Find Mac's Serial Number (Even if Not Present)

How to Find Your Mac’s Serial Number (Even if You Don’t Have Your Mac)

Your Mac’s serial number is a unique identifier that distinguishes your Mac from all others. You have to provide your Mac’s serial number when requesting warranty service. You may also want to look up your Mac’s serial number if you’re reporting it stolen.

The easiest way to find your serial number depends on your situation. If your Mac turns on, you can find the serial number right in the interface. If it doesn’t turn on, you’ll need to locate it on the case or original packaging. And if you don’t have access to your Mac at all—say, it’s been stolen—you can probably still find the serial number through Apple’s website.

If Your Mac Turns On

If your Mac is working properly, finding the serial number is easy. Just click the Apple menu icon at the top of the screen and select “About This Mac”.



You’ll see the serial number displayed along with your Mac’s model number, hardware specifications, and the version of macOS you have installed.

If Your Mac Won’t Turn On

Your Mac’s serial number is printed somewhere on the Mac itself, so you’ll be able to find it if you can’t turn your Mac on.

Flip over a MacBook and you’ll see the serial number printed on the Mac itself, near the “Designed by Apple in California” text. On a Mac Mini, you’ll find the serial number on the bottom. On the Mac Pro, you’ll find it on the back panel.

If You Don’t Have Your Mac

If you don’t have access to your Mac, you can still find the serial number in a variety of locations.

If you signed into your Mac with an Apple ID account, the serial number is tied to your Apple ID account online. Head to the Apple ID account website and sign in with the Apple ID account you used on the Mac. Click the name of the Mac under “Devices” on the page that appears and you’ll see the Mac’s serial number.



If you enabled Find My Mac on the Mac and it’s been stolen or misplaced, you can track or lock it using the Find My Mac feature in iCloud.

If you still have the box your Mac originally came in, look on the box. The serial number is printed on the barcode label on your Mac’s original packaging.



The serial number is also printed on the purchase receipt if you purchased your Mac from an Apple Store in person or in the email receipt if you purchased it from Apple’s online store. Some other stores may also print the serial number of your Mac on the receipt, so check the receipt no matter where you bought your Mac from.

Also, if you’ve ever submitted a warranty or service request for the Mac, you’ll see the Mac’s serial number displayed in the Apple Store service confirmation email.

Useful Chromebook Tricks

Seven Useful Chromebook Tricks You Should Know About

Chromebooks aren’t like traditional laptops. While they’re much simpler, they still have various useful features you may not know about. From accessing remote computers and printing to wiping your personal data, recovering Chrome OS, and installing desktop Linux, these tricks will help you get the most out of your Chromebook.

Control Who Can Log In

Chromebooks are marketed as laptops “for everyone.” By default, anyone with your laptop can pick it up, plug in their Google account, and log in. They won’t be able to access your data, but they will be able to use the machine with their own Chrome setup.

If you want to restrict access to your Chromebook, open the Settings menu by clicking the system tray and choosing the cog icon. From there, scroll down to the “People” section and click the Manage Other Users button.



From here, you can choose how much (or little) you’d like to restrict the device from other users, up to and including locking everyone out who isn’t you. It’s your Chromebook, you can be selfish with it!



Access Remote Windows, Mac, and Linux Desktops

You can’t run Windows programs on your Chromebook, but you can access remote Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops. The Chrome Web Store offers VNC clients for connecting to traditional VNC servers, but Chrome actually has Google-built remote desktop features as well. You can use this to access your desktop PC from a Chromebook or to remotely run that rare Windows application.

To do this, install the Chrome Remote Desktop app in Chrome on your PC. You can then activate the “Enable remote connections” option and connect to your PC from your Chromebook using the Chrome Remote Desktop app there.

This isn’t a Chrome OS-only feature, either. You can also use Google Chrome to remotely access Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs from any other type of PC,  whether you have a Chromebook or not.



Print a Document with Google Cloud Print

If you ever need to print something, you should be aware that you can’t plug printers directly into your Chromebook and print to them. However, you can set up Google Cloud Print and use it to remotely print to supported printers from your Chromebook.

To add a printer to your Chromebook, jump into the Settings menu and scroll down till you see “Show Advanced Settings.” Click that.



Scroll down this menu to the “Google Cloud Print” section, then click the Manage button.



From here, you can add new printers if one is detected on the network—otherwise, devices that are already part of Cloud Print will show up. If you’ve ever printed to a network printer on another PC with Chrome, it will already be part of your Google Cloud Print. Neat, right? Setting up printers on Chromebooks is probably easier than any other device out there.



Chrome OS also includes the ability to print to a PDF, so you can always save a file as a PDF and print that PDF file later on another computer, if you like.



Use Powerwash to Wipe Personal Data

Chrome OS includes a “Powerwash” feature that functions similarly to the Reset option on Windows 10, performing a factory reset to return your Chromebook to its original, clean state. It’s ideal when you are going to give your Chromebook to someone else, as it will remove all of your personal data. Think of it like reinstalling Windows or performing a factory reset of a tablet.

You’ll find this option on the Settings screen. Click the Show advanced settings link and scroll down the bottom, where you’ll see a Powerwash button.



Alternatively, if you’d just like to undo all of your custom settings, you can use the “Reset Settings” but to set everything back to default without having to Powerwash your Chromebook.

View Local Files

Your Chromebook isn’t just a web browser. It also includes a Files app along with local file viewers that allow you to watch videos, play music, read PDFs and Microsoft Office documents, view images, and more. You can download all sorts of media files and open them later from the Files app.



Recover Chrome OS From a USB Drive

Chromebooks include a recovery mode that allows you to reinstall Chrome OS if the operating system becomes damaged. That said, this is unlikely to happen unless you’re messing around in Developer Mode.

To recover your Chrome operating system, you’ll need to create a recovery drive. You can do this by downloading and running Google’s Chromebook Recovery Utility for Windows, Mac, or Linux.



The Recovery Utility will provide a simple walkthrough when you launch it—you’ll need to know your exact Chromebook model, however. You can find your Chromebook’s model number from the recovery screen, but there’s also a link to select the model from a list in the Recovery Utility.



Once you’ve selected your model, you’ll insert a flash drive or SD card in the PC with the Utility running and select it from the dropdown menu. One final warning will let you know that all data on said drive will be erased—just click “Create Now” to move forward.



This process will take a bit, depending on your computer, drive speed, and internet connection. Just sit tight—the Utility will tell you what’s going on throughout the duration.



To actually recover Chrome OS, you’ll need to press Escape+Refresh and hold down the Power button. Older Chromebooks have dedicated recovery buttons—you’ll find more information on Google’s website. From there, just insert your drive and follow the instructions.



Use Developer Mode to Run Desktop Linux

Chromebooks allow you to disable their security features and enable Developer Mode. In Developer Mode, you can modify Chrome OS all you like and boot other operating systems, including Ubuntu and other traditional desktop Linux systems. You can even run a desktop Linux system side-by-side with Chrome OS, switching between the two with hotkeys.

Movie Preview - Before I Fall

Block Notifications on Android Wear

How to Block Notifications from Specific Apps on Android Wear

Android Wear is a useful tool to have—notifications on your wrist are a brilliant thing. But it can also be incredibly distracting, especially if the notification isn’t “important.” Maybe you want something on your phone, but it has no place on your wrist. Here’s how to stop specific apps from pushing notifications to your watch.

First things first, jump into the Android Wear app. On the main Wear screen, tap the cog icon in the upper right corner.



Under the “General” section, tap the “Block app notifications” entry.



This section is where you’ll block apps from sending notifications to your watch. Hit the plus sign at the bottom.



From here, just scroll down the list and find the bothersome app, then tap it to add it to the list.



Bam, done. That’s literally all there is to it. Notifications from those apps will no longer appear on your watch.

Configure Proxy Server on Chromebook

How to Configure a Proxy Server on a Chromebook

Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and other Chrome OS devices allow you to set a proxy server through which you can route your traffic.This may be required to access the Internet on some networks—for example, on business or school networks.

Generally, you’ll use a proxy if your school or work provides it to you. You could also use a proxy to hide your IP address or access geoblocked websites that aren’t available in your country, but we recommend a VPN for that instead. If you need to set up a proxy for school or work, get the necessary credentials from them and read on.

You can set a proxy in Chromebook’s network connection settings. To access this screen, click the panel at the bottom-right corner of your Chrome OS desktop and select “Settings” or click menu > Settings in a Chrome browser window.



If your current Wi-Fi network is a “shared network”—that is, if you share the Wi-Fi network connection details with anyone who signs into your Chromebook—you’ll need to enable the “Allow proxies for shared networks” option under Internet Connection at the top of your settings screen. If you don’t, the Proxy configuration screen will tell you to enable this option before you can configure a proxy.



