What is my operating system?

Your Operating System

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How websites detect your operating system

The detected operating system is the one your browser reports in its user agent. Websites use it to offer the right downloads, keyboard shortcuts and instructions for your platform. Because browsers now limit what they report, the version shown may be older than the one you actually have.

How the OS appears in the user agent

The operating system is the part in parentheses near the start of the string:

  • Windows: Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64 (used by both Windows 10 and Windows 11)
  • macOS: Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7 (used by every recent macOS, including on Apple silicon)
  • Android: Linux; Android 10; K in reduced Chrome user agents, or the full version and device model in older ones
  • iPhone: iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 18_0 like Mac OS X
  • Linux: X11; Linux x86_64

Why the reported version is frozen

Exact OS versions, combined with other details, help build a unique fingerprint of your device. Browser makers therefore froze the values: Safari and Chrome stopped updating the macOS version at 10.15.7, Windows has reported NT 10.0 since 2015, and Chrome reduced Android’s details to a generic model. Apple silicon Macs even report “Intel” so that older websites keep working.

Getting the precise OS version

Websites that genuinely need the exact version, for example to offer the right driver, can request it through User-Agent Client Hints (the Sec-CH-UA-Platform-Version header) in Chrome and Edge. The OS version tool uses Client Hints to show your exact version, such as Windows 11, in those browsers. In other browsers, open your system’s About screen. The device type and browser version tools show the rest of what your browser reports.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it say macOS 10.15 when I have a newer Mac?

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all freeze the macOS version in their user agent at 10.15 (Catalina), whatever version you actually run. It’s a privacy and compatibility measure, not an error.

Why does Windows 11 show as Windows 10?

Both report Windows NT 10.0 in the user agent, so they look identical. Websites can tell them apart only by asking Chromium-based browsers for the platform version through User-Agent Client Hints.

How do I check my real OS version?

On Windows, press Windows + R and run winver. On a Mac, open the Apple menu, then About This Mac. On iPhone or Android, open Settings, then About (on iPhone it’s under General).