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Serial Numbers are "wrong"

I need tech support. I logged in from both my Mac and my MacbookPro. Tried to secure Apple support but when I entered the serial number on both devices I either got a message that it was not a valid serial number (Mac) or on Macbook Pro it said it was for a different device. I got it directly from my devices I was trying to secure support on. Help

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Aug 20, 2021 12:23 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 20, 2021 12:56 PM

Are you the original owner of these devices from new?

Have they ever been serviced with logic board replacements?

How old are these Mac computers?


Click the Apple menu  > About This Mac at the top left of your screen. Click and drag to copy the serial number.

Paste your serial number at this Apple web site to check the warranty status of your device:

https://checkcoverage.apple.com


If you still have trouble with the device identification, contact Apple Support directly (these Communities are peer-to-peer support, Apple are not here) –

Contact Apple - How to Contact US - Apple Support:

https://www.apple.com/contact/


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 20, 2021 12:56 PM in response to katharine18

Are you the original owner of these devices from new?

Have they ever been serviced with logic board replacements?

How old are these Mac computers?


Click the Apple menu  > About This Mac at the top left of your screen. Click and drag to copy the serial number.

Paste your serial number at this Apple web site to check the warranty status of your device:

https://checkcoverage.apple.com


If you still have trouble with the device identification, contact Apple Support directly (these Communities are peer-to-peer support, Apple are not here) –

Contact Apple - How to Contact US - Apple Support:

https://www.apple.com/contact/


Aug 20, 2021 2:10 PM in response to katharine18

I would gather my purchase receipts and make an appointment with an Apple Genius to see if I could get this serial number issue sorted. https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/


Additionally, if the Macs are older, try entering the numbers here at EveryMac https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/ and see what info you come up with.


And if you are typing these numbers in manually, be certain that you are not making typos, like entering O for zero. Copy and paste is the way to go.


Unfortunately, there is little that anyone here in the Communities can do. We are but humble users like you and have no direct connection to Apple. And we are told Apple do not participate here.


EDIT - It occurs to me that there is another serial number location to check for each device. In addition to the serial number displayed in About This Mac, you should also find the matching serial number printed on the underside of the MacBook computer and on the underside of the iMac pedestal.

Serial Numbers are "wrong"

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