Don’t be concerned if you misplace your product key. Thanks to a Command Prompt, you won’t need the physical key; with a few clicks here and there, you’ll be able to locate the missing key on your PC. Take a look at our step-by-step guide below for more information.
Note that the instructions below are only for people who bought a physical copy of Windows 10 or a digital copy from an authorized reseller. If you bought Windows 10 as a digital download from the Microsoft Store, it is linked to your Microsoft account.
To get back up to speed after reinstalling Windows 10, all you have to do is log into Microsoft. The product key is baked into the firmware of a computer that already has Windows 10 installed, such as a Microsoft Surface, and cannot be retrieved.
How to find your Windows 10 product key
1. Type Command Prompt into the Windows search box.
Related: How to enable Enhanced Search Mode in Windows 10
2. When the Command Prompt option appears, right-click it and choose “Run as administrator.” When prompted, select ‘Yes.’
3. Type or copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt window once it has opened:
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
Because this is case-sensitive, make sure you copy it exactly as it is written. Press Enter after you’ve typed or pasted it into the Command Prompt window.
4. If you followed all of the steps correctly, your Windows product key should appear under the command you entered. Make a note of it and keep it somewhere secure.
That’s all there is to it. There’s a secret Windows 10 product key waiting to be discovered. The beauty of this retrieval method is that it can be used at any time.
Related: How to block a website in Chrome
Even if your PC crashes, you won’t be concerned because Windows 10 can be used without a product key, though not to its full potential. All you’d have to do is reinstall Windows 10, locate the key using the Command Prompt, and then verify it online.
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