Find Out Type and Model of LCD Panel in an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, etc

Jul 28, 2010 - 15 Comments

MacBook Air

You can find out what the manufacturer, model number, and type of LCD panel you have in any of your Macs, including the iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook, or any model MacBook Pro by using a fairly complex looking terminal command.

If you’re unfamiliar with the command line, just copy and paste the line below into the “Terminal” app in OS X, then hit the return key. Don’t worry if this looks confusing, it kind of is, but what is reported back is easily readable.

This is the exact command syntax you want to paste into a single line in the command line:

ioreg -lw0 | grep IODisplayEDID | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r | strings -6

That command syntax text must be entered onto a single line, which is why copying and pasting is best.

After hitting return, you will see something similar to this reported back:

LTN154BT
Color LCD

With the first line being the LCD panel model and the second line being the color profile you are using (same as set in your Display preferences). You can then find out what the manufacturer and specs of the display are by googling for the model number, for instance LTN154BT turns up this page indicating it is a Samsung 15″ display running at 1440×900 and capable of displaying a maximum of 262,000 colors.

This is particularly helpful information to know if your MacBook screen has been cracked and you want to do the installation yourself. Official repairs are often very expensive, but with a little patience and the right tools it can be done by anyone. You can typically pick up an LCD panel through Amazon or eBay for rather cheap and the installation takes about 30 minutes if you follow a guide.

It can also be handy to know if you’re just curious which particular panel or screen type is used in your Mac, since Apple often sources different panels from different manufacturers, but otherwise using them in the same Mac models.

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Posted by: Bill Ellis in Tips & Tricks, Troubleshooting

15 Comments

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  1. GemBoy says:

    Hello, is there the chance to obtain the command for Retina display and iMac (I’ve an iMac 27″ mid 2011, and I want to know the model of my LCD)

    • fhall says:

      It would definitely be nice to get the updated command for this. Looking for my 2015 iMac panel ID….this just gives me random letters and question marks.

  2. Pranav says:

    is it possible to get the MacBook Air Non Retina colour profile for my windows Laptop, it has an LG panel with 65% sRGB and 45% NTSC, is it in a downloadable file form which can be applied to my windows 10 laptop.

  3. Michael says:

    It just says:

    Color LCD

  4. Sweetdragon says:

    Hello Guys,

    Here is the code for Retina MacBook :
    ioreg -lw0 | grep « EDID » | sed « /[^<]*</s/// » | xxd -p -r | strings -6

    Sorry i don't have the One for iMac.
    Bye

    • Manny says:

      I copied the command
      ioreg -lw0 | grep « EDID » | sed « /[^<]*</s/// » | xxd -p -r | strings -6

      And I get this

      -bash: ]*: No such file or directory
      grep: EDID: No such file or directory
      grep: »: No such file or directory

      I have Macbook Pro 13 Mid 2014
      Pleas help!

  5. Jani says:

    Wow this is helped a lot! Thank you!

  6. Tom says:

    Hi,I’m new to this sort of thing, and trying to find out the serial number of a display attached to my Macbook Pro. Does anyone know how to find out the serial number of a peripheral display?
    Cheers

  7. Mark says:

    Hmmm….works fine on my 2008 UMBP and my 2012 MBA but not on my 2011 iMac. I type the code into the terminal and nothing…just returns to the status line.

    • fabio says:

      Hi there I am having the same problem with a retina display
      I am trying to determinate if it has a samsung or a lg display.
      When I copy the line and hit return nothing happen. Did you have any luck ? Would you suggest me an alternative way?
      Thanks

  8. meesh says:

    has anyone else noticed the following with an LG display or found them less good than samsung? (I checked and my new macbook pro 15″ has an LG display) – thing is my colors are not as bright as my last macbook pro, nor as bright as the display models at the store I bought it at (we’ve gone through two now trying to find one that’s better) – side by side comparison with the mac guy and tech guy and we couldn’t match them up – all the calibration adjustments won’t do it – the white is not a true light-cool white – everything is a warm/yellow/ashy/dirty tint to it – i can’t get a white-white…anyone else notice this. It’s a bit easier on the eyes but making me crazy – it’s not that pure white (like on the iphone – the contrast of the word google against the white) – but a yellowy/dusty white (and yes, I know how to calibrate and tried it for hours on end. – not possible unless everything is made to tint a blue hue.

  9. Zazemel says:

    This does not help if your screen is already damaged.

  10. […] beginning, you may want to check the manufacturer of your display panel. Typically the Samsung displays don’t need calibration, whereas the LG displays do. […]

  11. […] more complex method using the command line can be used to determine the manufacturer of the Macs LCD display panel. […]

  12. […] the same command to check the make and model of an LCD that works on past Macs, you can check the manufacturer of the display panel of the MacBook […]

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