Typically, the product key is included on the Certificate of Authenticity, usually a sticker directly on the PC itself, or sometimes on the back of the manual. You bought a PC with Windows 10 already downloaded: This is fairly common, and in these cases the packaging and manuals are particularly important.

Let’s break it down into the most common methods of purchasing Windows 10, and where you should look for the product key in each case. The issue is that this product key can come in many different forms, depending on how you bought Windows. In the resulting cmd.If you bought an authorized copy of Windows 10, you will have received documentation that included your product key.Type cmd in the run box dialogue you have summoned, and hit the enter key.Press the Windows key and R keys simultaneously.We will provide a short guide and link to these alternative processes in the FAQ at the bottom of this article. Alternatively, you can search for the Windows 10 product key in RegEdit – or download a freeware app, run it, and it will spit out your key. So what do you do if you have a PC with an activated copy of Windows 10 and want to find that product key? A solution for everyone that requires a bit of command prompt typing is quite quick and easy if you follow our walkthrough below. On the other hand, you might need your product key for some OS downgrade / upgrade projects you have planned. On one hand, this makes it easy to reinstall Windows from scratch – there is no need to hunt around for and type in a 25-digit alphanumeric product key as it is remembered by Microsoft’s activation servers. Since that time, Microsoft has been activating Windows with a digital licence, tied to your system’s hardware fingerprint. Microsoft and its systems partners stopped providing stickers and certificates with Windows product keys printed upon them starting with the introduction of Windows 8.1.

Our guide is specifically for users of Windows 10, but the method and commands might work with, or be similar on, other Windows versions. In this guide, we will show you how to unearth this key. Moreover, among all the Device IDs, Product IDs, and so on in the ‘About your PC’ section of the system control panel, there is no information about your Windows product key. If you have bought a new laptop or desktop PC in the last few years, it won’t have come with a product key on a sticker or certificate of authenticity (COA).

Windows 10 pro find product key