How to Check How Much RAM Your Laptop Can Support

Quick steps

1. Find your exact model. Open Settings → System → About on Windows, or the Apple menu → About This Mac, and note the model name or number. The guide on how to check your laptop model shows every method.
2. See what is installed. On Windows open Task Manager → Performance → Memory: it shows the total, the speed, the number of slots used and the form factor (SODIMM means removable modules). On a Mac, About This Mac shows the memory.
3. Look up the maximum. Open the manufacturer's specification page or maintenance manual for your exact model and read the memory line. The RAM upgrade page for each model on LaptopCompat gives the documented maximum with its source link.
4. Check slots and size per slot. The maximum is normally the number of slots times the largest module the platform supports. A laptop with two slots that take 32 GB each supports 64 GB.
5. Match the memory type. Buy modules of the type the laptop uses (for example DDR5 SO-DIMM). DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable, and a faster module simply runs at the speed the laptop supports.

Why the installed amount is not the maximum

A laptop that ships with 8 GB may accept 32 or 64 GB, and a laptop that ships with 32 GB may be at its limit. The only reliable source is the documentation for the exact model and platform, because two laptops with the same marketing name can use different processors with different memory limits.

Reading the maximum from the system itself

On Windows, PowerShell command Get-CimInstance Win32_PhysicalMemoryArray shows MaxCapacity (in kilobytes) and MemoryDevices (the number of memory slots). On Linux, sudo dmidecode -t memory lists Maximum Capacity and Number Of Devices.

These values come from the laptop's firmware and can be inaccurate, so treat them as a hint and confirm the maximum on the manufacturer's page.

Soldered, mixed and socketed memory

Soldered memory cannot be changed. Some laptops combine a soldered baseline with one open slot, so the maximum is the soldered amount plus the largest module that slot takes. Apple silicon Macs use unified memory in the chip package and cannot be upgraded.

• SO-DIMM vs soldered RAM →
• How to check your laptop model →
• Laptop memory report →
• Find your laptop →

Limits that are not the laptop's

The operating system also has limits: 32-bit Windows can use about 4 GB, and 64-bit Windows 11 Home supports up to 128 GB. In practice the laptop's own limit is almost always lower than the operating system's.

Frequently asked questions