If you want to find your Windows 10 product key, here is how you find it.
Locate Your Windows 10 Product Key
When you purchase your Windows 10 license from the Microsoft Store, a copy of the product key is stored in your Microsoft Account. Microsoft will also send you a copy of the product key in a confirmation email. If you don’t see the confirmation email, check your junk mail folder. If you still don’t find it, log into the Microsoft Store > Downloads > Product Keys > Subscription page. Click the Digital Content tab to see your previous purchases along with your product key.
Find a Windows 10 Product Key on a New Computer
The product key for new computers that come preinstalled with Windows 10 has the product key stored within the motherboard firmware. Users can find a Windows 10 product key by issuing a command from the command prompt. To find a Windows 10 product key on a new PC:
Using a Windows 10 Pro Pack Key
When you purchase a Windows 10 Pro Pack using the Easy Upgrade option in Windows 10 Home, you don’t receive a product key. Instead, the digital license is attached to your Microsoft Account, which is used to make the purchase. If you decide to transfer the Windows 10 Pro Pack to another computer, you can use the Activation Troubleshooter. s
Transfer Windows 10 Pro Pack Key to a New Computer
If you want to transfer a Windows 10 Pro Pack key to a new PC, you’ll need to do this via your Settings menu. To transfer a Windows 10 pro pack key to a new PC:
Using a Retail Full Packaged Product
Windows 10 is also available as a retail full packaged product that you can buy at a store. Inside the Windows 10 product box, you will find your product key on a small business card at the back. Users should make sure they store the product key in a safe place or have a backup copy. I also recommend you use our trick to take a photo of the key and store it online for safekeeping.
OEM System Builder License
The Windows 10 product key is normally found outside the package on the Certificate of Authenticity. If you purchased your PC from a white box vendor, the sticker might be attached to the machine’s chassis; so, look at the top or side of the device to find it. Again, snap a photo of the key for safekeeping. After several years, I’ve found these keys like to rub off with normal wear-and-tear.
Volume License Product Key Activation
If you’re using Windows 10 in a business environment, editions such as Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education don’t use normal product keys. Instead, Domain Administrators set up special KMS (Key Management Service) servers that manage activation across the business network. This eliminates the need for computers to connect to Microsoft for activation. System Administrators responsible for deploying Windows 10 in an organization can find the product key from the Volume License Service Center portal. To access your volume license key for Windows 10, click the Licenses tab in the VLSC portal, then click the Key tab for your Windows product.
Imagine or Microsoft Campus Agreement
If you received your Windows 10 license through a Microsoft Campus Agreement or service such as Imagine (formerly called Dreamspark), then the product key should be available from the download page after purchase. A purchase confirmation email should also contain a copy of your product key. Some universities might also use volume licensing. If your university utilizes KMS for handling product activation, then you will not receive a key. Instead, when you join the campus network or VPN, KMS will activate your system automatically. This also means that, when you graduate or end your enrolment, you will lose access to the license.
Microsoft Software Developer Network
Subscribers to the Microsoft Software Developer Network (MSDN) can find their product keys by logging into their subscription page. From there, choose the product you would like to view by clicking the Product Keys button.
Dealing with a Lost or Damaged Windows 10 Product Key
Microsoft doesn’t provide much sympathy for customers who lose their product key. In some cases, you might be able to recover your product key using a key finder utility. Otherwise, if you lose it, your only option is to purchase a new one. That is why you should always make a backup copy and don’t throw away the box. Users who took advantage of the free upgrade offer don’t have a unique Windows 10 key. This is because of the way Windows 10 handles activation, called Digital License. Users who need to transfer their Windows 10 free upgrade to another computer are entitled to a one-time transfer right. We have covered third-party utilities in the past for finding your product key; solutions such as Show Key Plus can help if you have difficulty finding the key after upgrading from a previous version of Windows.
Get Help From Microsoft on Windows 10 Activation
Sometimes, after transferring a license or reinstalling Windows 10, you might have trouble reactivating the software. Windows 10 includes a handy chat option you can use to contact a Microsoft support agent who can help with getting the software reactivated. If you prefer speaking to a live person, you can also use phone activation. Please tell us what you think. Was this article helpful with finding your Windows 10 product key? If you’ve upgraded recently, you can also use similar steps to find your Windows 11 product key. http://www.groovypost.com/how-to-use-digital-license-to-manage-and-activate-windows-10-anniversary-update-licenses/ Things you will need to do this: A copy of Windows 7 and serial number Your drivers, this all burned to CD **Or a recovery CD and drivers that came with your PC. An iso burned of dban (Derik’s Burn and Nuke) it’s free Look up his website for instructions. You might also want to go here and read how to reinstall Windows and where to get all those files to let you get Windows Updates. I’d read through this first. Burn these files to CD too. Make sure if you have problems you save the link below. http://plugable.com/2016/06/08/windows-7-wont-update-what-to-do/ Good luck Just for interest sake, on the troublesome computer, I updated my drivers using an older version of Iobit Driver Booster (version 3.5) and bit the bullet and downloaded/installed 17 outdated drivers, which Windows Device Manager did not pick up. Since then I have had no further freezes/crashes. Fingers crossed, otherwise I’ll have to go down the same path that you did! Or a System Image? I have never tried driver finding software. I either use drivers that came on CD, go to a website from each hardware manufacturer (what a pain), going to the website like Dell if that’s what kind of a PC it is (not all the drivers you need may be there) or going into device manager and trying to update drivers from there. From there you might find where they were installed on your computer and burn them to a CD. I need to do that on another computer I just fixed. It’s a never ending story with Windows trying to fix it. http://www.groovypost.com/howto/activate-windows-10-license-microsoft-support/ -S gP At last I have an answer! Thank you so much! Now I have another question. How come I search the official Microsoft pages for hours, and consult their robot reply service, all in vain, when a free, private and may I say groovy site can answer my questions concisely and simply. Microsoft needs to learn from you guys. Many thanks, Andy My machine was unable to upgrade to Win 11, from Win 10, because Setup was unable to validate my Win 10 Product key. However, under Activation, it was confirmed that I had a digital licence linked to my Microsoft Account. Show Key plus confirmed I had a valid product key that was upgraded (free) to Win 8 and then Win 10. When I spoke with our MS regional Tech Support, they confirmed twice that it does not support upgrading to Win11 for machines that were preloaded with Win 7 or 8 but received free upgrade to Win 10. In other words, Set up would have no problem validating my product key, if the machine was preloaded with Win 10. In short, MS was saying that I have to buy a new machine (or buy a new license for an old machine). I had the same problem with my ASUS PN60 mini PC, bought some 14 months ago. The Win10 Pro OS came from a previous DIY Desktop that I installed with a Win 8 Pro, that came in the form of DVD with Product Key and upgraded to Win10 Pro. The MB died so I transferred the Win10 Pro to ASUS PN60, and had no problem Activating and acquiring the Digital License. I shared this experience to challenge MS’s credibility and integrity in saying nice things in public forum but doing something else in practice. I will be glad to be contacted by MS to be proven otherwise. Just explain your circumstances and all should be fine, especially seeing that you purchased a new pc with Office pre-installed. Alternatively just go back to where you purchased your pc and see if they can provide with the key. Good luck… And both the keys, including the OEM key, reported by Show Key Plus were identical to this product key. So now I’ve got the info I need in case of activation problems when upgrading to Win 10. Thanks a bunch! Comment Name * Email *
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