How to Find Your
Product Key for Windows 10 & 11

What Is a Windows Product Key and Why Do You Need It?

A Windows product key (also called a license key or activation key) is a 25-character alphanumeric code in the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. Microsoft uses it to verify that your copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11 is genuine and properly licensed.

You may need to locate your product key in several common situations: reinstalling Windows from scratch, transferring a license to a new PC, recovering after a hardware failure, or verifying your activation status.

Find Your Windows Product Key Using Command Prompt (CMD)

The fastest built-in method uses the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool available in all editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. This retrieves the OEM product key stored in your system's BIOS/UEFI or the registry.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Press Win + R, type cmd, then press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
2. Type or paste the command below and press Enter.
3. Your product key will appear on the next line, displayed in full.

Command Prompt — wmicwmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Alternative CMD Command

If the WMIC command returns nothing, try this registry-based alternative directly in CMD:

Command Prompt — reg queryreg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v DigitalProductId

Note that the output of the above command returns an encoded binary value — you'll need to decode it, which is best handled via PowerShell or a dedicated tool.

Retrieve Your Windows 10 / 11 Product Key with PowerShell

PowerShell offers a more robust and script-friendly way to extract your license key. It works reliably on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, including the latest 24H2 updates.

Quick One-Liner Method

PowerShell — one-liner(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey

Full Decoding Script

If your key is stored in the registry as an encoded binary (common on OEM machines), use this PowerShell script to fully decode it:

PowerShell — decode registry key$map = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
$value = (Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion").DigitalProductId
$key   = ""
$start = 52
for ($i = 24; $i -ge 0; $i--) {
    $current = 0
    for ($j = 14; $j -ge 0; $j--) {
        $current = $current * 256 -bxor $value[$j + $start]
        $value[$j + $start] = [math]::Floor($current / 24)
        $current = $current % 24
    }
    $key = $map[$current] + $key
    if (($i % 5 -eq 0) -and ($i -ne 0)) { $key = "-" + $key }
}
Write-Host "Product Key: $key"

1. Press Win + X and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
2. Paste the script above and press Enter.
3. The decoded product key will be printed on the last line.

Find the Windows Product Key via the Windows Registry

The Windows Registry stores the encoded product key under a well-known path. You can navigate there manually using the built-in Registry Editor (regedit), although you'll only see the raw binary — decoding requires the PowerShell script above.

Navigating the Registry

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Accept the UAC prompt.
2. In the address bar at the top, paste the following path and press Enter:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
3. In the right-hand pane, locate the value named DigitalProductId.
4. Double-click it to view the raw binary data (this is the encoded key).

Check Windows Activation Status in Settings

If you use a Digital License linked to your Microsoft account, you don't have a traditional 25-character key. Instead, you can verify your activation status directly in the Windows Settings app — and the license transfers automatically when you sign into a new PC with the same Microsoft account.

Windows 11 — Activation Settings

1. Open Settings (Win + I) → System → Activation.
2. Check the Activation state field. It should read "Active".
3. If you see "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account", your license is tied to your account — no key is needed.

Windows 10 — Activation Settings

1. Open Settings → Update & Security → Activation.
2. Look for the activation status message beneath the Edition and Version information.

Retrieve OEM Product Keys Embedded in BIOS / UEFI

Most laptops and pre-built desktops sold with Windows 10 or 11 since 2012 store the OEM product key directly in the UEFI firmware. This key is automatically read by Windows Setup during installation — you never need to type it manually.

To read the UEFI-embedded key, use the following PowerShell command with administrator privileges:

PowerShell — read ACPI MSDM table(Get-WmiObject -Class SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey

On machines where the key is stored in the ACPI MSDM (Microsoft Data Management) table, this command retrieves it directly without any decoding step. If the result is blank, your machine uses a Digital License instead of a traditional key.

Find Your Windows Key Using Free Third-Party Tools

For users who prefer a graphical interface, several free and open-source tools can display your Windows product key with a single click. These tools read the same registry and BIOS data as the methods above but present it in an easy-to-read format.

Recommended Free Tools

Method Comparison: Which Option Is Best for You?

Each method has its own strengths. Use the table below to quickly identify the right approach based on your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Windows Product Keys