macOS System Info Commands You Should Know

Getting your macOS system and disk information from the terminal is straightforward once you know the right commands. Here's a quick reference.

System Info

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType — Displays macOS version, build number, kernel version, boot volume, and uptime. Good for confirming your OS details quickly.

Use like this in your terminal:

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType

Hardware Overview

system_profiler SPHardwareDataType — Shows CPU model, core count, memory (RAM), serial number, and hardware UUID. Essential when you need machine specs.

Use like this in your terminal:

system_profiler SPHardwareDataType

Disk Info

diskutil list — Lists all disks and partitions with their identifiers (e.g., disk0, disk1). Useful for understanding your disk layout before any partition or format work.

Use like this in your terminal:

diskutil list

Disk Usage

df -h — Prints human-readable disk usage per mounted volume. The -h flag converts bytes into KB/MB/GB for easy reading.

Use like this in your terminal:

df -h

Storage Deep Dive

system_profiler SPStorageDataType — Goes beyond df -h by showing volume type, file system format, SMART status, and physical disk details.

Use like this in your terminal:

system_profiler SPStorageDataType

All-in-One Summary

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType SPStorageDataType — Runs all three profiler modules in one shot. Best when you need a full snapshot for documentation or bug reports.

Use like this in your terminal:

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType SPHardwareDataType SPStorageDataType

Quick One-Liner

sw_vers && system_profiler SPHardwareDataType && df -h — The most popular combo. sw_vers gives a compact OS version block, followed by hardware and disk usage. Fast and readable.

Use like this in your terminal:

sw_vers && system_profiler SPHardwareDataType && df -h

Running system_profiler without any flags dumps everything, but expect it to take a minute or two. For daily use, the one-liner or individual flags are the way to go.