How to find your Windows 10 product key
How to find your Windows 10 product key
Here's how to find your Windows 10 product key to reinstall or upgrade Windows.
(Image credit: g0d4ather | Shutterstock)
It's important to know how to find your Windows 10 product key at a moment’s notice. Recovering after a system wipe, building a new PC for fun or just replacing a broken one — you never know when you’ll need to reinstall your copy of Windows. And since the product key is needed to utilize all of Windows 10’s features as well as receive crucial updates, placing it in a secure location for later use is wise.
If you do happen to
misplace your Windows 10 product key, don’t worry. The physical key isn’t
actually needed thanks to a Command Prompt; with a few clicks here and there,
you’ll be able to pull up the missing key on your PC. Take a look at our guide
below as it explains the step-by-step process.
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Note that the
following instructions are for people who either purchased a physical copy of
Windows 10 or bought the digital version through an authorized reseller. If you
purchased a digital copy via the Microsoft Store, then Windows 10 is connected
to your Microsoft account.
All you’d have to do
is log into Microsoft after reinstalling Windows 10 to get back up to speed. If
you bought a computer with Windows 10 already installed, like a Microsoft
Surface, the product key is baked into the firmware and cannot be pulled
up.
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How to find your Windows 10 product key
1. Click
the Windows search box and type in Command Prompt.
2. Once
the Command Prompt entry pops up, right click that option and select “Run as administrator." Click ‘Yes’
when prompted.
3. Once
the Command Prompt window opens, type or copy and paste
the following command:
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get
OA3xOriginalProductKey
This is case-sensitive, so make sure you copy it exactly as it’s written or it won’t work. After you’ve typed/pasted it into the Command Prompt window, press Enter.
4. Provided
you've done everything correctly, your Windows product key
should appear under the command you typed in. Be sure to write
it down and place it somewhere safe.
And there you have
it. One hidden Windows 10 product key just waiting to be verified. The great
thing about this method of retrieval is that it can be done at any time.
Even if your PC dies
you won’t have to worry because Windows 10 can run without the product key,
just not a full capacity. All you’d have to do is install Windows 10 again, use
the Command Prompt to find the key and then verify it online.