Windows 10 Product Key is embedded in the computer’s BIOS/UEFI firmware and cannot be easily seen or accessed. You will find below the steps to Find Windows 10 Product Key on your computer.
Find Windows 10 Product Key
Windows 10 Product Key which is also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM Key is a 25 character long code used by Microsoft to prevent unauthorized use of its software.
The 25-character Windows Product Key contains letters and numbers, divided into 5 groups that are separated by a hyphen “-” and written in the following format:
Windows Product Key: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
The method to find Windows Product key depends on whether you purchased Windows 10 from Microsoft, switched to Windows 10 from an earlier version or bought a computer with pre-installed Windows 10 operating system.
1. Check Confirmation Email from Microsoft
If you bought a digital copy of Windows 10 from Microsoft, you will find Windows 10 product key in the confirmation Email received from Microsoft.
If you do not have the confirmation email, you should be able to find the Product Key by logging into your Microsoft Account and checking your order history.
Note: Only Microsoft and Amazon are authorized to sell digital copies of Windows 10. Other retailers selling Windows 10 product keys are not legitimate or genuine.
2. Check Certificate of Authenticity (COA)
If your computer came with Windows 7 or earlier versions of Windows operating system, Windows product key will be available on COA sticker attached to your computer.
On Laptops, the sticker is usually placed at the bottom or at the lower right corner of the keyboard.
In case of Desktop computers, the sticker could be on the sides, back or inside the casing.
3. Find Windows 10 Product Key Using Command Prompt
In case of newer computers, Windows 10 Product Key is embedded right into the UEFI/BIOS firmware and you won’t be able to find it on the packaging or the stickers attached to the computer.
In such a case, you might be able to find Windows 10 Product Key using the Command prompt.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run.
2. On Run Command window, type wmic path softwarelicencingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey and press the Enter key on the keyboard of your computer.
3. Once the command is executed, you will find the Windows 10 product key displayed on the Command Prompt window.
4. Find Windows 10 Product Key Using Registry Editor
While it is easy to find the Registry entry containing Windows 10 Product Key, you won’t be able to convert the registry entries to 25 Digit Windows Product ID without using third part tools.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run.
2. In the Run Command window, type regedit and click on OK.
3. On the Registry Editor screen, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MicrosoftNT\CurrentVersion.
4. Click on CurrentVersion in the left-pane, and click on DigitalProductId entry in the right-pane to find Windows 10 Product ID.
As mentioned above, you will be needing third part services to convert the coded registry entries to 25 digit Windows 10 Product ID.
5. Use ShowKeyPlus for Windows 10
ShowKeyPlus is a free open source software program that can help you find Windows 10 Product Key on computer.
You can download ShowKeyPlus from GitHUB directly on your computer or Run the program from the USB drive.
The ShowKeyPlus Program for Windows 10 has a very simple user interface, most users should find it easy to use this program.
You can easily save the Product Key and other information displayed by this program to a text file by just clicking on the Save button.