This article guides you on finding which Operating System (OS) version your device is using.

Windows users

What to do if you do not know what OS your Windows computer is running

If you don't know which Operating System you are using on your Windows computer, you can discover it as follow:

1. Press the Windows logo key (on your keyboard) + R
   
   
2. In the Open box type winver
   
   
   
3.  Select OK
   
   
4. A new dialogue box will appear on your screen. It shows the operating system and the version in use on your computer (the example below shows a Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise operating system, version 10. 0. 22621)
   
   
   

Windows 11

You can find more information about your OS following 2 ways.

Way 1:

1. Press the Windows logo key (on your keyboard) + R
2. In the Open box Type winver
3. Select OK

Way 2:

1. Select the Start button
2. Select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select About

Under “Device specifications - System type”, you will see if you're running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

Under “Windows specifications”, you will see which edition and version of Windows your device is running.

 

Windows 10

You can find more information about your OS by following 2 ways.

Way 1:

1. Press the Windows logo key (on your keyboard) + R
2. In the Open box Type winver
3. Select OK
   
   
   

Way 2:

1. Select the Start button
2. Select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select About
   
   
   

Under “Device specifications - System type”, you will see if you're running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

Under “Windows specifications”, you will see which edition and version of Windows your device is running (in the example above the edition is “Windows 10 Enterprise”, and the version is “22H2”).

 

Windows 8.1

1. Press the Windows logo key (on your keyboard) + R
2. In the Open box Type winver
3. Select OK.

If your device is running Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, here’s how to learn more:

1. If you're using a touch device:
   1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen,
   2. Tap Settings
   3. Tap Change PC settings.
   4. Continue to step 3.
2. If you're using a mouse:
   1. Point to the lower-right corner of the screen
   2. Move the mouse pointer up
   3. Select Settings
   4. Select the option Change PC settings.
3. Select PC and devices, then PC info.
4. Under the section “PC - System type” you will see which version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit) you are running
5. Under the section “Windows” you will see which edition of Windows your device is running (for example: Windows 8.1)

 

Windows 7

1. Select the Start button
2. Type Computer in the search box
3. Right-click on the option Computer
4. Select Properties
5. Under Windows edition, you will see the version and edition of Windows that your device is running.

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Apple users

To find the software version installed on your Apple Mac, please:

1. Select the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of your screen
2. From the drop-down menu, select About This Mac
   
   
   
   
3. A new window including the macOS name followed by its version number will appear.
   
   The following example is showing a computer running Mac Operating System Ventura version 13.4:
   
   

Please note: the window that opens on your Mac might look different from the example above, though you will find the same information. 

If you want to know more about which version of macOS are the latest or which computers can use the latest macOS versions, please read the article Apple Support article “Find out which macOS your Mac is using”.

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Linux users

You can check what Linux OS version you are running on your computer by following one of the options described below.

Option 1 - Using os-release file available in Linux’s etc directory

We can check the Linux Operating System (OS) info by running the below command:

1. Open the terminal
2. Type the command cat /etc/os-release
3. Hit Enter

Option 2 - Using lsb_release command

We can check the Linux Operating System (OS) info by running the below command:

1. Open the terminal
2. Type the command lsb_release -a
3. Hit Enter

Output:

 

Option 3 - Using the `hostnamectl` command

We can use the below command to check the Linux Operating System (OS):

1. Open the terminal
2. Type the command hostnamectl
3. Hit Enter

Output:

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Chromebook users

To find the software version installed on your Chromebook, please:

1. Turn on your Chromebook
2. At the bottom right, select the time
   
   
   
3. Select Settings
   
   
   
4. At the bottom left, select About ChromeOS
   
   
   
5. Under "Google ChromeOS" find which version of the Chrome operating system your Chromebook uses.

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Android

To find the software version installed on your device, please:

1. Open your phone's Settings
   
   
   
2. Scroll the settings’ list. Near the bottom, tap About phone
   
    
   
   
3. Tap Software information
   

 
There you will find the Android version your device is running.

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iOS

On an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

To find the software version installed on your device, please:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap on General
3. Tap on About
   
   

 

On your iPod, iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod mini

To find the software version installed on your device, please:

1. Press the Menu button multiple times until the main menu appears.
2. Scroll to and select Settings
3. Select About

The software version of your device should appear on this screen.

On iPod nano (3rd or 4th generation) and iPod classic, press the Centre button twice on the About screen to see the software version.

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Getting IT help

iSolutions is ready to help you if you need IT support. You can both:

• Email or call our staff
• Chat in person with our technicians at Hartley Library IT Desk

Find all information on the web page “Getting help | iSolutions | University of Southampton”.

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