Somebody has asked you what your computer is, or a website wants to know whether it can run something. You opened the About page and it does not say.
That is not you missing it. The screen most people land on leaves out the two things you usually need.
Windows has three tools for this and they show different things. Which one you want depends on why you are asking, so I have sorted them by your reason. Pick yours below.
None of this needs an install and none of it takes more than a minute.
I need the model number to search for a driver
Use `msinfo32`, and the line you want on it is System Model.
Hold Windows key + R. Run `msinfo32` and press Enter.
Documented by Microsoft, which describes the System Information tool as gathering information about your computer and displaying "a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment".
The System Summary page opens first. The two lines you want are System Manufacturer and System Model.
⭐ Those two lines together are what every support adviser asks for. Having them ready saves an entire round trip when you post a question anywhere, and they are what a manufacturer's driver page needs to give you the right file.
Ours, and marked as ours: select the System Model line and copy it rather than typing it. Model numbers differ by one character across a whole product family, and a wrong character gets you the wrong driver.
I want to know whether it will run something
Use `dxdiag`. It shows the graphics card. The About page does not.
Hold Windows key + R and run `dxdiag`. Give it a moment to collect.
The System tab gives the processor, the memory and the Windows version. The Display tab names the graphics chip and its memory.
⭐ The Display tab is the reason to use this one. Settings, System, About never names your graphics card, and a game or an editing program almost always asks for it first.
Documented by Microsoft, which describes the DirectX Diagnostic Tool as presenting "information about the components and drivers of the DirectX application programming interface (API) installed on your system".
If the graphics answer surprises you, what a GPU actually does for you explains why an integrated one shares memory with everything else.
I just want the basics quickly
Settings, System, About is the one most people know. For the basics it covers a surprising amount.
You get the device name, the processor, the installed RAM and whether Windows is 64-bit. Under Windows specifications, the edition and version.
⚠️ What it leaves out is the graphics card and, on many machines, a usable model number. That is why this page exists at all.
Right-click the Start button and choose System to land there in a single step.
I want to know how much memory and whether I can add more
Task Manager tells you both. This is the trick most people have never seen.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Open Performance, then click Memory.
The top right shows how much RAM is fitted. Underneath, find Slots used. It reads something like 1 of 2.
⭐ That slot count is the answer to can I upgrade. 1 of 2 means there is an empty socket. 2 of 2 means adding memory requires replacing what is in there.
⛔ On most laptops made in the last few years the memory is soldered and there are no slots at all. Task Manager will say so, and it saves you buying a stick that cannot go anywhere.
While you are on that screen, the Disk entries tell you whether each drive is an SSD or a hard drive, which is the single biggest thing separating a fast machine from a slow one.
I want to know if it can take Windows 11
That is a different question and it needs two specific checks rather than a general look at the machine.
Run `tpm.msc` for the security module, then check your processor against Microsoft's published list of approved chips. Neither of those shows up on any screen above.
The four situations you can be in covers that properly, including the case where no setting can help.
Getting it out of the machine and into a message
Reading numbers off a screen and retyping them is where mistakes happen.
In System Information, use File, then Export. That writes the whole report to a text file.
In dxdiag, use Save All Information at the bottom, which produces the same kind of file.
⚠️ Read what you are about to send. Those reports include your computer name and your user account name, and on a work machine they can include more.
Ours, and marked as ours: for a forum question, paste the four lines that matter rather than the whole file. System Model, processor, RAM, and graphics chip answer almost every question anybody will ask you.
The one number that is not on any of these screens
Worth knowing, because people hunt for it and there is no tool that reports it.
How old the machine is. Windows does not record a purchase date. The model number is the closest thing you have.
Search that model number. The manufacturer's own page usually gives the year it was released. That, plus whether the drive is an SSD, tells you more about how this machine will feel than any other pair of facts.
Status: checked 23 August 2026 on current builds of 11 and 10. Microsoft documents System Information as giving a comprehensive view of hardware, system components and the software environment, and the DirectX Diagnostic Tool as reporting on DirectX components and drivers. The Task Manager slot count and the export routes were checked on current builds.
How do I find my PC model number?
Press Windows key and R, type msinfo32 and press Enter. On the System Summary page, read System Manufacturer and System Model. Copy the model line rather than retyping it, because model numbers within one family often differ by a single character.
Why does the About page not show my graphics card?
Because Settings, System, About covers the processor, memory and Windows version and stops there. For the graphics chip run dxdiag and open the Display tab, which names the card and how much memory it has.
How do I know if I can add more RAM?
Open Task Manager with Ctrl, Shift and Escape, go to Performance, then Memory, and look for Slots used. It reads something like 1 of 2. On many recent laptops the memory is soldered and there are no slots to use.
Is it safe to share a dxdiag report?
Read it first. The report includes your computer name and user account name, and on a managed machine it can include more. For most questions, four lines are enough: model, processor, memory and graphics chip.
The Short Version
- msinfo32 for the model number. System Manufacturer and System Model are the two lines.
- dxdiag for the graphics card, which the About page never shows.
- Settings, System, About for the basics in two clicks.
- Task Manager, Performance, Memory shows Slots used, which answers can I upgrade.
- On many recent laptops the memory is soldered and there are no slots at all.
- Export from System Information or Save All Information from dxdiag rather than retyping.
- Those reports carry your PC name and account name. Read before you send.
Where to Next
Run msinfo32 now and copy the System Model line somewhere you will find it again. It is the single most useful fact about your computer and you will be asked for it every time something goes wrong.
If you were checking specs because the machine feels slow, two numbers explain most of it and neither of them is the processor. If it was about a monitor or a game, what a GPU is for is the one to read.
And if msinfo32 shows a System Model that looks like nothing, tell me below what it reads. Home-built and white-label machines do that, and I can point you at a different way to identify those.
Isaac Smith is the founder and editor of PC Glance, a website that covers computers, laptops, and technology. He is a tech enthusiast and a computer geek who loves to share his insights and help his readers make smart choices when buying tech gadgets or laptops. He is always curious and updated about the latest tech trends.