microsoft activation codes for windows 10

How to get your Windows 10 product key with a third-party program In this case, or if you prefer a GUI, give the next method a try. 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 other words, they may only work if Windows came preinstalled, and not if you built the machine yourself and installed/activated Windows. Then, run the following command: wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKeyĪfter that, you'll see your Windows 10 product key:Īlternatively, you can run this command in the Command Prompt terminal: powershell '(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey'īoth of these commands attempt to read your Windows product key from something called the OA3 BIOS marker. If you want to get your product key from Windows, the easiest way is to do that is through the Windows Command Prompt.įirst, press the Windows key, search for 'cmd', and click on 'Run as administrator': How to get your Windows 10 product key with the Command Prompt Whatever the reason, here are a few ways to get your Windows 10 product key. Still, there are times when you might need your product key, like if you want to transfer a Windows Home or Pro license to another machine. This makes it really easy if you ever want to reinstall or upgrade Windows – there's no sticker on the machine that could get damaged, and no small label to lose. Whether you installed and activated Windows yourself, or it came preinstalled, your product key is stored in the BIOS. These days, if you buy a Windows 10 Home or Pro from the Microsoft Store or another online retailer like Amazon, it'll include a digital copy of your product key.īut if your computer is relatively new and came with Windows preinstalled, you might be wondering how to find your key – there's likely no sticker on the machine, and the computer manufacturer probably didn't include one in the box. Or if you bought a physical copy of Windows, your product key would be included somewhere in the box: A Windows 10 product key label - Source Usually you could find the sticker on the side of a desktop PC, or stuck to the bottom of a laptop: An old-school Windows product key sticker – Source What's a Windows 10 product key?Ī Windows product key or license is a 25 digit code used to activate your installation of Windows.īack in the day, all you had to do to find your Windows product key was look for a sticker somewhere on the machine. In this quick tutorial we'll go over what a Windows product key is, and I'll share several ways to find the product key on modern Windows machines. If you're having trouble finding your Windows 10 product key, we've got you covered.

Microsoft activation codes for windows 10