How to Find Your Windows 11 Product Key Easily

This post shows students and new users steps to find their Windows 11 product (activation) key.

Microsoft uses a product key to verify the authenticity of a Windows license. To abide by Microsoft Windows’ licensing terms, a full (retail) version of Windows should only be installed and used on one computer.

The activation (product) key ensures that Windows is not installed simultaneously on multiple computers. That’s why every time you install Windows, you’ll be asked for a product key to activate it. If the product key is being used on other computers, you may be allowed to activate it, and Windows will not work until activated.

You can transfer your full (retail) license to another computer and will still be able to get support from Microsoft. Still, you will have to deactivate and uninstall the product key on other computers before you’re allowed to reuse it.

Before you deactivate and uninstall the Windows product key, you may want to take notes of the key if you’ve forgotten it. With the key handy, you can uninstall it from other computers to reinstall it.

There are multiple ways one can find their Windows 11 product key. Below, we’ll show you how to find your product key in Windows 11

How to find Windows 11 product key via command prompt

You can use the command prompt to find your Windows 11 product key. Simply run the command prompt as administrator from the Start menu.

Then, run the commands below to display your product key.

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

How to find Windows 11 product key via PowerShell

If you prefer PowerShell, search and open PowerShell as administrator from the Start menu.

Then, run the commands below to view your product key.

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

Or run the commands below if the one above doesn’t work.

Get-Wmiobject SoftwareLicensingService | Select OA3xOriginalProductKey

How to find Windows 11 product key via the registry editor

You can also view your Windows product key via the Windows registry. Search and open the Registry Editor app from the Start menu.

When the registry editor opens, navigate to the path below. Or simply copy and paste it into the navigation path.

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

You should see the BackupProductKeyDefault item with the product key shown.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Finding your Windows 11 product key is essential for activation and support.
• You can access your product key using different methods: Command Prompt, PowerShell, or the Registry Editor.
• Always ensure to keep your product key secure and easily accessible for future use.
• If transferring your license, remember to deactivate and uninstall the key from other devices first.
• For any issues, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for assistance.