This option is disabled by default because it prevents other people on the Chromebook from modifying the shared network connection’s settings to route your web traffic through a proxy without your permission.

Then, click the name of the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to under “Internet connection.” Click the name of that Wi-Fi network in the menu that appears to change its settings.

Each Wi-Fi network has its own proxy settings. If you want to use the same proxy while connected to multiple Wi-Fi networks, you’ll need to configure this multiple times—once for each network.



Click the “Proxy” tab to access the proxy settings for the network you selected.

By default, “Direct Internet connection” is selected here. This means your Chromebook won’t use a proxy while connected to this Wi-Fi network.



To have your Chromebook automatically detect and apply proxy settings, select “Automatic proxy configuration”.

If you select this option, your Chromebook will use the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Protocol, or WPAD, to automatically detect whether a proxy is necessary and automatically enter the proxy settings if one is. This protocol is often used on business and school networks, for example. If the network you’re connected to doesn’t provide a network via WPAD, your Chromebook won’t use a proxy.

If WPAD is used to discover a proxy, its address will be displayed in the “Web Proxy Auto Discovery URL” box here.



To have your Chromebook get its proxy settings from an automatic proxy configuration script, check the “Use an autoconfiguration URL” and enter the address of the proxy configuration script, or .PAC file.

If you select this option, your Chromebook will use the proxy configuration script instead of WPAD to configure its proxy. If you need to use a proxy auto-configuration script, your network administrator or proxy provider will provide you with the address of the script.



To manually enter your proxy settings, select “Manual proxy configuration”.

You can choose to either use the same proxy for HTTP, Secure HTTP (HTTPS), FTP, and SOCKS protocols, or use a separate proxy for each. Your proxy provider will tell you if you need to use separate proxy addresses for different protocols.

In most cases, you’ll want to check “Use the same proxy for all protocols”. Enter the proxy’s address into the “HTTP proxy” box and its port number into the “Port” box. The organization that provides you with your proxy will provide these details.



To provide separate proxy addresses for different protocols, uncheck the “Use the same proxy for all protocols” box. Enter separate proxy addresses and port numbers for the different protocols here. Your Chromebook will send your traffic to different proxies depending based on which protocol the connection uses. So, when you access “http://example.com”, your Chromebook will send your traffic to the HTTP proxy. When you access “https://example.com”, your Chromebook will send your traffic to the Secure HTTP proxy.



The “Do not use the proxy settings for these hosts and domains” box allows you to configure a list of host and domain names that your Chromebook will bypass the proxy for. By default, this box is empty.

For example, if you entered howtogeek.com into the box, your Chromebook would connect to howtogeek.com directly, bypassing the proxy. You can enter as many host names or domain names as you like. Type the host name or domain name into the box here and click “Add”.

This feature is often used to bypass host names on the local network. For example, if your organization has a web server on its local network and you access it at http://server/ , you may want to enter server into the box. When you connect to http://server/, you’ll connect directly without going through the proxy.

If you’re not sure which settings you need, just leave this box empty. Your organization will tell you if you need to bypass the proxy for specific host or domain names.

Click the “Close” button when you’re done here.



If there’s a problem with your proxy configuration—for example, if the proxy server goes down or if you enter the proxy configuration incorrectly—you’ll see a “There is no Internet connection” message when you attempt to access the web. More specifically, you’ll see an “”ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED” message at the bottom of the error screen. You’ll need to fix your proxy settings before continuing.

Mount Your TV to the Wall

How to Mount Your TV to the Wall

Mounting your TV to the wall is not only a great way to save space, but it also looks nice and clean. However, there’s a little more to it than just buying a wall mount and screwing in your TV. Here are a handful of things you should know when it comes to mounting your TV to the wall.


Decide Where to Mount Your TV

First off, you need to figure out exactly where you want your TV to go. This is something that is ultimately up to you, but there are a couple of rules of thumb to be aware of.



The most important rule is to mount your TV at eye level from where you’ll be watching it, if at all possible. This usually means the bottom of the TV will be somewhere around 2-3 feet off the ground, give or take a few inches.

Many people mount their TV up high above a fireplace or bookshelf, but that’s usually a bad idea since you crane your neck up to see your TV, which can be very uncomfortable when done for an extended period of time. The only exception is in the bedroom, where you might want to lie down and watch TV at the same time—having the TV mounted up higher toward the ceiling is great for this, as you would have to tilt your head forward as severely.

