How to find the serial number of an AirTag

Whether you have lost an AirTag or found one that doesn’t belong to you, knowing the serial number can help you locate the owner or confirm if it is your own. In this post, we will show you how to easily find the serial number of an AirTag.

Holding an AirTag in hand on a black background
Image: Mark Chan for Unsplash

How to find the serial number of your AirTag

You have a few options if you need to find the serial number of your AirTag.

1. Use the Find My app

  1. Open the Find My app and tap Items.
  2. Select your AirTag from the list.
  3. Tap your AirTag’s name, and it will reveal the serial number.
AirTag serial number in Find My app on iPhone

2. Find it on the box

If you have the original AirTag box, you may find the serial number on it.

3. Look under the AirTag battery

Open the battery compartment of your AirTag, and you will find its serial number printed there.

AirTag Serial Number printed inside the battery compartment

 

How to find the serial number of an unknown AirTag

You have two ways to reveal the serial number of an AirTag that doesn’t belong to you. You can use Apple’s Find My app or get your iPhone to read an unknown AirTag and reveal its serial number on Apple’s website.

1. Use the Find My app

  1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  2. Select the Items tab.
  3. Choose the option labeled Identify Found Item from the bottom of the list.
  4. Tap and hold the top of your phone to an unknown AirTag’s white side.
  5. Hit the notification that appears on your phone to go to found.apple.com in Safari.
  6. Find the serial number listed near the top of the page.
An image showing the white side of an Apple AirTag held to the top of an iPhone 12 with Safari's Found notification displayed on the screen

2. Use Safari

  1. Tap and hold an unknown AirTag’s white side on the top of your iPhone or Android phone with NFC.
  2. Hit the notification that pops up on your phone.
  3. You’ll be taken to found.apple.com in Safari, showing the serial number.

This is what that looks like:
AirTag serial number tutorial: An image showing an iPhone 12 Pro with Apples' Found website open in Safari and sapling the serial number of an unknown AirTag

The serial number is printed right below the “About This AirTag” heading. The “About This AirTag” page also displays other AirTag information. For instance, you can see there if the original owner has left a Lost Mode message, like their phone number. Apple responds to any requests by police to identify these serial numbers.

Tips for when an unknown AirTag is with you

Your iPhone will alert you with an “AirTag Detected” message when it finds a nearby AirTag that’s not registered to your Apple ID. Similarly, an “AirTag Found Moving With You” notification will pop up on your iPhone if an unknown AirTag is seen moving with you over time.

In case of the former, contacting an AirTag’s owner may be easier said than done unless they have put the device in Lost Mode and left a custom message, like their phone number, that you could reveal by holding your iPhone or NFC-capable Android handset next to it.

Related: Steps to take if an unknown AirTag is found moving with you

In the latter’s case, however, you should act swiftly because your safety could be at risk. The right course of action would be to tell law enforcement that you are being tracked by bad actors. The police can, in turn, work with Apple to identify an AirTag’s serial number, according to a support document on Apple’s website.

Handy AirTag tips: