Which MacBook Do I Have? How to Find Your Model, Size and Year

That one line answers most questions: which charger, which case, which accessories fit. Below is how to read that line, every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro since 2021, and what the size means for anything that has to fit the laptop exactly.

Three ways to find your MacBook model

1. About This Mac (10 seconds)

Apple menu → About This Mac. The first line is the model name, the line below it the chip (M1, M2, M3, M4 or M5), followed by memory and the serial number.

On recent versions of macOS the same details are under System Settings → General → About. Apple describes both routes in Find your Mac model name and serial number.

2. The serial number (when the Mac will not start)

The serial number is printed on the underside of the MacBook, near the regulatory markings, and on the barcode label of the original box. Enter it on Apple’s Check Coverage page and you get the exact model back.

If you are signed in with your Apple Account on another device, the Devices list on account.apple.com shows it too. One catch: after a logic board repair the printed serial number can differ from the one the Mac reports.

3. Compare the ports and the shape

No box, no serial, a laptop that will not boot? Apple keeps two identification pages with photos and port layouts: Identify your MacBook Air model and Identify your MacBook Pro model. A quick shortcut:

• An HDMI port and an SD card slot mean a MacBook Pro 14″ or 16″ from 2021 or later.
• Two USB-C ports plus MagSafe and nothing else mean a MacBook Air from 2022 or later.

How to read the model name

The name has three parts, and each one matters for a different purchase.

• Family: Air or Pro. The Air is thinner and has fewer ports; the Pro has HDMI, an SD card slot and a deeper deck on the 16″.
• Screen size: 13‑inch, 14‑inch, 15‑inch or 16‑inch. This decides which sleeve, keyboard cover or palm rest pad fits. It is the number to remember.
• Chip and year: M1 to M5, 2020 to 2026. This decides software support, which dock works and how many external displays you can drive. It rarely changes the physical size.

Every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro since 2021

Apple changed the shape of the MacBook Air in 2022 (the flat design replaced the wedge of the M1 model from 2020) and the MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ in 2021.

Since those redesigns, the outer dimensions within each size have stayed the same, which is why accessories made for one generation usually fit the next. The figures below come from Apple’s identification pages and technical specifications.

Two practical consequences:

• The screen size gives you the footprint. If you know the screen size and that the laptop is from 2022 or later (Air) or 2021 or later (Pro), you know its footprint.
• The colour is part of the model. Apple sold the Space Black finish only on the MacBook Pro from late 2023, and Sky Blue only on the MacBook Air from 2025. If an accessory is colour-matched, the colour in About This Mac is the one to order.

Why the size matters for a palm rest protector

A case or a sleeve only needs the outer dimensions. A palm rest protector has to fit the two areas on either side of the trackpad, between the edge of the keyboard and the front lip of the laptop, and those areas are different on each MacBook size.

That is why a ChronoPad® is made per size rather than as one universal sheet. Each set holds two pads, one for the left and one for the right of the trackpad, 3 mm thick, shaped to the millimetre for that deck and colour-matched to the aluminium.

ChronoPad® palm rest protector

Found your size? Two 3 mm pads, shaped to the millimetre

Colour-matched, removable without residue. €32,95 per set.

Air 13″ setPro 14″ setPro 16″ set

Not sure, or not on a MacBook at all? Laptop makers do not publish the size of the area next to the trackpad, so for a Windows laptop the honest answer is to measure it.

The laptop palm rest protector size finder takes your width and depth in millimetres and tells you which set fits, or that none does.

What else the model name tells you

• Chargers. Every MacBook Air from 2022 and every MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ from 2021 charges over MagSafe 3 or USB-C.
• External displays. The number of monitors you can connect depends on the chip, not the size: a MacBook Air M4 or M5 drives two external displays, while the Pro and Max chips in a MacBook Pro handle more. Check the technical specifications of your exact model before you buy a second screen.
• Docks. MacBook Pro models with an M4 Pro, M4 Max or later Pro and Max chip have Thunderbolt 5; the others have Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt/USB 4. A Thunderbolt 5 dock works on both, at the slower speed.
• Resale. Buyers search by exact model and year, and the condition of the palm rest is one of the first things they look at. See what scratches really cost you when you sell your MacBook.

FAQ

How do I find out which MacBook I have?

Click the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. The first line shows the model, screen size and year, for example MacBook Pro (14‑inch, 2024). If the Mac will not start, enter the serial number from the underside on checkcoverage.apple.com.

Is my MacBook 13, 14, 15 or 16 inch?

The screen size is part of the model name in About This Mac. A MacBook Air is 13″ or 15″, a current MacBook Pro is 14″ or 16″.

Do all MacBook Pro 14″ models have the same dimensions?

Yes. According to Apple’s technical specifications, every MacBook Pro 14″ from 2021 to 2026 measures 31.26 × 22.12 cm, and every MacBook Pro 16″ measures 35.57 × 24.81 cm.

Which ChronoPad® fits my MacBook?

Match the screen size: the 13″ set fits the MacBook Air 13″, the 14″ set the MacBook Pro 14″ and the 16″ set the MacBook Pro 16″. A set for the MacBook Air 15″ is coming soon.

Sources

• Apple Support, Find your Mac model name and serial number
• Apple Support, Identify your MacBook Air model, models, years and colours
• Apple Support, Identify your MacBook Pro model, models, years and colours
• Apple, Check Coverage, model lookup by serial number

ChronoPad® is an independent brand and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple or any other brand mentioned.