Applies ToWindows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Microsoft account dashboard
A Windows product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows. It looks like this:
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PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Locate your product key for Windows 10 or Windows 11
Depending on how you got your copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11, you’ll need either a 25-character product key or a digital license to activate it. A digital license is a method of activation in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that doesn’t require you to enter a product key. Without one of these, you won’t be able to activate your device.
Where to find your product key depends on how you got your copy of Windows.
Select any of the following to see more information:
The product key is preinstalled on your PC, included with the packaging the PC came in, or included on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached to the PC. For more info, contact your hardware manufacturer, and for pictures of authentic product keys and COA labels, see How to tell your hardware is genuine.
The product key is on a label or card inside the box that Windows came in. For more info, contact the retailer that sold you Windows 10 or Windows 11. How to tell your software is genuine.
Find your product key in the confirmation email you received after buying Windows 10 or Windows 11 in a digital locker accessible through the retailer’s website.
The product key is in the confirmation email you received after buying your digital copy of Windows. Microsoft only keeps a record of product keys if you purchased from the Microsoft online store. You can find out if you purchased from Microsoft in your Microsoft account Order history.
If you upgraded to Windows 11 for free from Windows 10, or upgraded to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you should have a digital license instead of a product key.
If you bought Windows 10 or Windows 11 Pro upgrade in the Microsoft Store app, you’ll receive a digital license instead of a product key in the confirmation email that was sent to confirm the purchase. That email address (MSA) will contain the digital license. You can use the digital license for activation.
For more information about digital licenses and product keys in Windows 10 and Windows 11, see the “Methods of Activation” section in Activate Windows.
Locate your product key for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1
A product key is usually required when uninstalling or reinstalling Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Generally, if you bought a physical copy of Windows, the product key should be on a label or card inside the box that Windows came in. If Windows came preinstalled on your PC, the product key should appear on a sticker on your device. If you’ve lost or can’t find the product key, contact the manufacturer. To ensure your product key is genuine, see How to tell your software is genuine and How to tell your hardware is genuine.
Related links
For info about how to tell if your copy of Windows is genuine Microsoft software, see the How to tell page.
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Find your Windows product key using the Command Prompt, PowerShell, or the Windows Registry
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- Finding your Windows Product Key
- Using Command Prompt
- Using PowerShell
- Using the Registry
- Video
- Expert Q&A
- Tips
- Warnings
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Do you need to find your Windows product key? The Windows product key is necessary if you want to install Windows on a different computer or reinstall it on your the same computer. You can find the Windows product key using your computer’s Command Prompt, PowerShell program, or within the Windows Registry. This wikiHow article teaches you how to find your Windows product key so that you can activate Windows.[1]
Things You Should Know
- You can find your Windows product key using the Command Prompt, Powershell, or the Windows Registry.
- If you purchased Windows from a licensed retailer, you can find your Windows key in the box that it came in.
- If you bought a digital version of Windows or an upgrade online or from the Microsoft Store, you should receive your product key in a confirmation email.
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If your PC comes with Windows pre-installed, you do not need to use your product key to activate Windows. It’s already running. If you want to save a backup copy, you can do so, using the Command Prompt, PowerShell, or your Windows Registry. You can also find your Windows product key within the packaging your PC came with or within the Certificate of Authenticity.
- Most newer computers do not have the Windows product key printed on a sticker on the bottom of the computer like they used to. However, you should be able to find the Windows product key within the package your computer came in.
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If you bought a physical copy of Windows 10 or 11 from an authorized retailer, you can find your Windows product key within the box that Windows came in.
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If you bought a digital copy of Windows online or through the Microsoft Store, either as a new copy or an upgrade, you should have received a confirmation email. Your Windows product key should be in the confirmation email.
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If you have a volume licensing agreement or MSDN subscription, you can find your Windows product key in the web portal for your program.[2]
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Click the Windows Start menu
. It’s the icon with the Windows logo in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You can do this in Windows 10 or 11.
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This displays the Command Prompt in the Windows Start menu.
