Editor’s Observe: Microsoft now not sells Home windows 10, and its help will finish on Oct. 14, 2025. Nonetheless, you possibly can nonetheless purchase Home windows 10 from some third-party retailers.
Discovering your Home windows 10 product key can really feel like a treasure hunt. It’s typically tucked away on a hard-to-reach sticker in your laptop {hardware} or hidden within the packaging of a bodily copy — assuming you haven’t already tossed the field.
Nonetheless, earlier than you go crawling right into a closet or behind your desk on the lookout for a 25-digit alphanumeric code in high-quality print on the bottom of your PC, there are much less strenuous methods to trace down your Home windows 10 product key.
This tutorial exhibits you how you can discover your Home windows 10 product key utilizing the facility of the working system. We now have additionally revealed recommendations on how you can discover your product key in Home windows 11.
The way to discover your Home windows 10 product key
The success of any of those strategies largely is dependent upon how your PC was activated. When you activated Home windows 10 by upgrading from a legitimate Home windows 7 or 8 set up or with the pc’s latest buy, you’ll possible discover the product key with most of those strategies. Nonetheless, in case your PC was activated as a part of a corporation’s licensing settlement, discovering a product key could also be extra problematic.
1. Command immediate
Probably the most direct technique for locating your Home windows 10 product secret is from the command line.
Sort cmd into the Home windows 10 desktop search field.
Then, right-click the command line consequence.
Choose run as administrator from the context menu.
Sort this command on the immediate:
wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
As proven within the picture under, the command will show your present Home windows 10 product key.
Displaying the Home windows 10 product key with the command immediate.
2. PowerShell
In case you are utilizing Home windows 10 PowerShell, the method is comparable:
Proper-click the Begin Menu button.
Choose Home windows PowerShell (Admin) from the context menu.
Sort this command on the immediate to disclose the product key.
powershell “(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey”
Displaying the Home windows 10 product key with PowerShell.
3. Registry File
The product secret is saved within the Home windows 10 Registry File, so it’s doable to search out the code there if you realize the fitting key. To take action:
Sort regedit into the Home windows 10 desktop search, and choose the suitable merchandise within the outcomes.
Navigate to this key:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionSoftwareProtectionPlatform
As you possibly can see under, the BackupProductKeyDefault key will reveal a legitimate Home windows 10 product key.
Displaying the Home windows 10 product key with the Registry Editor
Observe: In my case, the Home windows 10 product key displayed by each the command immediate and PowerShell strategies are the identical; within the registry instance, the product secret is completely different. The very best clarification I can counsel is that as a result of I upgraded from Residence to Professional on the instance PC, the product key displayed is for the improve to Professional or vice versa. When you have a greater answer, please tell us.
SEE: Home windows 10 and 11 in S Mode: What Is It, and Ought to You Use It?
Microsoft Copilot sources from TechRepublic
Different methods to search out your Home windows 10 product key
Third-party distributors supply functions that may additionally find and show your Home windows 10 product key. These functions basically do the identical factor we did right here, however they introduce another person’s programming and potential safety points.
As well as, in the event you purchased Home windows 10 from the Microsoft Retailer, the product key info is out there in your account order historical past.
Is the Home windows 10 product key tied to my {hardware}?
When you bought a tool with an OEM key, corresponding to a Dell or Lenovo laptop computer, the Home windows 10 product key could also be tied to your {hardware}. Nonetheless, in the event you purchased a digital copy of Home windows, you possibly can switch the license to a different laptop.
What ought to I do if I lose my product key after buying Home windows 10?
Based on Microsoft, if not one of the strategies listed right here work, you could possibly contact your gadget’s producer to search out the product key. Nonetheless, this can possible solely be doable in case your gadget continues to be below guarantee. It’s possible you’ll must buy a brand new retail license if all else fails.
Can I switch my Home windows 10 license to a different laptop?
Sure. Simply word that Home windows 10 licenses are meant to be used on one laptop at a time.
