If you have recently purchased a Windows computer preinstalled, it is likely that the product key is in your system's BIOS. Below we will see how we can use PowerShell to find the hidden key and learn more about your current license status.
If you have purchased a new computer with Window preinstalled in recent years, you may have noticed some changes to the outside of the device.
The biggest change is the absence of a product key, which usually existed in the Holographic Certificate of Authenticity (COA) a sticker on the back of the computers.
From Window 8 onwards, this information does not exist in the COA or Certificate of Authenticity but is built into the BIOS. So if you reinstall the same version of Windows that came with your computer, it will have to be turned on automatically.
If you want to have the product key, so you can restore Windows simply open a PowerShell window (from the start menu search type powershell and click the icon) and give the following command:
(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService'). OA3xOriginalProductKey
If no key appears, it means that your system does not include the Windows key in the BIOS. This is the case if you built your computer yourself or on devices manufactured by System Builder OEMs, or those originally licensed for Windows 10.
Network administrators that manage system licensing using key management services can get information from computers on the network by using a different choice of the same PowerShell command.
To see all details about the current licensing status of a machine, use the following command:
Get-WMIObject -Class SoftwareLicensingService | Select-Object -Property *
Do not forget the asterisk at the end of the order.
To save the key, click the PowerShell window, drag your mouse pointer over the entire 25 character key, and then right-click.
Although it does not seem to be the case, the key has already been copied to the Clipboard. Paste it into a text file and save it in a safe place.
