If you're looking to gather detailed system information about a Mac, the Terminal is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly retrieve this data.

We’ll share a useful command that provides in-depth system details for a Mac, such as the current system software version and build number, kernel version, boot volume, boot mode, computer name, active user name, virtual memory info, SIP status, uptime, Mac model name and identifier, CPU chip, core count, memory, firmware version, OS loader version, serial number, hardware UUID, provisioning UDID, and activation lock status. You can also modify the command to include additional information related to networking, storage, bluetooth, and other relevant system data types.

While most Mac users likely rely on the About This Mac feature or the System Information app to get system details, there’s nothing wrong with those methods. However, some users may find it more convenient to retrieve comprehensive system information via the command line using Terminal. Terminal offers several advantages, including remote access capability, availability even if the GUI isn’t functioning properly, and generating output in a text format that's easy to scan.

Retrieving Mac System Information from Terminal with system_profiler

To begin, open the Terminal application, which is located in /Applications/Utilities/, or launch it using Spotlight. Once you're at the command prompt, run the following command to obtain extensive information about the Mac's hardware and system software:

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType

Press return and you'll see a well-organized output listing various system details for the Mac, similar to the example below:

$ system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType

Software:

System Software Overview:

System Version: macOS 12.1 (21C52) Kernel Version: Darwin 21.2.0 Boot Volume: Macintosh HD Boot Mode: Normal Computer Name: M1 MacBook Pro User Name: Paul Horowitz (Paul) Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled System Integrity Protection: Enabled Time since boot: 35 days 17:14

Hardware:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro Model Identifier: MacBookPro17,1 Chip: Apple M1 Total Number of Cores: 8 (4 performance and 4 efficiency) Memory: 16 GB System Firmware Version: 7429.61.2 OS Loader Version: 7429.61.2 Serial Number (system): C20JJ9PA2QRS Hardware UUID: B571BB30-C8C9-DF83-312F-D8C265617512 Provisioning UDID: 000000042-009847128944E Activation Lock Status: Enabled

As shown in this output, the Mac is an M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM running macOS Monterey 12.1, booted normally with SIP enabled, and has been running continuously for over a month.

This level of detail might be sufficient for your needs, but if you want more system information, you can also retrieve details about networking or internal storage.

To view the full list of available data types for system_profiler, use the following command:

system_profiler -listDataTypes

Currently supported system_profiler data types include the following options: SPParallelATADataTypeSPUniversalAccessDataTypeSPSecureElementDataTypeSPApplicationsDataTypeSPAudioDataTypeSPBluetoothDataTypeSPCameraDataTypeSPCardReaderDataTypeSPiBridgeDataTypeSPDeveloperToolsDataTypeSPDiagnosticsDataTypeSPDisabledSoftwareDataTypeSPDiscBurningDataTypeSPEthernetDataTypeSPExtensionsDataTypeSPFibreChannelDataTypeSPFireWireDataTypeSPFirewallDataTypeSPFontsDataTypeSPFrameworksDataTypeSPDisplaysDataTypeSPHardwareDataTypeSPInstallHistoryDataTypeSPInternationalDataTypeSPLegacySoftwareDataTypeSPNetworkLocationDataTypeSPLogsDataTypeSPManagedClientDataTypeSPMemoryDataTypeSPNVMeDataTypeSPNetworkDataTypeSPPCIDataTypeSPParallelSCSIDataTypeSPPowerDataTypeSPPrefPaneDataTypeSPPrintersSoftwareDataTypeSPPrintersDataTypeSPConfigurationProfileDataTypeSPRawCameraDataTypeSPSASDataTypeSPSerialATADataTypeSPSPIDataTypeSPSmartCardsDataTypeSPSoftwareDataTypeSPStartupItemDataTypeSPStorageDataTypeSPSyncServicesDataTypeSPThunderboltDataTypeSPUSBDataTypeSPNetworkVolumeDataTypeSPWWANDataTypeSPAirPortDataType

You can simply add any desired data type to the end of the system_profiler command string and execute it to view specific information.

Previously, we've covered the system_profiler command, often piping its output into 'more' so users can scroll through all the system information. However, this method tends to display far more than many users typically need. The shorter version using ‘system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType’ should fulfill the needs of most users seeking system details.

Additionally, if you're interested, you can retrieve system information like macOS version and kernel details using sw_vers and uname commands, or browse through the complete system information by scrolling through the system_profiler output. For CPU-specific information, you can also use sysctl from the command line.

Thanks to BlackMoonWolf for suggesting this tip!

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