How to retrieve your Win10 key.

[GuidoLS]

So, you installed 10, and now you want to know what your actual key is. Guess what? Speccy doesn't work. Magic Jellybean not only doesn't work, but now it's installing adware without permission. (Wander Burst, if interested.) If you use either of those products, you're very likely to come up with one of the following -


Windows 10 Home: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
Windows 10 Pro: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
Windows 10 Home Single Language: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
Windows 10 Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43

Guess what? None of those are your current key. It's a generic key that's thrown back by the activation server as sort of an ACK that the system has been activated. Interestingly/ironically, if you actually use one of those keys to register, it puts your system into what's essentially the Insider program, and your system is NOT activated. If you want to know what your actual key is, copy the following script -

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

Paste it to Notepad, click save as, select all files, and name it something.vbs, where something is a name you can remember (I chose keyfinder.vbs - catchy, eh?). Save it to your desktop (or other easily remembered location), run it, and viola. Hit ctrl-c while the window is open, and it copies your key to the clipboard so you can paste it anywhere you may find to be convenient.

[Giraffe]

Just tried this on XP Pro. To my surprise, it came up with the key (or something that looks like it without checking - been 8 yeras...). Last time I installed XP it didn't ask for a key. I'd n-Lited to such an extent, including putting in the key, that it just went in.

[directhex]

Impressive hack, GuidoLS

[GuidoLS]

Impressive hack, GuidoLS

I'd like to pretend it's mine, but I'm not the original author. I've made some changes here and there as necessary when the OS or the registry calls for it, but the original has been around since Win98. I just packrat anything I think is useful, and in many ways, MS changes very little. Just hoping that people find it useful.

[directhex]

Here's one for your records, then: how to extract a CD key from a system with preinstalled Windows but no CD key sticker (as happens these days with Windows 8+ laptops), without Windows being installed (e.g. if you replace the disk, or want the key to virtualize, or something, or want the firmware key not the installed OS key which tools like Magic Jelly Bean report).

Boot a Linux, run "sudo cat /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM | tail -c 29" in a terminal.

[Mister]

I was wondering how we were supposed to be able to do clean install with the upgraded key, if they don't give you the key

[mjgr33n]

I was wondering how we were supposed to be able to do clean install with the upgraded key, if they don't give you the key

The keys that this script produces will not let you re-install though, I just tried this and it said invalid key during installation.

All you need to do is leave keys blank, say skip or do later at each point and it will install fine and re-activate as Microsoft has your hardware details on file to re-activate.

[Mister]

The keys that this script produces will not let you re-install though, I just tried this and it said invalid key during installation.

All you need to do is leave keys blank, say skip or do later at each point and it will install fine and re-activate as Microsoft has your hardware details on file to re-activate.

Yea but what about if the hardware is not the same. Only the OEM keys are non-transferable to new PCs.

[mjgr33n]

Yea but what about if the hardware is not the same. Only the OEM keys are non-transferable to new PCs.

The only method I know works so far is if you change hardware all should be fine unless you change motherboard in which case you would need to go through the procedure of re-installing old OS, phone activation, then upgrade to 10 again.

If somebody can test and prove that the above script can produce a key that can be entered later on a new system by lets say using the generic install key first then using slmgr commands to change it to the key they got from the script then attempt to activate and it fails then use some form of phone activation to activate it and it succeeds then YAY, but would need a test subject to try it

Until somebody has tested doing such works will just assume that only first method works

[f350]

Doesn't Nirsoft work?

[mjgr33n]

So, you installed 10, and now you want to know what your actual key is. Guess what? Speccy doesn't work. Magic Jellybean not only doesn't work, but now it's installing adware without permission. (Wander Burst, if interested.) If you use either of those products, you're very likely to come up with one of the following -


Windows 10 Home: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
Windows 10 Pro: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
Windows 10 Home Single Language: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
Windows 10 Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43

Guess what? None of those are your current key. It's a generic key that's thrown back by the activation server as sort of an ACK that the system has been activated. Interestingly/ironically, if you actually use one of those keys to register, it puts your system into what's essentially the Insider program, and your system is NOT activated. If you want to know what your actual key is, copy the following script -

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

Paste it to Notepad, click save as, select all files, and name it something.vbs, where something is a name you can remember (I chose keyfinder.vbs - catchy, eh?). Save it to your desktop (or other easily remembered location), run it, and viola. Hit ctrl-c while the window is open, and it copies your key to the clipboard so you can paste it anywhere you may find to be convenient.

I have tested on a few machines now and it gives the same key on all of them and they used different Windows 8.1 keys originally, so they key it outputs is not a unique key.

[cam1986]

Open up Command Prompt as Admin and copy and paste this:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Works for me fine!! I get 'my' product key showing! Yes, i am on Win 10

[ERU]

Open up Command Prompt as Admin and copy and paste this:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Works for me fine!! I get 'my' product key showing! Yes, i am on Win 10

I just get OA3xOriginalProductKey as a reply doing that as an admin.

I'm using Win7 Ultimate > Win 10 Pro

[cam1986]

I just get OA3xOriginalProductKey as a reply doing that as an admin.

Works for me 100%

[mjgr33n]

I just get OA3xOriginalProductKey as a reply doing that as an admin.

I'm using Win7 Ultimate > Win 10 Pro

Same here and I upgraded successfully from Win 8.1 Pro to Win 10 Pro.

[GuidoLS]

I just get OA3xOriginalProductKey as a reply doing that as an admin.

I'm using Win7 Ultimate > Win 10 Pro

Same result for me.