How Can You Accurately Detect OS Versions Using Browser User-Agent Headers?

Using Browser User-Agent Header to Detect OS Version

Determining an operating system's exact version from a web browser presents a challenge. While detecting the OS type (e.g., Windows XP, macOS) is possible, obtaining granular information such as Vista Business or Windows XP Home proves elusive.

The HTTP User-Agent header contains limited OS information, which hampers precise OS version detection. For browsers running on Mac OS or Linux, this header may hold sufficient data to identify the OS accurately. For instance, a Mac running Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex might report its User-Agent header as:

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.0.7) Gecko/2009030423 Ubuntu/8.10 (intrepid) Firefox/3.0.7

Browsers on Windows systems, however, typically disclose only the OS version, omitting specific package details:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:x.x.x) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/x.x

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