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Open the Command Prompt as an administrator
. To open the Command Prompt as an administrator, right-click the Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
- You must be signed in to Windows with an administrative account in order to open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
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To display your product key, type the following command and press Enter.[3]
- wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
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Your product key is the 25-letter key displayed under the text that says «OA3xOriginalProductKey.»
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You can either take a screenshot of the results or write down the key to ensure you have access to it if needed.
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It’s the icon that resembles the Windows logo in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Right-clicking the Windows Start menu displays a context menu. This will work on both Windows 10 and 11.
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This will open PowerShell as an administrator.
- You must be logged into Windows with an administrative account in order run PowerShell as an administrator.
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The command is as follows:[4]
- powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey"
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You should see the product key appear directly below the command that you entered; this is your product key.
- The product key will be 25 characters long. If you don’t see the product key appear immediately, enter the code a second time and press Enter.[5]
- The product key will be 25 characters long. If you don’t see the product key appear immediately, enter the code a second time and press Enter.[5]
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You can either take a screenshot of the results or write down the key to ensure you have access to it if needed.
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Pressing the Windows key and R at the same time will open the Run program. This will work on both Windows 10 and 11.
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This will open the Registry Editor, where you can find the Windows Product Key.
- Warning: Editing files within the Registry Editor can cause permanent damage to your Windows operating system. Do not edit or move any files unless you know what you are doing.
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You will see a series of folders listed in the panel to the left. Open the following folders to navigate to the «SoftwareProtectionPlatform» folder.
- Open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.
- Open the SOFTWARE folder.
- Open the Microsof folder.
- Open the Windows NT folder
- Open the CurrentVersion folder.
- Open the SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder.
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This displays all the files within this folder in the large panel on the right.
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This displays your 25-digit product key in the field that says «Value Data.» You can also read the product key under «Data» next to the BackupProductKeyDefault file.[6]
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You can either take a screenshot of the results or write down the key to ensure you have access to it if needed.
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Add New Question
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Question
How do you check your Windows Product Key?
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
Computer & Tech Specialist
Expert Answer
The Product Key is encoded in your computer, in BIOS. To access it, you will have to use a third-party software, like Produkey or Show Key Plus.
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Question
What is a Windows product key and how do I find it?
Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a full-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.
Computer Specialist
Expert Answer
A Windows product key is a 25-character key that tells Microsoft that your Windows operating system is authentic. The way you find it will depend on how you received the product key initially, but if you can’t find it, I recommend Magical Jelly Bean, which is a product key finder.
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Question
What is a Windows Product Key? How do I get one?
Windows Product Key is a unique key for each customer. This key is used to activate your Windows operating system. You receive the Product Key when you purchase a Windows OS, or you can buy it separately from Microsoft.
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You can also use the free program Magical Jelly Bean to help you retrieve your Windows product key.[7]
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Using someone else’s product key to activate your own Windows software is against Microsoft’s terms of use.
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About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Open PowerShell.
2. Type «(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey» and press Enter.
3. Note your product key.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,297,338 times.
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Сразу после выхода новой ОС, все стали интересоваться, как узнать ключ установленной Windows 10, хотя в большинстве случаев он не требуется. Тем не менее, если вам все-таки требуется ключ для тех или иных целей, его сравнительно просто определить, как для установленной ОС, так и зашитый производителем в UEFI ключ продукта (они могут отличаться).
В этой инструкции описаны простые способы узнать ключ продукта Windows 10 с помощью командной строки, Windows PowerShell, а также сторонних программ. Заодно упомяну о том, почему разные программы показывают разные данные, как отдельно посмотреть OEM ключ в UEFI (для ОС, которая изначально была на компьютере) и ключ установленной в данный момент системы.
Примечание: если вы произвели бесплатное обновление до Windows 10, а теперь хотите узнать ключ активации для чистой установки на том же компьютере, вы можете это сделать, но это не обязательно (к тому же у вас будет ключ такой же, как и у других людей, получивших десятку путем обновления). При установке Windows 10 с флешки или диска, вас попросят ввести ключ продукта, но вы можете пропустить этот шаг, нажав в окне запроса «У меня нет ключа продукта» (и Майкрософт пишет, что так и нужно делать).
