Check a listing against the serial.
- A listing says iMac 24-inch with M3, and the photos show the front of the machine.
- Ask for the serial from the stand's foot or from About This Mac, and paste it above.
- The M1, M3 and M4 iMacs share one design, so the result is what separates them: a result naming the 2021 iMac means the listing's M3 is wrong.
- Ports and GPU cores differ between the two variants of each generation. Confirm both in About This Mac before you agree a price.
Every Apple Silicon iMac
Have a Model ID instead of a serial (from About This Mac or a listing)? This table maps it. The serial lookup above returns the same answer from the serial alone.
| Model ID | Chip | Year |
|---|---|---|
| iMac21,1 | M1 | 2021 |
| iMac21,2 | M1 | 2021 |
| Mac15,4 | M3 | 2023 |
| Mac15,5 | M3 | 2023 |
| Mac16,2 | M4 | 2024 |
| Mac16,3 | M4 | 2024 |
What sellers are asking.
Across 830 live asking prices, iMac listings run $726 to $1,298, typically $949. All configurations pooled; the per-configuration pages below carry the tighter bands.
What goes wrong with used iMac deals.
The M1, M3, and M4 iMacs share one 24-inch design and one set of listing photos; the serial is the only fast way to tell which generation is for sale.
Each generation ships two identifier variants (port count and GPU differ). The lookup returns the model; confirm ports and specs in About This Mac.
Questions about iMac serials
Which iMac generations share the 24-inch design?
The M1 (2021), M3 (2023) and M4 (2024) iMacs all use the 24-inch design. A serial lookup names which one you are looking at.
Why do two iMacs from the same year have different Model IDs?
Each generation ships in two variants that differ in ports and GPU cores, and each variant has its own Model ID. The table above lists both, and About This Mac confirms which one is in front of you.
Does a iMac serial say how much memory or storage it has?
No. The serial pins the model and year; memory, storage and the exact chip are not part of it. About This Mac on the machine shows all three, so read them from there before you pay.
Buying or selling an iMac?
A serial names the model. A Macfax report proves the Mac in front of you is really that machine, in the condition claimed, hardware-signed and verifiable online.