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This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.
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Do you need to reinstall Windows 10? If so, you may need the product key to activate Windows after it's been reinstalled. But how exactly do you find your product key? In this article, we cover four methods for locating your Windows 10 product key, whether you purchased Windows 10 online, in person, or if your computer came pre-installed with it. Read on to learn more!
Ways to Find Your Windows 10 Product Key
- Check your email for the confirmation email you got after purchasing Windows 10.
- Look inside the packaging that came with a physical copy of Windows 10.
- Check to see if your computer has a digital license, which means it won't have a product key.
- Use a Command Prompt command to find your Windows 10 product key.
Steps
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Open the Settings app. There are a few ways you can do this:- Press ⊞ Win+I.
- Right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings.
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings.
- Type "Settings" into the taskbar search bar and click Settings in the Start menu.
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Click System in the left-hand sidebar. It features an icon of a computer screen and is the second option on the list. -
Click Activation. This option has an icon of a checkmark. You'll likely need to scroll a little to find this option. -
Click Activation state to expand it. If you see that Windows was activated by a digital license, you don't actually have a product key. When you reinstall a version of Windows that has a digital license, it will be activated once you sign into your Microsoft account and connect to the internet.[3]- You'll have a digital license if you upgraded from an older version of Windows to Windows 10, or if you purchased the Windows 10 upgrade via the Microsoft Store App.[4]
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Type cmd into the taskbar search bar. This will open the Start menu with your search results. -
Right-click on Command Prompt. This will open a contextual menu. -
Click Run as administrator. This will open a new Command Prompt window as an administrator. You must run CMD as an administrator, or the command to check your product key won't work. -
Enter the product key command and press ↵ Enter. The command is wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey. Once you press ↵ Enter, Command Prompt will show you your computer's product key.[5]- If you don't see a product key, your computer may be activated with a digital license.
Expert Q&A
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Tips
References
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-windows-product-key-aaa2bf69-7b2b-9f13-f581-a806abf0a886
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-windows-product-key-aaa2bf69-7b2b-9f13-f581-a806abf0a886
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/activate-windows-c39005d4-95ee-b91e-b399-2820fda32227#windowsversion=windows_10
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-windows-product-key-aaa2bf69-7b2b-9f13-f581-a806abf0a886
- ↑ https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/windows10space/where-do-i-find-windows-10-pro-product-key/4281742
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