После установки и подключения к Интернету, система будет автоматически активирована, поскольку активация «привязывается» к вашему компьютеру после обновления. То есть поле для ввода ключа в программе установки Windows 10 присутствует только для покупателей Retail-версий системы. Подробнее про такую активацию: Активация Windows 10. А при желании, можно использовать Windows 10 и без активации.
Просмотр ключа продукта установленной Windows 10 и OEM-ключа в ShowKeyPlus
Есть множество программ для описываемых здесь целей, о многих из которых я писал в статье Как узнать ключ продукта Windows 8 (8.1) (подойдет и для Windows 10), но мне больше других приглянулась найденная недавно ShowKeyPlus, которая не требует установки и отдельно показывает сразу два ключа: установленной в текущий момент системы и OEM ключ в UEFI. Заодно сообщает, для какой именно версии Windows подходит ключ из UEFI. Также с помощью этой программы можно узнать ключ из другой папки с Windows 10 (на другом жестком диске, в папке Windows.old), а заодно проверить ключ на валидность (пункт Check Product Key).
Все, что нужно сделать — запустить программу и посмотреть отображаемые данные:
- Installed Key — ключ установленной системы.
- OEM Key (Original Key) — ключ предустановленной ОС, если она была на компьютере, т.е. ключ из UEFI.
Также эти данные можно сохранить в текстовый файл для дальнейшего использования или архивного хранения, нажав кнопку «Save». Кстати, проблема с тем, что порой разные программы показывают разные ключи продукта для Windows, как раз и появляется из-за того, что некоторые из них смотрят его в установленной системе, другие в UEFI.
Скачать ShowKeyPlus можно со страницы https://github.com/Superfly-Inc/ShowKeyPlus/releases/, также с недавних пор приложение доступно для загрузки в Microsoft Store.
Еще две программы, чтобы узнать ключ продукта Windows 10
Если по той или иной причине ShowKeyPlus для вас оказался неподходящим вариантом, можно использовать следующие две программы:
Просмотр ключа установленной Windows 10 с помощью PowerShell
Там, где можно обойтись без сторонних программ, я предпочитаю обходиться без них. Просмотр ключа продукта Windows 10 — одна из таких задач. Если же вам проще использовать бесплатную программу для этого, пролистайте руководство ниже. (Кстати, некоторые программы для просмотра ключей отправляют их заинтересованным лицам)
Простой команды PowerShell или командной строки, для того чтобы узнать ключ установленной в настоящий момент времени системы не предусмотрено (есть такая команда, показывающая ключ из UEFI, покажу ниже. Но обычно требуется именно ключ текущей системы, отличающийся от предустановленной). Но можно воспользоваться готовым скриптом PowerShell, который отображает необходимую информацию (автор скрипта Jakob Bindslet).
Вот что потребуется сделать. Прежде всего, запустите блокнот и скопируйте в него код, представленный ниже.
#Main function Function GetWin10Key { $Hklm = 2147483650 $Target = $env:COMPUTERNAME $regPath = "Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" $DigitalID = "DigitalProductId" $wmi = [WMIClass]"\\$Target\root\default:stdRegProv" #Get registry value $Object = $wmi.GetBinaryValue($hklm,$regPath,$DigitalID) [Array]$DigitalIDvalue = $Object.uValue #If get successed If($DigitalIDvalue) { #Get producnt name and product ID $ProductName = (Get-itemproperty -Path "HKLM:Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" -Name "ProductName").ProductName $ProductID = (Get-itemproperty -Path "HKLM:Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" -Name "ProductId").ProductId #Convert binary value to serial number $Result = ConvertTokey $DigitalIDvalue $OSInfo = (Get-WmiObject "Win32_OperatingSystem" | select Caption).Caption If($OSInfo -match "Windows 10") { if($Result) { [string]$value ="ProductName : $ProductName `r`n" ` + "ProductID : $ProductID `r`n" ` + "Installed Key: $Result" $value #Save Windows info to a file $Choice = GetChoice If( $Choice -eq 0 ) { $txtpath = "C:\Users\"+$env:USERNAME+"\Desktop" New-Item -Path $txtpath -Name "WindowsKeyInfo.txt" -Value $value -ItemType File -Force | Out-Null } Elseif($Choice -eq 1) { Exit } } Else { Write-Warning "Запускайте скрипт в Windows 10" } } Else { Write-Warning "Запускайте скрипт в Windows 10" } } Else { Write-Warning "Возникла ошибка, не удалось получить ключ" } } #Get user choice Function GetChoice { $yes = New-Object System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription "&Yes","" $no = New-Object System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription "&No","" $choices = [System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription[]]($yes,$no) $caption = "Подтверждение" $message = "Сохранить ключ в текстовый файл?" $result = $Host.UI.PromptForChoice($caption,$message,$choices,0) $result } #Convert binary to serial number Function ConvertToKey($Key) { $Keyoffset = 52 $isWin10 = [int]($Key[66]/6) -band 1 $HF7 = 0xF7 $Key[66] = ($Key[66] -band $HF7) -bOr (($isWin10 -band 2) * 4) $i = 24 [String]$Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789" do { $Cur = 0 $X = 14 Do { $Cur = $Cur * 256 $Cur = $Key[$X + $Keyoffset] + $Cur $Key[$X + $Keyoffset] = [math]::Floor([double]($Cur/24)) $Cur = $Cur % 24 $X = $X - 1 }while($X -ge 0) $i = $i- 1 $KeyOutput = $Chars.SubString($Cur,1) + $KeyOutput $last = $Cur }while($i -ge 0) $Keypart1 = $KeyOutput.SubString(1,$last) $Keypart2 = $KeyOutput.Substring(1,$KeyOutput.length-1) if($last -eq 0 ) { $KeyOutput = "N" + $Keypart2 } else { $KeyOutput = $Keypart2.Insert($Keypart2.IndexOf($Keypart1)+$Keypart1.length,"N") } $a = $KeyOutput.Substring(0,5) $b = $KeyOutput.substring(5,5) $c = $KeyOutput.substring(10,5) $d = $KeyOutput.substring(15,5) $e = $KeyOutput.substring(20,5) $keyproduct = $a + "-" + $b + "-"+ $c + "-"+ $d + "-"+ $e $keyproduct } GetWin10Key
Сохраните файл с расширением .ps1. Для того, чтобы сделать это в блокноте, при сохранении в поле «Тип файла» укажите «Все файлы» вместо «Текстовые документы». Сохранить можно, например, под именем win10key.ps1
После этого, запустите Windows PowerShell от имени Администратора. Для этого, можно начать набирать PowerShell в поле поиска, после чего кликнуть по нему правой кнопкой мыши и выбрать соответствующий пункт.
В PowerShell введите следующую команду: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned и подтвердите ее выполнение (ввести Y и нажать Enter в ответ на запрос).
Следующим шагом, введите команду: C:\win10key.ps1 (в данной команде указывается путь к сохраненному файлу со скриптом).
В результате выполнения команды вы увидите информацию о ключе установленной Windows 10 (в пункте Installed Key) и предложение сохранить ее в текстовый файл. После того, как вы узнали ключ продукта, можете вернуть политику выполнения скриптов в PowerShell к значению по умолчанию с помощью команды Set-ExecutionPolicy restricted
Как узнать OEM ключ из UEFI в PowerShell
Если на вашем компьютере или ноутбуке была предустановлена Windows 10 и требуется просмотреть OEM ключ (который хранится в UEFI материнской платы), вы можете использовать простую команду, которую необходимо запустить в командной строке от имени администратора.
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
В результате вы получите ключ предустановленной системы при его наличии в системе (он может отличаться от того ключа, который используется текущей ОС, но при этом может использоваться для того, чтобы вернуть первоначальную версию Windows).
Еще один вариант этой же команды, но для Windows PowerShell
(Get-WmiObject -query "select * from SoftwareLicensingService").OA3xOriginalProductKey
Как посмотреть ключ установленной Windows 10 с помощью скрипта VBS
И еще один скрипт, уже не для PowerShell, а в формате VBS (Visual Basic Script), который отображает ключ продукта установленной на компьютере или ноутбуке Windows 10 и, возможно, удобнее для использования.
