4 Quick Ways to Find Your Windows 11 Product Key

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Track down your Windows 11 product key in seconds

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using PowerShell

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Checking For a Digital License

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Checking a Digital Copy

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Checking a Physical Copy

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If you need to reinstall Windows 11, you may need to provide the product key to activate the new Windows installation. But how exactly do you find your Windows 11 product key? In this article, we go over a few ways to find your product key, including why you might not have a key at all. Keep reading to learn more!

Ways to Find a Windows 11 Product Key

Open PowerShell and run this command: powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey".
Check for a digital license in Settings > System > Activation > Activation state. A digital license means you likely don't have a product key.
Look for a product key in the email confirmation of a digital purchase, or on the box or label for a physical purchase.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using PowerShell

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To do this, type powershell in the taskbar search bar, then click Windows PowerShell in the Start menu that pops up.
The command is powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey". We recommend copying and pasting the command so you don't miss anything (including the quotes).

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Press ↵ Enter. After a few moments, PowerShell will show your Windows product key.^{[1]
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Research source}
- You may have seen some articles or websites suggest using the command wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey. However, wmic is deprecated in Windows 11, so the PowerShell command is the preferred way to check your product key in the command line.^{[2]
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  Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Checking For a Digital License

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1
Open the Settings app. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Press ⊞ Win+I.
- Right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings.
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings.
- Type "Settings" into the taskbar search bar and click Settings in the Start menu.
It's got an icon of a computer screen, and it's the second option on the list.
This option has an icon of a checkmark. You'll likely need to scroll a little to find this option.
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Click Activation state to expand it. If you see that Windows was activated by a digital license, you may or may not have a product key. If you use the PowerShell method above and you can't find a product key, and you instead see that your Windows was activated by a digital license, you most likely don't have a product key at all for your Windows installation.
- You'll have a digital license if you upgraded from an older version of Windows to Windows 11, or if you purchased the Windows 11 upgrade via the Microsoft Store App.^{[3]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  
  Microsoft Support
  Technical support and product information from Microsoft.
  
  Go to source} Your Windows 11 is instead linked to your Microsoft account.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Checking a Digital Copy

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If you purchased a digital copy of Windows 11, your product key will be in the confirmation email you got after buying it. This is the case whether you purchased Windows 11 from a Microsoft website or from an authorized reseller.^{[4]
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Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Checking a Physical Copy

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If you purchased a physical copy of Windows 11, the product key will be on a label or card inside the Windows 11 box.^{[5]
X
Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source} The product key is 25 characters long and will look like this: PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.