The Windows 10 product key is often found on the Certificate of Authenticity, which is located outside the packaging. If you bought your PC from a white box seller, the sticker may be affixed to the machine’s chassis; thus, check for it on the top or side of the device. But what if you have missed that sticker too?
Losing your Windows product key is no reason to panic. You can find Windows 10 product key by following this tutorial.
What even is Windows Product Key?
The Windows product key is a unique code of 25 characters consisting of letters and numbers. A valid Windows 10 product key would look something like this:
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66TMicrosoft employs Windows product keys to identify Windows installations, ensuring that you are not using a pirated copy of Windows or a single licence of Windows on several computers.
Here is What The Microsoft website points out:
A product key is a 25-character code that’s used to activate Windows and helps verify that Windows hasn’t been used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.
Microsoft’s website
If you have lost your Product Key, you can use this tutorial to find your Windows 10 Product Key with ease. How to Find Windows 10 Product Key? With this tutorial it’s easy!
But first, let’s discuss the elephant in the room: free Windows product keys.
Downloading free Windows product keys
Microsoft closely monitors the usage of product keys since they are a vital step to guarantee that only legal copies of Windows are used. As a result, attempting to find free Windows product keys is an ongoing fight. Even if you locate a valid Windows 10 Product Key on certain piracy-friendly websites, Microsoft will undoubtedly revoke and ban those so-called free Windows 10 product keys sooner or later. Even if they claim 100% activation or declare their product keys are 100% functional, or any other marketing jargon.
As a result, you should never use a website that offers free Windows product keys. These keys aren’t authentic at all. If you buy them, you may be helping fraudsters steal credit card information. Alternatively, you may be rewarding those who take use of programmes created to help children while also encouraging their closure. Furthermore, such keys are shared among users and will either not function at all (even if the websites say they are 100% working Windows 10 Product Keys!) or cease working shortly after Microsoft blacklists them.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Instead, look for your misplaced product key. You may do so by following this simple guide.
How to find a lost Windows 10 Product Key?
First and foremost, if you purchased your computer as a pre-built system, your Windows 10 product key should be written on a label affixed to your device. It might be hidden within the unit or under a panel. If you’ve misplaced your product key, start by looking around the outside of your computer. If you can’t find it, use this guide to locate your Windows 10 product key within the Windows operating system.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you activated Windows 10 by upgrading from Windows 7 or 8, or if Windows 10 came with your machine, you will almost certainly locate the product key using these techniques. These approaches, however, may not work if your PC was activated as part of an organization’s licencing programme. In this instance, you should contact your organization’s help department.
Even if you just have a few minutes, knowing how to find your Windows 10 product key is useful. Recovering from a system wipe, creating a new PC for fun, or just replacing a broken one – you never know when you’ll need to reinstall Windows. And, because the product key is required to use most of Windows 10’s capabilities, such as customising and potentially obtaining critical system updates, it’s critical to understand how to discover Windows Product Key.
You can follow this tutorial even if you are a beginner because finding Windows Product Key is not very difficult to do. There are many ways to do it, but here we list the four easiest and most effective ways to find the product key:
Method 1: Find Windows 10 product key from Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store is a digital distribution platform, or, an app store, operated by Microsoft. Many people have used it to buy their copy of Windows 10, especially advanced users who have built their computer themselves.
If you bought Windows 10 via the Microsoft Store, a copy of your product key is saved in your Microsoft Account. Microsoft also sent you a confirmation email with a copy of the product key after you made your purchase. Examine your prior emails for anything from Microsoft Store to identify this email with the authentic Windows 10 product key. Remember that the email might end up in your spam or junk mail folder.
If cannot find the email but you are sure you used Microsoft Store to buy your product key, you can log into the Microsoft Store through any browser. Then navigate to the Downloads option. Once you find the Downloads Menu, look for Windows 10 Product Keys as well as the Subscription Page. If you click the Digital Content tab you will see your previous purchases along with your product key.
Method 2: Find Windows 10 product key with a Command prompt
The Command Prompt, commonly known as cmd.exe or just cmd, is the default command-line interpreter for Windows. In English, it means it allows users to enter text-based commands for Windows to execute. This allows the use of many Windows Tips And Tricks to be based on special Command Prompt inputs.
Other than that if you want to acquire a most direct method then try to use the command line interface. It will help you find the Windows 10 Product Keys. To do the needful, you can just type “cmd.exe” into the search box of your desktop screen of Windows 10. Upon typing this you will see the command line interface. Over there look for results and select the “Run as Administrator” option from the prompted Context Menu.
Type or copy-paste this command at the prompt:
wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKeyMethod 3: Find Windows 10 product key with PowerShell
PowerShell is basically Command Prompt but on steroids. Officially, PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management program from Microsoft, that also includes a Command Prompt-like command-line shell but it also comes with its own scripting language.
When you use Windows 10 PowerShell interface, the process of finding Windows 10 Product Keys is similar. To do this job correctly, all you need to do is Right-click on the Start Menu button from your keyboard and search for Windows PowerShell (Admin) while hitting the button on the context menu. Once you see the tab, write the below-mentioned command at the prompt while analyzing the current Windows – for instance – Windows 10 Product Key.
powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProducMethod 4: Find Windows 10 product key from the Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a database that stores settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for third-party applications. Normally, users should not access the Registry themselves, because any mistake there can cause major problems in their computer. However, simply using the Registry to read your Windows 10 Product Key is perfectly safe. Just follow these instructions and you will be fine.
The product key is stored in the Windows 10 System Registry, so it is possible to find the code there if you know the right key. Type RegEdit.exe into the Windows 10 desktop search or Run feature to start the Registry Editor.
Open the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\Your Windows 10 product key is stored in the value “BackupProductKeyDefault“
Last effort: Get Help From Microsoft
If all of these tips and tricks fail, you might want to contact Microsoft for help. Windows 10 comes with a handy chat feature you can use to contact a Microsoft support agent who should be able to help you to find your Windows 10 product key for free. If you prefer speaking to a live person, you can also use phone.
To get help from Microsoft, you can do this:
- Press Windows Key + R
- Type slui.exe 4 and press Enter.
- Select your country from the list menu.
How to Resolve “Windows License Will Expire Soon” Issues?
Here are a few steps that you may follow to avoid issues like “Your Windows License Will Expire Soon.”
Step 1: Simply restart your computer.
Step 2: Uninstall and erase your Windows License product key.
Step 3: Use the Troubleshooter to identify and resolve any problems.
Step 4: Manually enter your Windows License product key.
Step 5: Turn off two services.
Step 6: Double-check your time and date settings.
Step 7: Reset your computer to a prior state.
Finding Windows product key is easy
Finding a lost Windows product key can seem like a difficult task, but as you see, it isn’t that difficult. If you follow the steps in this tutorial, you should be able to find your Windows 10 product key with ease!
For more similar content, be sure to bookmark WindowsResource.net – the best Windows Tips And Tricks.