The system_profiler utility in macOS is a command-line tool that provides detailed technical information about the hardware and software configuration of a Mac computer.
It essentially generates a comprehensive report, or "profile," of the system, which can be useful for troubleshooting, system administration, and understanding the specifications of a Mac.
Get System Information
To get system information from the system_profiler utility, you can use the command as shown:
system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType
Get Printer Information
To gather any available printer information, you can run the command as shown:
system_profiler SPPrintersDataType
Output:
Printers:
Status: The printers list is empty. To add printers, choose Apple menu > System Settings…, click Printers & Scanners, and then click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax…
CUPS Version: CUPS/2.3.4 (macOS 14.0; arm64) IPP/2.0
Get Installed Apps
To gather the information about installed apps, you can run the command as:
system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType
Example output:
Applications:
CopyClip 2:
Version: 2.9.98.9
Obtained from: Identified Developer
Last Modified: 25/09/2021, 17:45
Kind: Universal
Signed by: Developer ID Application: FIPLAB Ltd (VM4H2VWS56), Developer ID Certification Authority, Apple Root CA
Location: /Applications/CopyClip 2.app
AnyDesk:
Version: 7.2.1
Obtained from: Identified Developer
Last Modified: 21/07/2023, 16:52
Kind: Universal
Signed by: Developer ID Application: philandro Software GmbH (KU6W3B6JMZ), Developer ID Certification Authority, Apple Root CA
Location: /Applications/AnyDesk.app
CleanShot X:
Version: 4.6
Obtained from: Identified Developer
Last Modified: 05/09/2023, 23:41
Kind: Universal
Signed by: Developer ID Application: Make The Web Oślizło & Magiera s.c. (AFJU4P8ZV4), Developer ID Certification Authority, Apple Root CA
Location: /Applications/CleanShot X.app
The Unarchiver:
Version: 4.3.5
Obtained from: Identified Developer
Last Modified: 13/05/2022, 12:14
Kind: Universal
Signed by: Developer ID Application: MacPaw Inc. (S8EX82NJP6), Developer ID Certification Authority, Apple Root CA
Location: /Applications/The Unarchiver.app
group.is.workflow.my:
Obtained from: Unknown
Last Modified: 29/08/2023, 04:19
Kind: Other
Location: /Users/csalem/Library/Application Scripts/group.is.workflow.my.app
com.apple.ctcategories:
Obtained from: Unknown
Last Modified: 29/08/2023, 04:23
Kind: Other
Location: /Users/csalem/Library/HTTPStorages/com.apple.ctcategories.service
MRT:
Version: 1.93
Obtained from: Apple
Last Modified: 29/08/2023, 04:28
Kind: Universal
Signed by: Software Signing, Apple Code Signing Certification Authority, Apple Root CA
Location: /Library/Apple/System/Library/CoreServices/MRT.app
Get Installed Frameworks
To gather information about installed Frameworks, we can run the command as shown:
system_profiler SPFrameworksDataType
Get Developer Tools Information
To return the developer tools information, run the command:
system_profiler SPDeveloperToolsDataType
Get Startup Items
To view the information about startup items in macOS, run the command as shown:
system_profiler SPStartupItemDataType
Get Network Information
To fetch detailed networki information, run the command:
system_profiler SPNetworkDataType
Get Firewall Status
The command below should return detailed firewall information.
system_profiler SPFirewallDataType
Get Bluetooth Informtion
To get detailed bluetooth information, run the command:
system_profiler SPBluetoothDataType
Get Ethernet Information
To get ethernet information on the host machine, run the command:
system_profiler SPEthernetDataType
Get USB Information
To get detailed USB information on the machine, run the command:
system_profiler SPUSBDataType
Conclusion
This short tutorial shows you how to use the system_profiler utility in macOS to gather detailed information about various system objects.
