A product key or license is a 25-character code to activate your Windows installation. It is useful for verifying that the Windows version has not been used on more systems than allowed in the Microsoft Software License Terms. If you have bought the license, it is important that you have the product key with you. The product key is required in case you need to reinstall Windows 10 to tackle some system issues. It also comes into the picture when you have upgraded your PC or laptop and want to transfer your Windows license to the new system. The Windows product key would again be required here for activation. There are lots of ways to find Windows 10 product key in case you don’t have it with you or have lost it. In this article, we will show you how to get Windows 10 product key in case you need it.
Method 1. Best Way to Find the Lost Windows 10 Product Key
Most of the users are not technically sound and do not understand computer systems at a deeper level than is required. Users would prefer if their problems were solved in an easy manner. Similarly, an easier and faster method would be preferred. There are various tools available these days that can be downloaded into your system to find Windows 10 product key, and the best of those is the PassFab Product Key Recovery tool. This is the simplest tool that can help retrieve your product key in seconds with just a click of the mouse. All you have to do is download the software tool and install it on your system. Then run the software and follow the below-mentioned steps:
Step 1: On opening the tool, you will be shown a blank list. Click on the ‘Get Key’ button. The tool will now scan the system and retrieve and display your Windows 10 license key on the screen. It is as simple as that.
Step 2: However, if you want to store it for further use, you can generate it in a text format and store it on the system. For that, click on the ‘Generate Text’ button.
Step 3: Select the destination folder where you want the text file to be saved and click ‘Save.’
Step 4: A dialog box will display a message that the save has been successful. Click the ‘OK’ button and close the tool. Your file has been saved in the destination folder.
Step 5: Navigate to the file location and open the text file. The file will contain information about the product name, the license key, and the product ID.
That is it!! The best and fastest method to get the job done quickly and also gives you an option of saving the key in a text file for future use.
Method 2. Find Windows 10 Product Key in Registry
Another method that can be used to find the lost Windows 10 product key is using the registry. By default, Windows also stores the product key in the registry database under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder tree. This method also requires no technical knowledge as you just have to traverse to a folder in the system to view your product key.
Let us see the steps involved to find Windows 10 product key in registry:
- In the ‘Start Menu’, search for ‘regedit’. Then right click on ‘Registry Editor’ and click on ‘Run as administrator’. Alternatively, you can press the ’Windows’ + ‘ R’ key to open ‘Run’ and then type ‘regedit’ and press ‘Enter’ key to open the Registry Editor.
- Now, expand the folder tree and traverse to the below path “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform”
- Once there, select ‘SoftwareProtectionPlatform’ on the left side and check the right side pane.
- On the right side pane, check the value of the ‘BackupProductKeyDefault’ registry. This value is your 25-character product key, as shown in the figure below.
Now you have finished the whole process. Just copy and store the key text in another text file or make a note of it for future use.
Method 3. Find Windows 10 Product Key Using Command Prompt or PowerShell
Command Prompt and PowerShell are task automation systems with a text-based user interface screen for interacting with the operating system. They work on an input-output mechanism. We can use them as other methods to find Windows 10 product key, especially for those who have a bit of technical knowledge and are familiar with the terms. Although they are straightforward, it’s just that you have to enter and run some code in the system to fetch and reveal the product key.
NOTE: This method may show blank results on a system activated with a digital license.
1). Let us see how to retrieve the lost Windows 10 product key using Command Prompt:
- In the ‘Start Menu’, search for ‘cmd. Then right click on ‘Command Prompt’ and click on ‘Run as administrator’. Alternatively, you can press the ’Windows’ key + ‘ R’ key on your keyboard to open ‘Run’ and then type ‘cmd‘ and press ‘Enter’ to open the Command Prompt.
- Once open, type the below code snippet and then press the ‘Enter’ key.
“wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey”
- Your 25-character Product Key should be displayed.
2). Now let us see the steps to be performed using PowerShell:
- In the ‘Start Menu’, search for ‘powershell. Then right click on ‘Windows PowerShell’ and click on ‘Run as administrator’. Alternatively, you can press the ’Windows key’ + ‘ R’ key on your keyboard to open ‘Run’ and then type ‘powershell and press ‘Enter’ key to open the PowerShell interface.
- Once open, type the below code snippet and then press the ‘Enter’ key.
powershell “(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey”
- Your 25-character Product Key should be displayed.
Method 4. Find the Lost Windows 10 Product Key with VB Script
If for some reason, your Product key is nowhere to be found, you can still retrieve it from the registry using a VB script. Even though the name suggests it to be a technical method, it is a very simple method that will display your product key on your screen in a matter of seconds. All you have to do is follow the simple steps listed out below:
- Open a new Notepad window. Or, on your desktop, right-click in a blank area and click on ‘New’ à ‘Text Document’
- Directly copy the below code and paste it into the Notepad
Set WshShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead(“HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId”))
Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = “BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789”
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 – i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = “-” & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function
- Now, click ‘File’ à ‘Save As’ and save this text file as ‘product.vbs’. The .vbs extension is mandatory here as this file is a Windows Script Host File and contains the VB script that will execute and fetch the product key.
- After saving the file, close Notepad and then double click on the file again. After a few seconds, a pop-up containing your Windows 10 product key is displayed on the screen.
Method 5. Find Windows 10 Product Key on the Physical Packaging
When you purchase a new PC or laptop, it generally comes with pre-installed Windows. The product key is included with the packaging that the PC or laptop came in. Apart from this, it can also be included in the COA (certificate of authority) sticker that is attached to the system (usually on the backside).
In case you buy a copy of Windows from an authorized dealer, the product key can be found on a label or a card in the box that it came in. It looks somewhat like shown below.
FAQs
Q1: What is a Windows product key?
A: A Windows product key is a 25-character code that is required at the time of Windows activation.
Q2: Why do I need a product key?
A: A product key is required in case you want to reinstall Windows to tackle some issues or if at all you want to transfer the license to a new computer system.
Q3: How to find my Windows 10 product key?
A: It is usually found on the physical package that you bought. Else, there are several ways like using a tool, VB Script, Command prompt/PowerShell, or finding it in the registry.
Q4: In how many ways can Windows be activated?
A: Windows can be activated using either a digital license or a Windows product key, depending on the way you get your copy of Windows 10.
Q5: Why is my Command Prompt/PowerShell showing blank after entering the code to retrieve the key?
A: If your system is activated using a digital license, it might not show up using the Command prompt or PowerShell method to retrieve the product key.
Conclusion
A lost Windows 10 product key can be quite problematic if you need to reactivate Windows or transfer the license to a new system. It can be recovered in any of the several ways explained above. There are downloadable tools available like the PassFab Product Key Recovery tool that make the process very easy and simple to recover and store your key. Physical wear and tear of the packaging may cause the key to getting wiped/scraped away from the sticker, but since Microsoft stores the product key in the registry, we need not worry about how to get Windows 10 product key and can make use of the Command Prompt or PowerShell in Windows to find out what the product key is.
If at all your product key is lost, there is no need to panic. Just follow our steps, and you will recover the product key in no time.