Скопируйте в блокнот строки, представленные ниже.
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") regKey = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\" DigitalProductId = WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "DigitalProductId") Win10ProductName = "Версия Windows 10: " & WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "ProductName") & vbNewLine Win10ProductID = "ID продукта: " & WshShell.RegRead(regKey & "ProductID") & vbNewLine Win10ProductKey = ConvertToKey(DigitalProductId) ProductKeyLabel ="Ключ Windows 10: " & Win10ProductKey Win10ProductID = Win10ProductName & Win10ProductID & ProductKeyLabel MsgBox(Win10ProductID) Function ConvertToKey(regKey) Const KeyOffset = 52 isWin10 = (regKey(66) \ 6) And 1 regKey(66) = (regKey(66) And &HF7) Or ((isWin10 And 2) * 4) j = 24 Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789" Do Cur = 0 y = 14 Do Cur = Cur * 256 Cur = regKey(y + KeyOffset) + Cur regKey(y + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) Cur = Cur Mod 24 y = y -1 Loop While y >= 0 j = j -1 winKeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & winKeyOutput Last = Cur Loop While j >= 0 If (isWin10 = 1) Then keypart1 = Mid(winKeyOutput, 2, Last) insert = "N" winKeyOutput = Replace(winKeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0) If Last = 0 Then winKeyOutput = insert & winKeyOutput End If a = Mid(winKeyOutput, 1, 5) b = Mid(winKeyOutput, 6, 5) c = Mid(winKeyOutput, 11, 5) d = Mid(winKeyOutput, 16, 5) e = Mid(winKeyOutput, 21, 5) ConvertToKey = a & "-" & b & "-" & c & "-" & d & "-" & e End Function
Должно получиться как на скриншоте ниже.
После этого сохраните документ с расширением .vbs (для этого в диалоге сохранения в поле «Тип файла» выберите «Все файлы».
Перейдите в папку, где был сохранен файл и запустите его — после выполнения вы увидите окно, в котором будут отображены ключ продукта и версия установленной Windows 10.
Как я уже отметил, программ для просмотра ключа есть множество — например, в Speccy, а также других утилитах для просмотра характеристик компьютера можно узнать эту информацию. Но, уверен, тех способов, что описаны здесь, будет достаточно практически в любой ситуации.
Quick Links
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Where Is Your Windows Product Key Stored in the Registry?
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Where Can You Find Your Windows Product Key?
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Find Product Key Stored in the UEFI on Windows 10 or Windows 11
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Use NirSoft’s ProduKey to Find Windows 10 or Windows 11 Product Key
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Use ShowKeyPlus to Retrieve Product Key on Windows 10 or Windows 11
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Use a Script to Recover Your Windows 10 or Windows 11 Product Key
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Read the Product Key From the Certificate of Authenticity Sticker
Summary
The best way to recover a lost product key for Windows or an Office program is to use a third-party program, like Nirsoft’s Produkey or ShowKeyPlus. You may also have a sticker attached to your PC or disk box with a product key written on it.
If you’re planning on doing a reinstall of Windows but can’t find your product key, you’re in luck because it’s stored in the Windows Registry. It’s just not easy to find, and it’s impossible to read without some help. Luckily, we’re here to help.
Where Is Your Windows Product Key Stored in the Registry?
As you can see in the screenshot above, the product key is stored in the registry but is in a binary format that can’t be read by humans unless you are some sort of Cylon. You aren’t, are you?
We’re not really sure why Microsoft went to great lengths to make it difficult to see the product keys for their software, especially since they are stored right in there in the registry and can be read by software, if not by humans. We can only assume that they don’t want anybody to re-use a key from an old computer.
The great thing is that you can even recover a key, even from a computer that won’t boot anymore. All you need is access to the disk drive from a working computer. Keep reading for more.
Where Can You Find Your Windows Product Key?
The key you need will be in one of three places:
- Stored in software on your PC: When you (or your PC manufacturer) installs Windows, Windows stores its product key in the registry. You can extract this product key, and — often — enter it when reinstalling Windows on your PC. Crucially, you’ll need to grab it from your operating system before you begin reinstalling Windows or it could be deleted if you format your hard drive.
