A Step-by-Step Guide for Raspberry Pi Enthusiasts

Ever wondered which version of Raspberry Pi you have, but don’t have an HDMI cable or monitor at hand? Don’t worry! You can easily check your Raspberry Pi’s model using the command line interface. Fol …


Updated October 2, 2023

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Ever wondered which version of Raspberry Pi you have, but don’t have an HDMI cable or monitor at hand? Don’t worry! You can easily check your Raspberry Pi’s model using the command line interface. Follow these steps to find out.

  1. Turn on your Raspberry Pi without connecting it to a display.
  2. Press and hold the shift key while booting up the device to access the command line interface. You should see a login prompt, like this:
    pi@raspberrypi:~ $
  3. Type cat /proc/device-tree/model and hit enter. This will display information about your Raspberry Pi model in plain text. For example, you might see something like:
    Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.2

    If you’re using a different version of Raspberry Pi OS, the command may be slightly different. For Raspbian (the default operating system), use cat /etc/issue. You should see output like this:

    Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)
  4. Look for the model number in the text that appears on your screen. In the example above, it’s “Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.2” and “Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)”, which indicates a Raspberry Pi 4 running Raspbian Buster.
  5. Once you’ve identified your device, release the shift key to exit the command line interface and continue with your setup or troubleshooting.

Remember, this method only works if your Raspberry Pi has been booted up and is running a Linux-based operating system. If you’re using a different OS or have not yet set up your device, you may need to use alternative methods for identifying its model, such as checking the serial number or consulting documentation provided by the manufacturer.