How to Find Your Windows 10 or Windows 11 Product Key Using CMD or PowerShell (2026)

Reviewed 12 October 2026 by Justine, Technical Support Advisor at Nerdused. Prices checked on the same date.

To find your Windows product key, open Command Prompt as administrator, paste powershell "(Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey" and press Enter. On Windows 10 and Windows 11 it prints the 25-character key the PC maker stored in the firmware, if there is one. A blank line means no key is stored there, not that Windows is unactivated: check the Activation page in Settings. If Windows is not activated and no key turns up, a genuine Windows 11 Home key or Windows 11 Pro key is $29.99 at Nerdused.

Windows product key at a glance

Question	Answer
What a product key is	Microsoft: "a 25-character code used to activate Windows", in the form XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Command for Windows 11 and Windows 10	(Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey in PowerShell
Older CMD command	wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey. Runs on Windows 10; WMIC has been removed from supported versions of Windows 11
Blank result	No key in firmware. Check your activation status, purchase email or box
Where to check activation	Windows 11: Settings > System > Activation. Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Activation
Price of a new key	Microsoft Store: $139.99 Home, $199.99 Pro. Nerdused: $29.99 for Windows 11 Home or Pro, $24.99 for Windows 10 Pro

How to find your Windows 11 product key using CMD or PowerShell

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin), or search for cmd and select Run as administrator.
2. Run the line for the window you opened. In PowerShell:

   (Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey

   In Command Prompt:

   powershell "(Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey"

3. Copy the 25 characters and keep them somewhere safe.

Many guides still give the wmic command. Microsoft disabled WMIC by default in Windows 11 versions 23H2 and 24H2, and now says it "has been removed from currently supported versions of Windows 11". Microsoft's advice: "Anything you did with a WMIC command can be run with PowerShell."

How to find your Windows 10 product key using CMD

Microsoft deprecated WMIC in Windows 10, version 21H2, but the classic command still runs there.

1. Type cmd in the taskbar search box and select Run as administrator.
2. Paste this line and press Enter:

   wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

3. The key appears on the line under the heading OA3xOriginalProductKey.

If wmic is missing, use the PowerShell command above; it works on Windows 10 too.

On either version, a 25-character result is the key the PC shipped with; it will not show a key you entered later, for example to move from Home to Pro. Settings never shows the full key. slmgr /dli shows the last five characters of the key Windows is using, enough to match it against a key in an email.

Where to find your Windows 10 or Windows 11 product key without commands

Where the key is depends on how you got Windows. This is Microsoft's own list:

How you got Windows	Where the key is
A new PC with Windows installed	Preinstalled on the PC, in the packaging, or on the Certificate of Authenticity attached to it. If it is lost, Microsoft says to contact the manufacturer
A boxed copy from a retailer	On a label or card inside the box
A digital copy from a retailer	In the confirmation email. For a Nerdused order, search your inbox for "Nerdused"; our support team can send the key again
The Microsoft online store	In your Microsoft account under Order history. Microsoft "only keeps a record of product keys if you purchased from the Microsoft online store"
An upgrade from an earlier Windows version at no charge	Nowhere. You have a digital licence instead of a key
A Pro upgrade bought in the Microsoft Store app	Nowhere. The digital licence belongs to the Microsoft account used for the purchase
A work or school PC	In your organisation's volume licensing portal; ask your IT administrator

No Windows product key to find? Digital licences and OEM keys

Many PCs have no key to find and do not need one. Open the Activation page (Settings > System > Activation on Windows 11, Settings > Update & Security > Activation on Windows 10) and read the status line:

• "Windows is activated with a digital license", or the same line ending "linked to your Microsoft account": you need no key. Microsoft says you can reinstall the same edition on this device without one; select I don't have a product key when setup asks.
• "Windows is not activated": this is the only case where you need to find a key or buy one.

A PC sold with Windows carries an OEM key instead: Microsoft says it is "preinstalled on your PC", and the commands above display it. Our OEM vs retail Windows keys guide explains the licence types.

If you cannot find your Windows product key

If Windows is not activated and the key is not in the firmware, an email or the box, the fix is a new key for the edition that is installed. The key has to match, in Microsoft's words: "Enter a product key that matches the edition of Windows on your device."

• Windows 11: Microsoft charges $139.99 for Home and $199.99 for Pro. A genuine Windows 11 Home key or Windows 11 Pro key from Nerdused is $29.99 for one PC.
• Windows 10: a Windows 10 Pro key is $24.99. Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025, so check whether the PC can run Windows 11 first; our Windows 10 product key guide covers the options.

Enter the new key under Settings > System > Activation > Change product key; the Windows 11 activation guide has every step. A Nerdused key is a licence for the PC it activates on, and reinstalling Windows on that PC later is fine. The Windows licence keys collection compares every edition we sell.

Sources: Microsoft's Find your Windows product key, Activate Windows, Get help with Windows activation errors, WMIC removal from Windows, Using the OA 3.0 tool on the factory floor and SoftwareLicensingProduct class pages, read 12 October 2026.

Windows product key FAQs

Why does the command show a blank line instead of my product key?

Because no key is stored in the PC's firmware. Only manufacturers write a key there, so a self-built PC, or one activated later with a digital licence or a key typed in by hand, returns nothing. Check the Activation page and your purchase emails instead.

Can I find my full Windows product key in Settings?

No. The Activation page shows whether Windows is activated and how, not the key. Windows shows only the last five characters of the key in use, which you can display with slmgr /dli.

Is my Windows product key saved in my Microsoft account?

Only if you bought Windows from the Microsoft online store, where it appears under Order history. A digital licence linked to your account activates Windows but shows no key.

Do I need my product key to reinstall Windows?

Not on a PC with a digital licence. Microsoft says you can reinstall the same edition on that device without entering a key: select "I don't have a product key" during setup and Windows activates once it is online.

Can I use the product key I find on another PC?

Plan on one key per PC. A key in the firmware belongs to the PC it shipped with, and Microsoft's activation help says a key already used on another device will not activate; its fix is to buy a key for each device.

Do I need a product key finder tool?

No. PowerShell is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 and reads the firmware key with one line, so there is nothing to download.