- Printed on a sticker: Some PCs use a technology called «System Locked Pre-installation,» or SLP. If your PC uses this, the product key on your PC — the one stored in the registry, and the one key-viewer applications display — will be different from the actual key your PC needs. The actual key is on a certificate of authenticity (COA) sticker on your PC or its power supply. The one in the registry and key-viewer application is a red herring. This system was common for Windows 7 PCs.
- Embedded in your PC’s UEFI firmware: Many newer PCs that come with Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 11 use a new method. The key for the version of Windows the PC comes with is stored in the computer’s UEFI firmware or BIOS. You don’t even need to know it —assuming you’re installing the same edition of Windows the PC came with, it should automatically activate and work without you needing to enter a key. It’ll all happen automatically.
Be sure to use the same version and edition of Windows the computer came with. In other words, if it came with Windows 11 Home Premium, you can’t install Windows 11 Professional.
Find Product Key Stored in the UEFI on Windows 10 or Windows 11
Let’s start with the simplest situation. On newer Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers, the key isn’t stored in software where it can be wiped, or on a sticker where it could be smudged off or removed. No one can glance at your computer’s sticker to steal its product key. Instead, the key is stored in the computer’s UEFI firmware or BIOS by the manufacturer.
You don’t have to do anything special if you have this. You should just be able to reinstall the same edition of Windows the PC came with and it should just work without even asking you for a key. (Still, it may be best to find the product key using one of the below methods and write it down before reinstalling Windows — just in case.)
If you want to find the UEFI-embedded key and write it down, you can do so quite simply. Just open the Start menu, type «powershell» into the search bar, and run the Powershell application that comes up.
Then, enter the following command and press Enter:
(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey
You should be rewarded with your embedded license key. Write it down and store it in a safe place.
We obfuscated our product key with a green box. You’ll see something like: A23BC-GHN23-NBK32-VNS98-JKLOL
Use NirSoft’s ProduKey to Find Windows 10 or Windows 11 Product Key
Nirsoft’s ProduKey will almost definitely set off your antivirus because of what it does and how it works. It is not malware, however. ShowKeyPlus is an option if you want a solution that works for Windows 10 and Windows 11 that won’t set off your antivirus.
The easiest way to get access to your product key is with a third-party utility, and there’s nobody better at those than NirSoft. Their utilities are always crapware-free, and are always really useful. The only issue with this particular utility is that some antivirus will detect it as a false positive, because some malware might try to steal your product key.
All you have to do is download ProduKey, unzip it, and then run it to immediately see all of your product keys. It’s as simple as that.
If you want to recover a key from a dead computer, you can hook up the hard drive to a working PC, and then run ProduKey and use File > Select Source to point to the external Windows directory. You can then grab the keys from that computer easily.
You can also use a Linux live CD to pull the Windows directory off the other computer and onto a thumb drive, or just grab the registry files if you prefer. If you need help, we’ve got a guide to pulling data off a dead computer.
Use ShowKeyPlus to Retrieve Product Key on Windows 10 or Windows 11
Nirsoft’s program works — but it might tigger a warning in your antivirus, or even your browser. If you don’t want to deal with that, ShowKeyPlus is a good alternative. ShowKeyPlus is available directly from the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Open up the Microsoft Store, find ShowKeyPlus, then click the «Install» button and wait while it downloads and installs. It shouldn’t take very long; the program is pretty small.
Click «Open» after it has downloaded, and the product keys on your system will be displayed.
It is important to note that there might be both an installed key and an OEM key. OEM, or Original Equipment Manufacturer, keys are tied to the hardware of the device. If you’re using a prebuilt desktop PC or a laptop, the OEM key and the installed key will be the same unless you separately purchased a different Windows license.
If you did purchase and install a separate Windows license for a prebuilt or laptop (or for a computer you built yourself) make sure you grab the installed key, not the OEM key. OEM keys are subject to more restrictions than retail keys, so you don’t want to accidentally use the wrong one.
