How to Find a Hardware ID on Windows: 2 Ways + Lookup

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Quickly identify the unique code assigned to any device

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Finding Hardware ID (Device Manager)
|
• Finding Hardware ID (Command Line)
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• Hardware ID Lookup Tools
|
• Hardware ID Formatting
|
• Video
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• Q&A

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If you have hardware in your computer that is not working properly and you're not sure what it is or who made it, you can use the device's hardware ID (hwid) to identify it. The hardware ID will allow you to find the manufacturer and model of virtually any piece of hardware in your computer, even if the device isn't working. In this guide, we'll teach you easy ways to find hardware IDs on a Windows PC, plus how to look up hardware IDs to find drivers and manufacturer information.

How to Find a Hardware ID

1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
2. Right-click a device and select Properties.
3. Click the Details tab.
4. Select Hardware IDs from the drop-down menu.
5. Copy the hardware ID by right-clicking it and selecting Copy.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Finding Hardware ID (Device Manager)

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1. 
   1
   Open the Device Manager. This utility lists all of your connected hardware and display devices that are not working correctly. There are a few different ways to open the Device Manager:

   • Press ⊞ Win+R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
   • Right-click on the Start button and select "Device Manager".
   • Press the Windows key, type device manager, and press Enter.
2. 
   2
   Right-click a device and select Properties. You can do this for any of your "Unknown devices" or other devices with errors to help you track down the correct drivers.

   • Devices with errors will have a small "!" icon.
   • You can expand categories by clicking the "+".
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3. 
   3
   Click the Details tab. This will display a Property drop-down menu and a Value frame.
4. 
   4
   Select "Hardware Ids" from the drop-down menu. This will display several entries in the Value frame. These are the device's hardware IDs–there may be multiple hardware IDs. You can use these IDs to help identify the device and find the correct drivers for it. See the next section for details. l
5. 
   5
   Right-click the top-most ID and select Copy. If you want to look up the device, find drivers, or add the device to certain software, you can copy the hardware ID easily here. The top ID in the list is usually the main one and should have the most characters. Right-click this ID and copy it to your clipboard.

   • To learn how to look up hardware IDs, jump to Hardware ID Lookup Tools.
   • For tips on understanding the format of your hardware ID, jump to Hardware ID Formatting.
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Section 2 of 4:

Finding Hardware ID (Command Line)

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1. 1
   Command Prompt You can find all the hardware IDs on your computer by running this command at the Command Prompt:

   • wmic path win32_pnpentity get name, deviceid
2. 2
   PowerShell To see a list of all hardware IDs on your computer, run this command in PowerShell:

   • Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly
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Section 3 of 4:

Hardware ID Lookup Tools

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1. 
   1
   Paste the hardware ID into a Google search. Add the word "Driver" to the search as well. This will usually display what the device is, which can be very useful for determining what the malfunctioning hardware is. You'll also be able to find driver files for your piece of hardware.

   • You can also use the information you found in the previous step to download the correct driver from the manufacturer's support page.
2. 2
   Look for drivers in the Microsoft Update catalog. If you're looking for driver updates for specific hardware, search for the hardware ID in the Microsoft Update Catalog.
3. 
   3
   Use the Device Hunt site to track down hardware. You can use the Vendor and Device IDs you extracted above to search the database at devicehunt.com. Enter the four-digit Vendor ID (VEN_XXXX) into the Vendor ID search field, or the four-digit Device ID (DEV_XXXX) into the appropriate field and click the "Search" button.

   • The database is extensive, but it does not contain every piece of hardware. There's a chance that your search won't return results.
   • The database is designed for PCI slot hardware, including graphics cards, sound cards, and network adapters.
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Section 4 of 4:

Hardware ID Formatting

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1. 
   Understand how Hardware IDs are formatted. You don't have to worry about deciphering the whole thing, but there are two aspects that can help you identify the product if a Google search fails. The VEN_XXXX is a code that indicates the manufacturer (vendor). The DEV_XXXX is the specific model of hardware (device). Below are some of the more common VEN_XXXX codes:

   • Intel – 8086
   • ATI/AMD – 1002/1022
   • NVIDIA – 10DE
   • Broadcom – 14E4
   • Atheros – 168C
   • Realtek – 10EC
   • Creative – 1102
   • Logitech – 046D

Community Q&A

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• Question

  I have purchased an HP laptop and installed Windows 7, but there is no Wi-Fi driver. How can I find and install it?

  

  jason cole

  Community Answer

  Using another computer, go to the HP website and enter the model number, then look for the wireless network adapter driver; download it to a flash drive and install it to the laptop. Alternately, you can plug the computer into the router via Ethernet cable and do Windows updates. If it doesn't install the driver though updates, follow the first method.

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  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 9
• Question

  Why isn't my phone model coming up? It's connected by Google Devices.

  

  Denneisk

  Top Answerer

  Think of it like this: if two computers are connected to the same local area network (LAN), then why would you be able to see what's on the other computer? As so, the phone is a different computer, and since it's connected, but not part of the computer, it doesn't show up. For more technical terms, the phone is not in the device manager because the device is an outside device, where only the drivers required to connect to said device will be installed. You can find these drivers to connect to the phone somewhere in the device manager, and uninstalling them would then disallow your phone to connect to your computer.

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  Thank you for your feedback.
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• Question

  My HP Stream wont connect to the Internet because there are no wireless network adapters. I have downloaded the drivers, but nothing is showing in the network adapters section of Device Manager. What can I do?

  

  Community Answer

  First, ensure that Wi-Fi is physically turned on for your device (some have a switch or keyboard combination that turns it on and off). Once you're sure it's on, plug in directly to the router and do Windows Updates, which should install the driver. If not, go the manufacturer website and download the driver.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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