How to Find Windows 11 Product Key: 5 Easy Methods That Work

Need to reinstall Windows 11 or just want to stash your product key where you won’t lose it? How to find Windows 11 product key is actually pretty simple, but there’s a catch—not every PC has one. Some Windows 11 machines run on a digital license, so you might not see a key at all. Let’s walk through the different ways to check what you have and make sure you find what you need.

First, Check Whether Your Windows Is Activated

It is better to check the activation status of windows before trying to find Windows 11 product key.

Open Settings and navigate to System > Activation.

Look under the activation section. If Windows says “Windows is activated with a digital license,” you probably won’t find a 25-character product key on your PC.  And that’s normal.

When you notice Windows is activated, you don’t have to panic for a key since you’re reinstalling Windows OS on the same computer.

If you’re curious whether your PC has an OEM key saved somewhere, check out the methods below.

Method 1: How to Find Windows 11 Product Key Using Command Prompt

This is usually the first way I suggest you try as it does involve no installation at all.

Click the Start button and type Command Prompt. Right-click Command Prompt from the search results and select Run as administrator.

Now enter this command:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Press Enter.

If you have an OEM product key buried in your BIOS or UEFI firmware, you’ll find the key below the command.

It will have a layout like this:

XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

What if nothing appears?

This is quite common. If this runs but doesn’t display a product key, don’t worry. And, that does not even mean Windows is deactivated! Your PC could use a digital license or it may not have an OEM key present in firmware.

Additionally, WMIC might not be present on the latest Windows 11 devices. If you receive an unrecognized command error, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: How to Find Windows 11 Product Key Using PowerShell

PowerShell is also a built-in Windows tool that allows you to find Windows 11 product key.

Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin). On some versions of Windows 11, you may see Windows PowerShell (Admin) instead.

Enter the following command: 

 (Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3OriginalProductKey

Press Enter.

You should see that if a product key is present and it’s stored in your computer’s firmware.

The same applies here if it returns blank. Your computer may not have a firmware-embedded key.

One small thing to remember: this method is mainly useful for finding an OEM key.

Method 3: Check the Windows Registry

Another place to look for Windows licensing information is the Windows Registry.

I don’t recommend changing anything here. We’re only going to check the relevant location.

Press Windows + R, type:

regedit

and press Enter.

If Windows asks for permission, click Yes.

Now go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

From here, you should see a number of entries related to your Windows installation.

This will depend on your Windows edition and activation configuration, you may find a value named DigitalProductId.

Now, here’s the kicker: DigitalProductId is not the same as a human readable 25-character product key! It’s stored in a form of encoding.

So, if you were expecting to open Registry Editor and simply copy your key from there, you may be disappointed.

That is why, I would always give Command Prompt or PowerShell a first preference. These are far more convenient for seeing if an OEM key is embedded in the firmware.

Method 4: Use ShowKeyPlus to Find the Product Key

However, if the native Windows methods don’t provide you with the information you want, a utility like ShowKeyPlus will.

This is useful when you want a more straightforward way to view Windows product-key information without manually working through Registry values.

Once the utility has been installed and started, you will normally see information about the Windows license currently in use and where applicable the original OEM key.

This method can also be helpful on computers that have been upgraded from an older Windows version.

Just be careful when downloading product-key utilities. There are plenty of websites offering “Windows key finder” programs that bundle unnecessary software or make suspicious claims. I would stick with a reputable source and avoid anything that asks you to turn off Windows Security.

However, if the information you need is already accessible through either Command Prompt or PowerShell, there’s really no reason to install another program.

Method 5: Check Your Purchase or OEM Information

The easiest way to find Windows 11 product key sometimes is not in Windows itself.

If you bought Windows separately, look for your original purchase email, invoice, product card or packaging. If you bought the license somewhere, you may have been given the key digitally.

If your PC came with Windows, see the documentation that came with your computer. Older computers had a sticker with a Windows product-key on the chassis but this is much less common with modern PC’s.

If you bought a Windows license through a Microsoft account, or were given a digital license through an upgrade, then you probably don’t have a traditional product key to find.

Product Key vs Digital License: What’s the Difference?

A product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows.

A digital license is different. Windows activation is tied to your device and sometimes your Microsoft account so you don’t need to type a key every time.

And that’s why the Windows 11 product key may be present on one of the computers while it will be missing on the other. This is likely to occur even if both computers are legitimately activated

If you are planning to reinstall Windows and you don’t see a product key, don’t panic. First check the activation status.

If you’re not sure what type of Windows license your PC has, it’s worth checking that first. You can also check whether your Windows license is Retail, OEM, or Volume using a simple command. I’ve covered that process in this guide: How to Check Windows License Type (Retail, OEM, or Volume).

Final Thoughts

The problem of finding the product key for Windows 11 is not complicated. The right way to do it depends on the type of license used to activate the operating system. From my point of view, it makes sense to start by checking the product key using Command Prompt. If that doesn’t work then I would try PowerShell. If both methods fail the product key might be, in the software package that was bought. Another option is to use a software tool designed to retrieve the key. Also, if Windows is activated via digital license, there might even be no conventional key to retrieve. In that case, it makes more sense to check your activation status than going after a 25-character code.

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