How to Find your Windows 10 Product Key

Microsoft has made every effort to make Windows 10 licensing convenient. That said, there are times where product activation might not work according to plan. Whether you want to perform a new install or transfer your Windows 10 license to a new computer; your product key is an important asset you need to have. Depending on how you acquired Windows 10, you might not have a Windows 10 product key, in some cases you do, here is how you find it.

Locate Your Windows 10 Product Key

First, let’s start with a purchased Windows product key or license as it is officially known. Windows 10 is licensed as a digital download or a full packaged product you can purchase at a physical store. Both Microsoft and Amazon.com are the only authorized online merchants from whom you can purchase a digital copy of Windows 10. Any other retailer selling you just a product key is likely not genuine; so, make sure you purchase a license only from Amazon or Microsoft if you decide to go the digital download route.

Another tip, if you buy a license from Amazon, use this link. Some have tried to save a few bucks by purchasing a license from the Amazon marketplace only to later find the license is an MSDN key and not valid.

When you purchase your Windows 10 license from the Microsoft Store, a copy of the product key is stored in your Microsoft Account. Microsoft will also send you a copy of the product key in a confirmation email. If you don’t see the confirmation email, check your junk mail folder. If you still don’t find it, log into the Microsoft Store > Downloads > Product Keys > Subscription page. Then click the Digital Content tab to see your previous purchases along with your product key.

Amazon customers can visit the Your Games and Software Library section of the website to find your product key.

Windows 10 Pro Pack key

When you purchase a Windows 10 Pro Pack using the Easy Upgrade option in Windows 10 Home, you don’t receive a product key. Instead, the digital license is attached to your Microsoft Account; used to make the purchase. If you decide to transfer the Windows 10 Pro Pack to another computer, you can do so using the Activation Troubleshooter.

Transfer Windows 10 Pro Pack Key to a new Computer

1. Open Settings > Update & security > Activation > Troubleshooter.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Account used to purchase the Pro Pack license.
3. After troubleshooting is completed, Windows 10 will indicate a digital license for Windows 10 Pro has been found.
4. Click Activate Windows then follow the on-screen wizard.

Retail Full Packaged Product

Windows 10 is also available as a retail full packaged product you can buy at a store. Inside the Windows 10 product box, you will find your product key on a small business card at the back. Users should make sure they store the product key in a safe place or have a backup copy. I also recommend you use our trick to take a photo of the key and store it online for safe keeping.

OEM System Builder License

The Windows 10 product key is normally found on the outside of the package; on the Certificate of Authenticity. If you purchased your PC from a white box vendor, the sticker might be attached to the chassis of the machine; so, look at the top or side to find it. Again, snap a photo of the key for safekeeping. After several years, I’ve found these keys like to rub off with normal wear-and-tear.

Find Windows 10 Product Key on a New Computer

The product key for new computers that come preinstalled with Windows 10 has the product key stored within the motherboard firmware. Users can retrieve it by issuing a command from the command prompt.

1. Press Windows key + X
2. Click Command Prompt (Admin)
3. At the command prompt, type:

This will reveal the product key.

Volume License Product Key Activation

If you’re using Windows 10 in a business environment, editions such as Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education don’t use normal product keys. Instead, Domain Administrators set up special KMS (Key Management Service) servers which manage activation across the business network. This eliminates the need for computers to connect to Microsoft for activation. System Administrators responsible for deploying Windows 10 in an organization can find the product key from the Volume License Service Center portal; click the Licenses tab, then click the Key tab for your Windows product.

Imagine or Microsoft Campus Agreement

If you received your Windows 10 license through a Microsoft Campus Agreement or service such as Imagine, formerly called Dreamspark, the product key should be available from the download page after purchase. A purchase confirmation email should also contain a copy of your product key. Some Universities might also use volume licensing. If your University utilizes KMS for handling product activation, then you will not receive a key. Instead, when you join the campus network or VPN in, KMS will activate your system automatically. This also means, when you graduate or end enrolment, you will lose access to the license.

Microsoft Software Developer Network

Subscribers to MSDN, can find their product keys by logging into their subscription, choose the product you would like to view click the product key button.

Lost or Damaged Product Key

Microsoft doesn’t provide much sympathy for customers who lose their product key. In some cases, you might be able to recover your product key using a key finder utility. Otherwise, if you lose it, your only option is to purchase a new one. That is why you should always make a backup copy and don’t throw away the box.

Users who took advantage of the free upgrade offer don’t have a unique Windows 10 key. This is because of the way Windows 10 handles activation; called Digital License. Users who need to transfer their Windows 10 free upgrade to another computer are entitled to a one-time transfer right. There are third-party utilities we have covered in the past for finding your product key; solutions such as Show Key Plus can help if you have difficulty finding the key after upgrading from a previous version of Windows.

Get Help From Microsoft on Windows 10 Activation

Sometimes, after transferring a license or reinstalling Windows 10, you might have trouble reactivating the software. Windows 10 includes a handy chat option you can use to contact a Microsoft support agent, who can help with getting the software reactivated. If you prefer speaking to live person, you can also use phone activation.

1. Press Windows key + R
2. Type: slui.exe 4 then hit Enter
3. Select your country from the list menu
4. choose the option phone activation, the wait for an agent to assist you.

Tell us what you think. Was this article helpful with finding your Windows 10 product key?

