How to Find the Serial Number of a GoPro HERO12 Black

From time to time, you might need to find the serial number of your GoPro HERO12 Black.

It’s not something that comes up often, but you might need it if you’re manually updating your camera’s firmware or reaching out for help from GoPro support. You’ll also need it to add a device to your GoPro Subscription account.

There are at least three methods you can choose from to find the serial number of a HERO12 Black. Here’s a quick guide.

On the HERO12’s Menu System

If your HERO12 can power on, this is probably the quickest and easiest method.

The camera’s serial number is included in the menu system on the back screen. You can find it under:

Preferences > About > Camera Info > Serial Number

On the SD Card

This method is useful if you want to copy and paste the serial number or if the number printed on the camera is too hard to read clearly.

The camera’s serial number is also saved in a file on the SD card.

When the HERO12 formats the SD card to make it ready for use, it creates a couple of folders and a few files. One of those files records the camera’s key information, including the serial number.

In the top-level MISC folder, look for a file called version.txt. (There’s another MISC folder under the DCIM folder–not that one.)

It’s a plain text file and will open in a wide variety of apps. Double-clicking on it should automatically open it in an appropriate app.

The last field is camera serial number.

In Image EXIF Information

The camera’s serial number is also embedded in the EXIF metadata of photos taken with the HERO12. Look for an EXIF field called BodySerialNumber or CameraSerialNumber.

To access that, you’ll need software that can read image EXIF metadata. Some examples are:

• Lightroom Classic ¹
• Preview (Mac / built into macOS)
• EXIF Data View (free / Windows)
• XNViewMP (free / Windows, Mac, Linux) ²
• Jimpl (free / online service)
  

There are plenty of other options for viewing EXIF metadata, including many imaging apps (some free, like XNViewMP, XNView, or GIMP), browser plugins, and free online services that can read and display the EXIF metadata of an image you upload. Not all of them will display the camera serial number field, but if one doesn’t work, there are plenty of other alternatives to try.

Tip: If you’re shooting with the HERO12’s RAW image option enabled, it’s best to use the JPG version of the image with these EXIF readers. The RAW (.gpr) files are much less widely compatible.

Things Worth Knowing

On some earlier models, even as recently as the HERO11 Black, the serial number was also hard-printed on a label inside the battery compartment. It was in very small text that was hard to read, but it was an alternative way to get the serial number if the camera wouldn’t power on (useful when on the phone to support). But on the HERO12 Black, the serial number is no longer printed on that label in the battery compartment. There’s still a label there with various compliance notices, but it doesn’t include the camera’s serial number. 

1. Select the photo in Lightroom’s Library panel. Then make sure that the EXIF fields are chosen in the drop-down at the top of the Metadata panel on the right side of the screen. The serial number won’t show up in just the regular Default display of metadata fields.[↩]
2. in XNViewMP, use the ExifTools tab of image properties. The serial number field doesn’t show up in the regular EXIF tab.[↩]