You might think y'all'll never need to know your Windows product fundamental, and the sticker attached to the bottom of your laptop or the scrap of paper on which you jotted it down may accept long since worn abroad. Perhaps you never knew what it was in the outset place.

Merely there are times, such as when reinstalling Windows or upgrading your machine, that you may be asked to enter it. And if y'all don't know what it is, it may already exist too late to observe it, and you really don't want to have to pay for Windows again.

Follow our advice below to make sure yous take a record of your Windows product central.

Finding your Windows x Product Key using tertiary-party software

Windows x is different to its predecessors, in that the central finding programs that worked then well in Windows XP, Vista, 7, and eight.1 aren't much apply now.

Using a paid program such as Recover Keys, or free versions like Magic Jelly Bean KeyFinder, may return a code, but there's a very expert chance that this will be a generic number used by the manufacturers, and not 1 that will work to activate your PC.

We've downloaded Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder, which upon launch displays any Windows codes it has found.

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

Finding your Windows Product Key if you upgraded for gratis or bought a digital copy from Microsoft

If you took advantage of the costless upgrade to Windows 10 that Microsoft offered during its early days or bought a digital version of the Os from the Microsoft shop, and then you'll have what's called a Digital Licence (or Digital Entitlement) rather than a physical one.

This means that the Product Key is linked to your account, rather than kept on a sticker attached to the bottom of the PC.

Should you find yourself stuck at the 'It's time to enter the Product Primal' phase of the installation procedure, simply click on the 'Practice this later' option in the lower left corner of the screen and terminate the process by logging into your Microsoft account. But bear in listen you'll need admission to the internet for this to work.

how to find windows 10 product key

If you take a working Windows 10 PC of your own to hand and then yous can check whether you lot accept a Digital Entitlement or not by going to Settings > Update & Security > Activation and seeing if information technology states that 'Windows is activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account'.

Windows 10 activation

This means that so long as you utilize your Microsoft business relationship to login to your device during the installation process, you won't demand a lawmaking to activate Windows 10 as information technology will do so from your account instead.

If you haven't linked your Microsoft account, then follow these steps to practice then:

  • Open the Settings app
  • Click on Accounts
  • Click on Your info
  • Click 'Sign in with a Microsoft account instead' link  (this won't be shown if your PC is connected to a work domain)
  • Sign in with your details
  • Enter your electric current Windows password
  • Either create a Pin or click 'Skip this step'

Finding your product key if y'all bought a new PC or a physical copy of Windows

The other mode to detect your Product Key is to look for the 25-graphic symbol code that came with or on the packaging that accompanied your device. This will either be a card inside the box, a sticker on the DVD sleeve, or printed upon the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached to the PC.

how to find windows product keys DVD

However, this isn't ever the case. I reader told us that, according to HP, information technology does non put product cardinal on laptops or PCs for security reasons. Equally with the Digital Entitlement or Digital Licence, the product fundamental is stored 'somewhere in the computer' and will activate automatically if needed. This is supposed to work even if the hard drive fails.

It'south worth noting that Microsoft states that it 'doesn't continue a record of purchased product software keys' so if you've lost the packaging, and the sticker no longer displays the code, and so we're sad to say that you lot might be out of luck.

Do I demand a product key to reinstall Windows 10?

Since Microsoft has your calculator'south 'digital signature' from the initial upgrade it recognises the combination of components when you practise a make clean install and automatically activates Windows. This means you tin safely skip the screen which asks for a production cardinal at the kickoff of the installation process.

It's just frustrating that in that location'south no message to tell yous this: the screen is primarily for those installing a version of Windows 10 they've purchased and which therefore still requires a key.

So, even if you skip that screen on installation, Windows 10 should actuate every bit long as you haven't made any major changes to your PC. Upgrading from a hard disk to an SSD won't affect annihilation, nor will changing your graphics card.

However, upgrading your motherboard and processor volition probably count as 'significant' and you'll accept to band Microsoft's support line if you find that Windows is no longer activated, or you lot're reinstalling it.