Get the Right Mount Type and Size

There are generally two types of wall mounts that you’ll come across. The first one is an articulating mount, which is meant for smaller televisions and usually has one arm with a couple of articulating joints that allow you to pull the TV out from the wall and turn it in nearly any direction.



Again, these mounts are usually meant for smaller, lighter televisions since they can usually only mount to the wall at a single point, although you can sometimes find articulating mounts meant for larger televisions as well, which can mount to the wall at multiple points.

The second type of TV wall mount is also the most common, called a tilting mount. These allow you to mount your TV to the wall at multiple points—sometimes up to six—so they’re great for larger, heavier televisions.



The only downside is that you can’t swivel the TV side-to-side—you can only tilt it up or down, and even then you can only tilt it a few degrees. But if you’re going to be mounting it at eye level right in front of the couch, you really don’t need any major articulation features anyway.

Once you decide on the type of mount you want, you also need to make sure that it will fit your television’s mounting holes. All modern televisions are VESA mount-compatible, which simply means that they comply with the Video Electronics Standards Association’s mounting standard used by pretty much every TV mount on the market.

However, televisions have different mounting holes, so it’s important to get the right size mount that will fit your specific TV. Luckily, thanks to the VESA standard, it’s really easy to figure out what mount size you need.



If you look on the back of your television, there will be four screw holes that form a square. Simply measure the distance between two of those screw holes (not diagonally) in millimeters. So if the distance is 400 millimeters, you would need a VESA 400 mount (or sometimes called VESA 400×400). Luckily, most tilting mounts are compatible with pretty much any VESA mount size, but it’s always a good idea to check before you buy one.

Mount It the Right Way

Now that you have the TV wall mount, you can get to work mounting—but you just can’t pick a random spot and start screwing it in. Televisions and the mounts themselves are heavy, so you need to make sure that you mount your TV correctly so that it doesn’t come crumbling down right after you install it.

You’ll need to screw the TV mount into wall studs for maximum holding power—if you just mount it to the drywall, you’re sure to cause a lot of damage, since drywall isn’t actually that strong.

Get a stud finder and use it to locate the studs behind the drywall. Studs are placed every 16 inches on center, so you should be able to mount your TV on two studs if you’re using a tilting mount, sometimes three studs if you have a larger television and mount.



From there, place the TV mount where you want it (have a second person there to help) and mark with a pencil where you need to screw it into the wall, making sure that there are studs at these locations.



Before you screw in the TV mount, though, you’ll need to drill pilot holes, which will prevent the studs from splitting when you drive in the screws. Plus, if the mount uses thicker screws or bolts, it’ll be pretty much impossible to drive them in without drilling pilot holes anyway. Remember that the drill bit for the pilot hole will need to be just slightly smaller than the width of the screw.



Once you have your pilot holes drilled, you can now position the TV mount on the wall and drive in the screws or bolts using a power drill or socket wrench (depending on the type of screws or bolts used). There will likely be instructions included with your TV mount, so be sure to take a close look at those if you’re unsure of anything.

After you’ve placed the mount on the wall, it’s just a matter of attaching the brackets to your TV using the four screw holes on the back of the television, and then hooking that up to the wall mount.

Hide the Cables

Once you have your TV mounted, you can either call it a day or take the time to hide all of those cords that are now hanging down your wall. You have a few options for doing so.

The best option is to install a specialty kit that more or less creates an extension cord behind the wall using code-compliant electrical wire, as well as a dedicated tube to feed other cables through. This will allow you to plug the TV in right where the mount is, and the rest of the cables get routed down near the baseboard where you can then plug the cables into their respective devices. (You could just drill two holes in the wall and run the cables through them, but that’s against code.)



However, installing something like this requires cutting a hole in your wall and a bit of electrical know-how, so if you’re not quite sure what to do, feel free to call an electrician to do it for you, or get a knowledgable friend who can help out.

If you’d rather not make giant holes in your wall either way, then the easiest method is to get some cord-hiding material that you simply screw to the wall and route all of the cables through that.



It won’t make the cables completely hidden, but it will look a lot cleaner than just leaving the cables dangling.

In the end, mounting a TV to the wall isn’t too difficult, and I highly recommend it if it’s possible to do in your home, but there just a few things you have to keep in mind in order to mount your television the right way and have it look good.