There may be other scenarios where you may still want to manually find a Windows key stored in your UEFI/BIOS, or prevent this key from automatically being applied during installation. We will explain that in better detail in a minute. So, if you have a newer Windows PC or you already log in using your Microsoft account, you generally shouldn't have to search for your original Windows 10 key. This means your Windows 10 license now ties Windows keys to Microsoft accounts, letting you activate a copy of the operating system simply by logging in with valid online credentials. But because your hardware can significantly change if you upgrade your hardware, this entitlement was expanded to become a 'Digital License' when 2016's Anniversary Update (1607) arrived. Windows 10 introduced a 'Digital Entitlement' element to Microsoft's license which links your Windows key to an ID generated based on your PC's hardware.

We'll cover all you need to know in this article, from old school ways to retrieve keys, to the more modern approaches to make good use of your licenses and what restrictions may apply depending on your type of license. Microsoft has been changing and improving the way it handles Windows licenses. In other instances, for example if you built and installed your OS, your key is associated with your Microsoft account, so there is no way to 'lose it' anymore. But in recent years manufacturers started storing this license within the machine's UEFI/BIOS and the information is automatically retrieved and applied when reinstalling the operating system. X Research source You can then unzip the downloaded file and run the Showkeyplus.exe file inside to display your product key.In brief For the longest time Windows PCs came with a product key sticker that was placed outside of the machine or with your computer's manuals. If you can't get Nirsoft's tool to work, try ShowKeyPlus, which you can download from.

X Research source As long as you download the tool directly from Nirsoft, it's safe and you can ignore any virus warnings. X Research source The only reason it's flagged is because the tool is capable of viewing your product key, which many antivirus apps think can be used to pirate software.

This tool is often falsely flagged as a virus, even though it's totally safe.

exe to display your 25-digit product key. X Research source To download, click the Download ProduKey (In Zip file) link to download the ZIP file, unzip the file, then double-click the file ending with. This simple free tool can display product keys for many older Microsoft products, including Windows 7, 8, Vista, Microsoft Office, and SQL Server.

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