If it does have the stored key it goes up to 100%. So you might as well use the most well-known one, Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder.Īnd in my experience Microsoft will 99 times out of 100 automatically detect and apply the correct key (as long as you select the right Windows Edition) even when doing clean installs on existing hardware even if you don't use a MS account for login and it doesn't have a BIOS stored license key. So really, only the first method should ever be used, there are other programs and tools that will work but there's no reliable methods that doesn't use tools! If there's no Windows OEM key in the BIOS it will be empty and if you've reinstalled using a different key it will give you the wrong key! It is useful as a way to access the key that comes with the hardware on most newer OEM machines but is no substitute for actually checking what license key Windows actually use.Īnd the third method usually? sometimes? returns a "digital key" that's only valid for the specific install - there's no real use for this since it can't be used even on the same hardware after a reinstall! Also, keep in mind that if you bought Windows 11 from the Microsoft Store, your account order history will also have product key information available.The OA3xOriginalProductKey method returns the Windows OEM license key stored in the BIOS for pre-installed machines where they used that method to store it - most OEMs do this because this is the only way where they DON'T need to physically affix a sticker with the key on the machine which saves them time. There are third-party vendors offering applications which can locate and display your Windows 11 product key for you, but the techniques explained above seem to suggest those apps may not be worth the trouble or the potential security issues. (Note, this key may be different than the key revealed by the command prompt or PowerShell.)Įxit out of the Registry Editor when you are finished. Using the left-hand windowpane in the editor, navigate to this key:Ĭomputer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatformĪs you can see in Figure C, the BackupProductKeyDefault key will reveal a valid Windows 11 product key. Open the Windows 11 search tool and type “regedit.” Select the Registry Editor application from the results and click the “Run As Administrator” link. The Windows 11 product key is stored in the Windows Registry File, so it is possible to find the product key there if you navigate to the right place. The command will reveal your original Windows 11 product key right there on the PowerShell prompt screen. Powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey" Open the Windows 11 search tool and type “powershell.” Find PowerShell in the search results ( Figure B) and click the “Run As Administrator” link.Īt the PowerShell prompt, type or paste this command, then press Enter: If you would prefer to use PowerShell, the process is similar, but the commands are different. The command will reveal your original Windows 11 product key right there on the command prompt screen. Wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey Type or paste this command at the prompt and press the Enter key: Open the Windows 11 search tool and type “command.” Find command prompt ( Figure A) in the search results and click the Run As Administrator link to reach the command prompt screen. The most direct method for finding your Windows 11 product key is from the command line. The product keys for enterprise PCs are distributed differently and may not be revealed using these methods. 3 simple ways to find your Windows 11 product keyīe forewarned: These techniques are best used for Windows 11 computers running the OS since purchase or for Windows 10 PCs upgraded to Windows 11 through the patch process. This how-to tutorial will update how to find your Windows 11 product key using the operating system itself and not by relying on the sticker placed haphazardly somewhere on your PC. SEE: Quick glossary: Metaverse (TechRepublic Premium) The overall techniques for finding a product key are practically the same as they were for Windows 10, but there are subtle differences. However, with a few commands and a little know-how, you can use the operating system to reveal your Windows 11 product key. The physical location of your Windows product key is often located on a sticker placed in difficult-to-reach spots on your PC. However, with just a few commands, your product key can be revealed with no hassles. Finding the physical location of your Windows 11 product key can be problematic.
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