If you can’t find the sticker on the back of your device, you can still determine the product key of Windows 10. You just need to use a recovery tool like ProduKey.
ProduKey is a legacy tool designed to recover the product key for a number of products, including virtually any version of Windows, Office, and many others. The tool is easy to use, and it displays the information while the operating system is running.
In this guide, you’ll learn the easy steps to find the product key of your installation of Windows 10.
How to find product key on Windows 10
To determine the Windows 10 product key installed on your computer, use these steps:
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Click the Download ProduKey for x64 link to save the app on your device.
Download ProduKey Important: Microsoft Defender Antivirus may detect the download as harmful, as such you may need to allow the file from the Protection history section. Always proceed with caution at your own risk. -
Double-click the produkey-x64.zip file.
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Click the Extract all button from the Home tab.
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Select a destination folder to uncompress the files.
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Check the Show extracted files when complete option.
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Click the Extract button.
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Double-click the ProduKey.exe file to launch the tool.
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Confirm the Windows 10 product key.
ProduKey find Windows 10 key
Once you complete the steps, you’ll be able to recover the license key installed on your setup, which you can then store in your inventory, or use in another device, if the product key transferable and you’re planning to deactivate the current setup.
Generic key for Windows 10
Although the ProduKey app makes it easy to determine the Windows 10 product key on your computer, Microsoft is no longer using the legacy activation process anymore. Instead, devices now use a digital entitlement (digital license), which means that on Windows 10, you’re likely to find one of the known generic product keys:
- Windows 10 Pro: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
- Windows 10 Home: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
- Windows 10 Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43
The reason is that the new activation mechanism now creates a unique identifier number using your computer hardware configuration (motherboard, processor, memory, hard drive, etc.), allowing you to reinstall the operating system without the need to re-entering the product key.
Retrieve Windows 10 key from UEFI or BIOS
If you have one of the generic keys, you can still find the original product key, but only if you have a device that stores the license information in the UEFI or BIOS firmware.
To recover the original product key of Windows 10, use these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, select the Run as administrator option.
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Type the following command to retrieve the original key and press Enter:
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
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Confirm the Windows 10 product key.
The only caveat about this command is that it retrieves the original license. If you upgraded the device or change the product key, you won’t find the new license, just the old key.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].