Identify your Mac

Three minutes, no Terminal required if you don't want it. You're looking for one piece of information — your Model Identifier — which tells us exactly which install path applies to your machine.

The quick way (no Terminal)

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Choose About This Mac.
3. On modern macOS: click More Info, then scroll down and click System Report. On older macOS: click System Report directly. The Hardware Overview opens.
4. Find the line labelled Model Identifier. It looks like MacBookPro14,3 or MacBookAir8,1. Write it down.

That single string is enough to pick the right install path. Take it to the table below and click the row that matches.

The thorough way (Terminal command)

If you'd like a fuller report — including whether you have a T1 or T2 security chip, your FileVault status, and your battery health — paste this into the Terminal. It's safe and read-only.

Open the Terminal: press ⌘ Space, type Terminal, press Return.

Paste this (use the Copy button in the corner of the box) and press Return:

Copy{
  echo "=== macOS ==="; sw_vers
  echo; echo "=== Hardware ==="
  system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep -E "Model Name|Model Identifier|Model Number|Chip|Processor Name|Processor Speed|Total Number of Cores|Memory"
  echo; echo "=== Security chip (T1 / T2 / none) ==="
  system_profiler SPiBridgeDataType 2>/dev/null | grep -E "Apple T[12]|Model Name|Model Number" || echo "(no iBridge — pre-2016 Mac, or 13\"/15\" 2016/2017 without Touch Bar)"
  echo; echo "=== Storage ==="
  df -h / /System/Volumes/Data 2>/dev/null
  echo; echo "=== FileVault ==="
  fdesetup status
  echo; echo "=== Battery ==="
  system_profiler SPPowerDataType | grep -E "Cycle Count|Condition|Maximum Capacity|Fully Charged|Charging|State of Charge"
} 2>&1 | tee /tmp/mac-report.txt | pbcopy
echo "Saved to /tmp/mac-report.txt and copied to clipboard."

How to read the security-chip line

• Apple T2 Security Chip — you have a T2 Mac (2018+). Go to the T2 path.
• Apple T1 Controller (or T1 Security Chip) — you have a 2016/2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Go to the T1 path.
• (no iBridge — …) — your Mac has neither T1 nor T2. Either pre-2016, or the 2016/2017 13" MBP without Touch Bar. Go to the no-Touch-Bar path.

Find your path

Apple maintains the official Model Identifier list — useful if your identifier isn't above and you need to cross-reference.

While you're here