If your product key isn’t saved to your BIOS/UEFI for some reason, then these commands will either throw an error or return an empty string. In this case, or if you prefer a GUI, give the next method a try.
How to find Windows 10 product key using a third party tool
One of the easiest ways to retrieve your product key from a running machine is to use a third-party utility.
#3 – Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder
Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder worked perfectly for us on the latest version of Windows 10. Just run the program and your product key is right there.
Once you have copied your product key somewhere safe, feel free to uninstall Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder.
Few other third party tools which you can try are Nirsoft ProduKey, ShowKey Plus and Win Keyfinder.
How to find your Windows 10 product key if you upgraded for free or bought a digital copy from Microsoft
If you took advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 that Microsoft offered during its early days or bought a digital version of the OS from the Microsoft store, then you will have what’s called a Digital License rather than a physical one.
#4 – Do I have a digital license?
The Windows 10 Settings app has a page for displaying your activation information, including whether you have a digital license, though your key isn’t shown here:
Go to:
Settings ( + I) > Update & Security > Activation.
This means that so long as you use your Microsoft account to login to your device during the installation process, you won’t need a code to activate Windows 10 as it will do so from your account instead.
But if you purchased your Windows 10 license key directly from Microsoft then you can recover the digital key online from Microsoft site.
Microsoft: If you purchased Windows 10 from Microsoft you can get the digital key from the Microsoft store, to do that follow these steps.
Step 1: Go to Microsoft Store and sign in.
Step 2: Go to Order History.
Step 3: Use the filter Digital and order within All available.
Your digital key will show here.
🤔 Differences Between Windows 10 Licenses
There are many different types of Windows 10 licenses, the main ones include:
OEM License : These licenses are supplied by your PCs manufacturer and can not be transferred to another machine. The license will either come on a sticker on your machine or will be embedded in the systems BIOS.
Retail Product Keys : These are purchased digitally and one license can be applied to one machine at any one time. You can transfer the license to a new machine but you will have to deactivate the license on the old machine first.
Upgraded License : If you upgraded your machine from a previous version of windows for free then you do not have an original Windows 10 Product key, you have an upgraded license.
How to deactivate Windows 10 product key
If you plan to reinstall your operating system or simply want to deactivate the windows 10 product key on your system you can by following these steps.
Step 1: Run command prompt as administrator.
Step 2: In the command prompt type in slmgr /upk then hit enter.
You should then see the message Uninstall product key successfully.
Windows Central has written more in-depth article about how to transfer a Windows 10 license to a new PC or hard drive. Must check out for further reading.
Conclusion
So those are some quick ways to find your Windows 10 product key. There are only a few times you may ever need your Windows 10 product key, but it’s an important thing to have.
You are free to choose any of the solutions above to solve the problem “how to find my Windows 10 product key/serial number/serial key“.
Did any of these methods or programs work for you? Did you find another way to get your product key? Let us know under comment section.
Similar articles you may like
- How to Take a Screenshot on Windows 10
- How to password protect a folder in Windows 10
- How to use VeraCrypt to encrypt an USB flash drive
- How to download Windows 10 offline ISO (32-bit / 64-bit)
Add comment