Use a Script to Recover Your Windows 10 or Windows 11 Product Key
If you don’t want to use a third-party utility to find your product key, you can always use a visual basic script (VBS).
Copy and paste the script below into Notepad. Then, go to File > Save As, set the file type to «All File,» then name the script something like «Product Key Script.vbs» and save it.
Option Explicit
Dim objshell,path,DigitalID, Result
Set objshell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'Set registry key path
Path = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
'Registry key value
DigitalID = objshell.RegRead(Path & "DigitalProductId")
Dim ProductName,ProductID,ProductKey,ProductData
'Get ProductName, ProductID, ProductKey
ProductName = "Product Name: " & objshell.RegRead(Path & "ProductName")
ProductID = "Product ID: " & objshell.RegRead(Path & "ProductID")
ProductKey = "Installed Key: " & ConvertToKey(DigitalID)
ProductData = ProductName & vbNewLine & ProductID & vbNewLine & ProductKey
'Show messbox if save to a file
If vbYes = MsgBox(ProductData & vblf & vblf & "Save to a file?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion, "BackUp Windows Key Information") then
Save ProductData
End If
'Convert binary to chars
Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
Dim isWin8, Maps, i, j, Current, KeyOutput, Last, keypart1, insert
'Check if OS is Windows 8
isWin8 = (Key(66) \ 6) And 1
Key(66) = (Key(66) And &HF7) Or ((isWin8 And 2) * 4)
i = 24
Maps = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Current= 0
j = 14
Do
Current = Current* 256
Current = Key(j + KeyOffset) + Current
Key(j + KeyOffset) = (Current \ 24)
Current=Current Mod 24
j = j -1
Loop While j >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Maps,Current+ 1, 1) & KeyOutput
Last = Current
Loop While i >= 0If (isWin8 = 1) Then
keypart1 = Mid(KeyOutput, 2, Last)
insert = "N"
KeyOutput = Replace(KeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0)
If Last = 0 Then KeyOutput = insert & KeyOutput
End If
ConvertToKey = Mid(KeyOutput, 1, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 6, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 11, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 16, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 21, 5)
End Function
'Save data to a file
Function Save(Data)
Dim fso, fName, txt,objshell,UserName
Set objshell = CreateObject("wscript.shell")
'Get current user name
UserName = objshell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserName%")
'Create a text file on desktop
fName = "C:\Users\" & UserName & "\Desktop\WindowsKeyInfo.txt"
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set txt = fso.CreateTextFile(fName)
txt.Writeline Data
txt.Close
End Function
When you double-click the VBS script, you’ll get a small popup that displays your Windows product key. It also lets you save it as a text file, so you can reference it later.
Read the Product Key From the Certificate of Authenticity Sticker
If you have a Windows 7-era PC, there’s a good chance the PC’s key is a single key the manufacturer uses for all their PCs. Thanks to «System Locked Pre-installation,» you’re not allowed to use that key to install Windows. If you try, you’ll get error messages about the key being invalid.
To check, you’ll need to look for a certificate of authenticity sticker on your computer. The COA sticker verifies that the computer came with an authentic copy of Windows, and that sticker has a product key printed on it. You’ll need that product key to reinstall Windows — and, if the manufacturer used System Locked Pre-installation, that key is different from the one your PC came with in software.
Examine your computer to find the key. On a laptop, it may be on the bottom of the laptop. If your laptop has a removable battery, it may be under the battery. If there’s some sort of compartment you can open, it might be in there. It may even be stuck to the laptop’s charger brick. If it’s a desktop, look on the side of the desktop’s case. If it’s not there, check the top, back, bottom, and anywhere else it might be.
If the key has rubbed off of the sticker, there’s not much you can do. You can try contacting your computer’s manufacturer and explaining what happened, but we can’t guarantee they’ll help. Microsoft would always be happy to sell you another key, though!
The product key system is complicated to understand because Microsoft doesn’t really want typical Windows users to reinstall Windows on their PCs. Instead, they’d rather you use your computer manufacturer’s recovery media. But the recovery media is full of the bloatware you don’t want on your PC — that’s why so many geeks often opt to reinstall Windows on their new PCs.