How to find model of microcontroller for Arduino IDE?

 In Arduino-land, the “microcontroller model” is usually determined by which Board (and sometimes Processor) you select in the IDE. If you don’t know what chip is on the board, there are a few reliable ways to find it.

1) The fastest: check Tools → Board (and Tools → Processor)

1. Connect the board.

2. In Arduino IDE:

   • Tools → Board: pick (or confirm) the board family (Uno, Nano, Mega, ESP32 Dev Module, Pico, etc.)

   • Tools → Processor (only appears for some AVR boards like Nano/Pro Mini): this often directly shows the MCU choice, e.g. ATmega328P vs ATmega168.

If you see a “Processor” submenu, that’s basically your answer.

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2) Arduino IDE 2.x: Tools → Get Board Info

With the board plugged in and the correct Tools → Port selected:

• Tools → Get Board Info shows things like board name, VID/PID, and sometimes the identified board profile.
  This won’t always print the exact MCU model, but it helps you confirm the board family so you can map it to the MCU.

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3) Look at the compile command (most accurate inside IDE)

This works even if you’re unsure about the board.

1. File → Preferences

2. Enable “Show verbose output during compilation”

3. Compile once.

4. In the output, look for flags like:

   • AVR: -mmcu=atmega328p or similar

   • Many cores also show the FQBN (Fully Qualified Board Name)

That -mmcu=... (or equivalent) is the exact MCU target the IDE is building for.

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4) Read the chip signature (AVR boards: Uno/Nano/Mega/etc.)

For classic AVR Arduinos, you can read the device signature via avrdude. This tells you the exact chip (ATmega328P, ATmega2560, etc.).

Using Arduino IDE’s bundled avrdude (simple approach)

• Turn on verbose upload in Preferences.

• Upload once.

• Copy the avrdude command from the output and rerun it with more verbosity.

A typical signature looks like 0x1e 0x95 0x0f (that one is ATmega328P).

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5) Physically check the chip (surprisingly common + reliable)

If it’s a board with a visible MCU package:

• Read the marking on the main chip:

  • Uno / Nano clones often: ATmega328P

  • Mega 2560: ATmega2560

  • Many ARM boards: STM32 / SAMD21 / RP2040 markings, etc.

(This is often the quickest for clones where the “board identity” is messy.)

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6) “Ask the chip” in code (core-specific)

This is useful for ESP boards and some others:

ESP32

Serial.println(ESP.getChipModel());

ESP8266

Serial.println(ESP.getChipId(), HEX);

(For AVR, the exact model is compile-time, so it’s better to use method #3/#4.)