How to find your Windows 11 product key: 3 simple methods

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Published November 1, 2022

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Finding the carnal determination of your Windows 11 merchandise cardinal tin beryllium problematic. However, with conscionable a fewer commands, your merchandise cardinal tin beryllium revealed with nary hassles.

The carnal determination of your Windows merchandise cardinal is often located connected a sticker placed successful difficult-to-reach spots connected your PC. However, with a fewer commands and a small know-how, you tin usage the operating strategy to uncover your Windows 11 merchandise key. The wide techniques for finding a merchandise key are practically the aforesaid arsenic they were for Windows 10, but determination are subtle differences.

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This how-to tutorial volition update however to find your Windows 11 merchandise cardinal utilizing the operating strategy itself and not by relying connected the sticker placed haphazardly determination connected your PC.

3 elemental ways to find your Windows 11 merchandise key

Be forewarned: These techniques are champion utilized for Windows 11 computers moving the OS since acquisition oregon for Windows 10 PCs upgraded to Windows 11 done the spot process. The merchandise keys for endeavor PCs are distributed otherwise and whitethorn not beryllium revealed utilizing these methods.

1. Use the bid punctual successful Windows 11

The astir nonstop method for uncovering your Windows 11 merchandise cardinal is from the bid line. Open the Windows 11 hunt instrumentality and benignant “command.” Find bid punctual (Figure A) successful the hunt results and click the Run As Administrator nexus to scope the bid punctual screen.

Figure A

searching "command" connected  Windows 11

Type oregon paste this bid astatine the punctual and property the Enter key:

wmic way softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

The bid volition uncover your archetypal Windows 11 merchandise cardinal close determination connected the bid punctual screen.

2. Use PowerShell successful Windows 11

If you would similar to usage PowerShell, the process is similar, but the commands are different. Open the Windows 11 hunt instrumentality and benignant “powershell.” Find PowerShell successful the hunt results (Figure B) and click the “Run As Administrator” link.

Figure B

searching "powershell" connected  Windows 11

At the PowerShell prompt, benignant oregon paste this command, past property Enter:

powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey"

The bid volition uncover your archetypal Windows 11 merchandise cardinal close determination connected the PowerShell punctual screen.

3. Use the Registry File successful Windows 11

The Windows 11 merchandise cardinal is stored successful the Windows Registry File, truthful it is imaginable to find the merchandise cardinal determination if you navigate to the close place. Open the Windows 11 hunt instrumentality and benignant “regedit.” Select the Registry Editor exertion from the results and click the “Run As Administrator” link. Using the left-hand windowpane successful the editor, navigate to this key:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

As you tin spot successful Figure C, the BackupProductKeyDefault cardinal volition uncover a valid Windows 11 merchandise key. (Note, this cardinal whitethorn beryllium antithetic than the cardinal revealed by the bid punctual oregon PowerShell.)

Figure C

Registry Editor connected  Windows 11

Exit retired of the Registry Editor erstwhile you are finished.

There are third-party vendors offering applications which tin find and show your Windows 11 merchandise cardinal for you, but the techniques explained supra look to suggest those apps whitethorn not beryllium worthy the occupation oregon the imaginable information issues. Also, support successful caput that if you bought Windows 11 from the Microsoft Store, your relationship bid past volition besides person merchandise cardinal accusation available.

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Mark W. Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been penning and editing stories astir the accusation exertion industry, software, hardware, gaming, finance, accounting, and exertion geekdom for much than 30 years.

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