Updated: 3 November 2026 · Applies to: Linux, dmidecode, on real hardware or a VM that exposes DMI data
To find a Lenovo (or any PC) laptop or desktop's serial number from Linux, run dmidecode -s system-serial-number as root. dmidecode reads the DMI/SMBIOS data the motherboard firmware stores about the system, which includes the serial number, BIOS version, model name and a lot more, without needing to reboot into the BIOS screen to look it up.
sudo dmidecode -s system-serial-number
This only works on real hardware (or a VM whose hypervisor passes through genuine DMI data); most cloud VPS platforms report a generic or placeholder value here instead of a real serial number, since there is no physical chassis to have one.
Basic syntax
sudo dmidecode sudo dmidecode -s KEYWORD
Run with no arguments, dmidecode prints its full report, which is long; the -s flag with a specific keyword prints just that one value.
BIOS version and release date
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
System model and product name
sudo dmidecode -s system-version sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name
Show a whole category of information at once
Instead of one value, -t with a type name prints everything dmidecode knows in that category:
sudo dmidecode -t TYPE
Everything about the BIOS: vendor, version, release date and feature flags:
sudo dmidecode -t bios
Everything about the system itself, including the serial number and UUID:
sudo dmidecode -t system
Everything about the motherboard:
sudo dmidecode -t baseboard
Everything about the installed processor or processors:
sudo dmidecode -t processor
Type names are not case sensitive, so bios and BIOS both work the same way.
For every keyword and type -s and -t accept, see the manual page:
man dmidecode
