How do I find out which product key was used to activate Windows?

windows-7 windows-activation wga

31,454

Solution 1

For Windows 7, 8, 10 you can use the slmgr command line program to reveal a portion of the key to help narrow it down.

Open Start Menu, then type:

cmd
Right click CMD application in the search listing
Then click "Run as administrator"
At the command prompt, type the following and press enter:

slmgr -dli
Wait for a little window to appear and then look at the value to the right of "Partial Product Key:"
Compare with and match to your windows product keys at hand. Note that this reveals the right most part of the ................-3V66T

Solution 2

+1 on Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder. I've used it many times to help friends recover their Windows product keys. Link

Solution 3

Windows Product Key Finder Pro is Freeware and works great. As it installs, be sure to uncheck the toolbars and updating program it offers.

Windows Product Key Finder Professional is a software utility which allows you to find and recover your CD Product key for Windows or Office programs for the purposes of reinstalling / repairing your Windows or Office setup. Recover your lost key or serial for Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, 2003, 2008. Office 2007, 2010, 2003, XP.

Solution 4

Directions here.

The jist is you need to get a 3rd party program, since it's in the registry but encrypted.

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31,454

user420603

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

user420603 over 1 year

I have several retail copies of Windows 7. Normally I make a note of which product key was used to activate which PC. Unfortunately, I slipped up.

I've just reinstalled Windows 7 on a PC, and I'd like to activate it. How do I audit my other PCs to find out which product key I used, so that I know which key to use for the reinstall?

The value in Computer Properties (that looks like 00123-012-1234567-12345) is not the one I'm referring to. This is the "Product ID".

I'm referring to the key that would normally be on the DVD case; the one that looks like AAAA1-B2222B-C3CCC-4DDDD-EEEE5. This, confusingly, is sometimes referred to as the "Product Key".
- Admin almost 14 years
  
  I'm not sure about Windows 7, but in XP, I think it's: right-click My Computer -> Properties -> General tab, somewhere in there.
- Admin almost 14 years
  
  @Frustrated - I don't think you are referring to the same thing.
- Admin almost 14 years
  
  He was refering to the Product ID
- Admin almost 14 years
  
  yeah probably. ignore my comment. ;)
Slartibartfast almost 14 years

I've had good luck with the Magical Jellybean Keyfinder. Works like a charm.
user420603 almost 14 years

Useful, but these are actually MSDN licenses (even though they're retail, rather than multi-activation or VL), so there's no label, unfortunately.
uxout almost 14 years

MJK works great.
j00hi over 6 years

Cool, that still works on the most recent Win10! Thank you for the detailed instructions!
i-- almost 4 years

You sure it works? I've used another method to get my product key and it doesn't match with this partial product key. Adding, I'm also getting 3V66T as partial product key
i-- almost 4 years

Found this answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/…