WINDOWS KEY NOT WORKING — Already tried all thing on this forum

My windows key simply stoped working

Now when I try to use WIN+ «something» it selects the icon with the letter I press. Like I press WIN+D(to desktop) it selects the icon with a letter D

Already tried everything I seen in this forum about it nothing seem to work

Replies (55) 

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* Please try a lower page number.

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Method 1: Disable gaming mode on your keyboard
Some keyboards, usually marketed as “gaming”, have ability to turn off Windows keys via some hardware switch or Fn key combination in order to prevent pressing this key which usually exits your game. The gaming mode key is usually marked with a joystick drawing. Here is how to disable gaming mode on some of the popular gaming keyboards.

On Logitech keyboards, there is a switch above the F1, F2 & F3 function keys that you can flip to the right for gaming mode and to the left for regular use. Flip it to the left. Other versions have a gaming mode button above F4, press the button to toggle in between gaming and standard modes.
In some keyboards, beside the right Ctrl button, instead of a second Windows button, there is a “Win Lock” button (not the menu button). Press it to enable the Windows key.
Corsair keyboards have their own software to adjust lighting, functionality, etc. Run the Corsair software (which has an option to enable/disable the windows key) and enable your Windows key.
The Azio keyboard also has such a switch in the MGK1 series. MGK1 & MGK1-K: Press FN and F9 at the same time. For MGK1-RGB: Press FN and Windows Start Key at the same time.
For the MSI computer/laptop keyboards, you can switch turn on the Windows key from the Dragon Gaming Center > System Tuner.
For the ibuypower keyboard, press fn + ibuypower (aka windows key) to toggle Windows key on and off
For Alienware gaming keyboard, press Fn + F6 to toggle gaming mode on and off
For MS Sidewinder keyboard, go into MS Keyboard & Mouse Center and you can click the Windows key in the dashboard and set it to enabled/disabled
Method 2: Enable Windows Key using registry edit
The registry can allow or restrict a lot including keyboard keys and menu items. To enable your Windows key:

Click Start, type ‘Run’ and click Run, or in Windows 8/10 right click on the start button and click run
Type ‘regedt32’, and then click OK. Click Yes if you get any EULA message asking for confirmation.
On the Windows menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE on Local Machine.
Double-click the System\CurrentControlSet\Control folder, and then click the Keyboard Layout folder.
Right-click the Scancode Map registry entry, and then click Delete.
Click Yes on the confirmation/warning message.
Close Registry Editor and restart the computer.
If you need to disable Windows key again, go to the Microsoft page here and follow the instructions for disabling windows key. You can also use the easy fix tool from here to enable and disable the Windows Key.

Method 3: Re-Register all apps
This will clear any software conflict with your keyboard

Click on the Windows button.
Type ‘PowerShell’ and then right click on ‘Windows PowerShell’ and run as an administrator.
If your start button doesn’t work when you click on it, go to this location: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Windows PowerShell\ and right click on “Windows PowerShell” and run as administrator
Type or copy and paste the script below into the PowerShell window and press enter
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach
Restart your PC
Method 4: Enable the start menu
In cases where your start key does not bring up the start menu, there is a possibility the start menu was disabled. To enable it, follow the steps below.

Right click on the Start Button and select “Run” or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to File > click run a new task from task manager.
Type “regedit” (without the quotes)
Navigate to this key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advance
Right click on the right hand side panel and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value
Call the new key “EnableXamlStartMenu”
Restart your PC or restart Explorer using task manager as explained in method 5 below.
Method 5: Restart Windows/File Explorer
Explorer controls your Windows user interface. This method will restart Windows/File Explorer and clear any errors that prevented it from starting correctly.

Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on the keyboard and click on task manager.
Click on the Process tab and locate Explorer in the windows and right click on it and select end task.
Click on File and then click on Run New Task.
Type ‘explorer.exe’ and press enter.
Method 6: Turn off filter keys
This has been seen as one of the culprits in Windows 8 and Windows 10 issues. Turning on filterkeys ignores or slows down repeated key strokes and adjusts repeat rates. Somehow, the windows key is also affected on some keyboards. To turn off filter keys:

Drag your mouse to the right edge of your Windows 8 PC and click settings. In windows 10, right click on your start menu and select settings.
From the Windows settings page, scroll down and click on Ease of Access
Click on the keyboard tab on the left hand pane
Scroll down to ‘filter keys’ and turn it off
Method 7: Uninstall and reinstall your keyboard drivers
Uninstalling the bad keyboard drivers will reinstall the correct drivers for your keyboard.

Right click on the Start Button and select “Run” or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open task manager and go to File > run a new task.
Type devmgmt.msc and hit enter to open device manager

Expand the ‘Keyboards’ section

Right click on your keyboard drivers and select ‘Uninstall device’
On the warning message that appears, click on ‘Yes’ or ‘Uninstall’ to remove these drivers
If you have a USB keyboard, unplug it then plug it back in. Or restart your computer. Windows will reinstall the drivers automatically. Check if Windows key now functions.
Method 8: Unplug your game controller
Your Windows key might not function some times when your game pad is plugged in and a button is pressed down on the gaming pad. This could be caused by conflicting drivers. It is rear however, but all you need to do is unplug your gamepad or make sure no button is pressed down on your gaming pad or keyboard. Updating your gamepad or keyboard drivers might permanently solve this problem.

Please let me know if one of these will help you solve your concern.