Windows 10: How do I find my digitally bought Windows product key if I don't have the email anymore?

My Windows 11 won't activate because I changed motherboards and it thinks I'm on a new system now. I need my product key to reactivate Windows. Trouble is, I bought Windows SIX YEARS ago and I 100% do not still have the email I was sent when I bought Windows. How do I find my product key? I tried looking in my order history, but the order info just shows billing information and no product key.

:)

 

Activate windows 10 after re-installing (I have lost my product key)

I own a Lenovo T430 laptop. In 2017, I installed Windows 10 using my original Windows 7 product key. Unfortunately, I cannot find that product key anymore. I need to re-install windows 10. Will it be automatically activated after the installation, if I skip the step of asking the product key during the installation?

In my opinion, I believe that my laptop will have a digital entitlement stored on the Microsoft Activation Servers and this will not be a problem. Is that true?

If not, please suggest me a solution or a workaround.

 

Lost of Product Key

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

• Which operating system was installed in the computer when you bought it?
• Did you receive CD of the operating system when you bought the laptop or Windows was already installed?

If you upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you won’t receive a Windows 10 product key. Instead, Windows 10 will be activated using a digital entitlement.

The Product Key on a computer that has Windows 8 pre-installed is embedded in the BIOS on the motherboard. There is no longer any sticker with the product key.

How to find your product key depends on how you bought your copy of Windows (if Windows 10):

• 
  If you bought Windows 10 from an authorized retailer, the product key will be on a label inside the box it came in.
  
• 
  If you bought a digital copy of Windows 10 from a Microsoft website, the product key will be in the confirmation email you received after buying it or will be distributed digitally as an entitlement, in which case you won't receive a product
  key. For example, if you upgraded to Windows 10 for free, you'll receive an entitlement instead of a product key.
  
• 
  If you bought a new PC running Windows 10, the product key will be pre–installed on your PC and your PC will automatically be activated, included with the packaging the PC came in, or included on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached
  to the PC.
  

Hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to reply in case you face any other issues with Windows in future.

 

Windows won't activate a digital license but will with a product key?

Thank you for the insight

That's interesting. So you are suggesting after I make my next clone, I enter a generic product key in windows activation and THEN follow up with purchasing (or transferring) a digital license? Do I understand you correctly? If so, I'll try that on my next build.

It is possible. My only experience seeing it not cleared up in an hour (besides, of course, having the wrong time on my machine or a truly faulty connection) was many years ago. When I contacted Microsoft, they were able to diagnose that my license wasn't valid but couldn't tell me why. If memory serves me correctly, I attempted to move a license from a windows ten machine that initially was an upgrade from windows seven. I discovered (on this forum) that a windows ten license that was upgraded from windows seven license was not eligible to be transferred to a new machine. And I was not able to purchase a digital license. I needed a product key.

I couldn't find reputable dealers that are still selling retail windows 10 licenses (for example, Best Buy only lists the Spanish version of windows home on their website). But since I just learned that a windows 11 license can be used my concern has been allayed.