Skip to main content

How to check your IMEI number on iPhone, Android, or PC

Every cell phone — whether iPhone, Android, or plain and simple dumb phone — has a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number that can be used to identify it. This number is exceptionally important, as it can be used for a number of different purposes, from verifying whether a device has been reported as stolen, to confirming your phone for trade-in purposes. There are different reasons you might need to know your IMEI, and there are a few ways you can get your hands on it when needed.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • iPhone or Android device

  • The box your phone came in

Not sure where to find your IMEI number? Not a problem, we've got the guide for you right here. Here's how to find your IMEI number on any cell phone, whether it's an Android phone, iPhone, or dumb phone.

While we're at it, we've also got guides on how to discover your own phone number, your Android or iPhone's model number, and how to find a lost cell phone of any type.

Please note: Be sure not to share your IMEI widely. IMEI numbers can be used to blacklist devices so that they don’t work, rendering them useless, so it's not hard to see how a malicious party could easily disrupt your phone, or even clone it for nefarious purposes.

The Motorola Edge Plus 2023 lying next to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to find the IMEI number of any smartphone

There's a quick and easy way to discover your IMEI built into many cell phones, and all you need is your phone dialer.

This method should work with a large number of phones, and we teted it out on a Google Pixel 7 Pro, iPhone 8, and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and it worked each time. However, it's not a foolproof method, and may not work for every phone. If you're having issues, make sure you're using your phone's default dialer app (so no using True Caller or similar apps) to enter the number. Otherwise, check further down the list to try one of the other methods.

Step 1: To get your IMEI number, dial *#06#. There's no need to press the dial key.

Step 2: After you type that code into your phone’s keypad, you’ll get a pop-up that has your IMEI number and other important phone information.

Google Pixel 7 Pro standing up on a bench.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to find the IMEI number of an Android phone

On Android phones, you can find the IMEI number in the Settings menu. The exact route may be different for each Android phone's brand, but in general, you should be able to find it somewhere under the About phone menu in Settings.

Step 1: Head to the Settings app either by opening the app drawer, or by pulling down twice on the notification shade and selecting the cogwheel.

Step 2: Head to About phone. You may need to scroll down, or access more options like Status or Status information. Most phones we tested had the information freely available from the Status screen though.

The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max all lying on a table.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to find the IMEI number of an iPhone

While the dialer option worked for us on an iPhone 8, if it doesn't work for you then there are other ways to find your IMEI number on an iPhone.

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > About.

Step 2: Scroll down to find the IMEI entry in the list. You can also touch and hold the number to copy it to the clipboard and then paste it somewhere else, such as in Notes or a text.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to find the IMEI number on your phone's box

If your iPhone or Android phone has been stolen and you forgot to check and write down the IMEI number, it’s still possible to locate it. If you’ve kept the box your phone came in when you purchased it, you’re in luck, because it usually displays the IMEI number on a sticker on one of its sides.

How to find the IMEI using Google Find your phone

Any phone connected to your Google account will have its IMEI stored on your Google account.

Step 1: Visit Google's Find your phone page.

Step 2: Select the phone you wish to find the IMEI of.

Step 3: Click the "?" in the upper-left hand corner of the screen for the phone's info, including IMEI.

Editors' Recommendations

Jackie Dove
Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
How to try Samsung’s Galaxy AI on any iPhone or Android phone
Activating the Chat Assist feature on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung just released the new Galaxy S24 lineup in January, and one of its biggest selling points is Galaxy AI. Whether you love it or hate it, the era of mobile AI is here to stay, and Galaxy AI is Samsung’s suite of AI-powered tools to make your life easier.

Read more
How to use Apple Cash to send and receive money on your iPhone
Apple Pay Cash

Over the past few years, Apple has been getting perilously close to becoming a full-fledged bank. Features like Apple Pay, Apple Cash, the Apple Card, and the most recent additions, the Apple Card Savings Account and Apple Pay Later service, are blurring the lines between your bank account and your iPhone — and that's not a bad thing for those who enjoy life in Apple's walled garden.

Next to Apple Pay, perhaps the most useful of Apple's iPhone-integrated financial features is Apple Cash. Initially known as "Apple Pay Cash," the company dropped the "Pay" branding a few years ago to simplify things, but it's still the same service it's always been — a Venmo-like money-transfer service that's built into your iPhone and other Apple devices that lets you easily send and receive money via Apple's Messages app, as well as move money to and from your bank account using your debit card and bank transfers right from the iPhone's Wallet app. However, thanks to Apple Pay, Apple Cash goes one step further, giving you a virtual debit card to let you spend money directly at any retailer that accepts Visa Debit. (Apple Cash originally used the Discover card network, but switched to Visa Debit in early 2022.)

Read more
Apple just released iOS 17.4. Here’s how it’s going to change your iPhone
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro showing the screens.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you have an iPhone, you'll want to check it right now for a big update. The iOS 17.4 update is officially rolling out right now and it includes some fairly significant new features.

Read more