Windows 10: Find Product Key in Windows 10

I'm afraid not with a MAK key since it's not there to be read.

 

MAK is so OP. Now I cannot get back my retail key to reinstall my Window LOL

 

What does the activation screen show? Does it show a digital entitlement?

 

one question,
after i retrieve the key, and in the future i have to upgrade my motherboard and processor, can i use this key to activate my windows 10. thanks

 

Hello bayusteve, *Smile

If it's a retail Windows 10 key, then yes.

If this is for a free upgrade to Windows 10 instead, then you could link the digital license to your Microsoft account and use the Activation Troubleshooter to activate Windows 10 on the new motherboard.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...ows-10-pc.html

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

 

thank you . my windows 10 is from windows 8 pro retail

 

You're most welcome. *Smile

 

(I must confess I did not read the entire thread.)

I have 10 Windows 7 Ultimate licenses, but they came from my BizSpark license years ago. They should be MSDN versions.

If I upgrade two different machines (which had different Windows 7 Keys) to Windows 10, they end up with the same Windows 10 key. All the machines end up with the same Windows 10 key. So later on, when I try to install Windows 10 on different machines and try to use the same license, it won't work will it?

Do you know what Microsoft did in this regard? anyone?

 

Hello Picasso, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

If the two W7 PCs have different product keys, then each PC will have its own unique digital license on Microsoft's activation server.

When you install Windows 10 on a PC in the future, its digital licenses will automatically be used to activate the PC.

 

Thanks for that, I understand, but this is what is happening.

I have a Win 7 install with a key of xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-1111
And another with a key of xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-2222

I upgrade both to Win 10 and the key (on both) is xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-3333

If I get the Win 10 keys from each of the upgrades, in the future, if I build a new machine or alter an existing one, I can install Win 10 using the Win 10 keys from each machine. But if the Win 10 key is the same for all the upgraded machines, can I only install 1 license in the future?

Or am I being dumb... Do I just use the original Win 7 key when installing Win 10 in the future?

Thanks,

Paul

 

@picasso566,

Maybe a simple phrase will help you. Windows product keys do not get upgraded to Windows 10. Computers get upgraded to Windows 10. When you upgrade a computer to Windows 10 from Windows 7/8/8.1, absolutely nothing happens to the Windows 7/8/8.1 product key that was on it before. It is that computer itself that gets the license/entitlement for Windows 10 - not the Windows 7/8/8.1 product key. That why all upgrades to Windows 10 get the same product key for the same version of Windows 10 - because it is the computer - and it's unique Hardware ID, not the product key - that gets the license/entitlement for Windows 10.

The Windows 7/8/8.1 product key only provides the basis for issuing the first digital license/entitlement to that computer. It's like showing a photo ID to get a lifetime pass to a park issued in your name. You show your ID to get the pass the first time, but it is the pass that gets you into the park over and over again - not your photo ID anymore.

 

Could you be more clear about that?

haha, that was perfect, thanks.

 

And thank you too! Great answer!

 

is there a way to script this instead of using the tool?
I will start a new thread but thought this maybe the right place.

I work for a company that we get vendor pc's all the time. We need to be able to get the key from the bios and from the registry. With this we can then see if there is a key in the bios and if it is being used in the OS...
example will be vendors sending in Windows 7 pc's but win10 key is in bios... we know we can attempt to upgrade.

thanks for any help...

 

Look towards the end of the showkey thread. I think @Superfly was working on that for someone else that asked about it.

Showkey - Page 46 - Windows 10 Forums