So you might as well use the most well-known one, Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder.Īnd in my experience Microsoft will 99 times out of 100 automatically detect and apply the correct key (as long as you select the right Windows Edition) even when doing clean installs on existing hardware even if you don't use a MS account for login and it doesn't have a BIOS stored license key. So really, only the first method should ever be used, there are other programs and tools that will work but there's no reliable methods that doesn't use tools! If there's no Windows OEM key in the BIOS it will be empty and if you've reinstalled using a different key it will give you the wrong key! It is useful as a way to access the key that comes with the hardware on most newer OEM machines but is no substitute for actually checking what license key Windows actually use.Īnd the third method usually? sometimes? returns a 'digital key' that's only valid for the specific install - there's no real use for this since it can't be used even on the same hardware after a reinstall! This is the only form of nag you’ll see - there are no pop-up windows, for example.The OA3xOriginalProductKey method returns the Windows OEM license key stored in the BIOS for pre-installed machines where they used that method to store it - most OEMs do this because this is the only way where they DON'T need to physically affix a sticker with the key on the machine which saves them time. Activate Windows now.” link at the bottom of the Settings app. You’ll also see a “Windows isn’t activated. First, you’ll notice a watermark in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

Eventually, Windows will start nagging you a tiny bit. Initially, you won’t notice a difference. These days, Windows just complains at you in a few minor, cosmetic ways. With Windows XP, Microsoft actually used Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to disable access to your computer. However, an unactivated version of Windows 10 doesn’t have many restrictions. RELATED: How Does Windows Activation Work?Īfter you’ve installed Windows 10 without a key, it won’t actually be activated. Whatever version you choose, Windows 10 will install normally. When you select this option, you’ll be able to install either “Windows 10 Home” or “Windows 10 Pro.” Bear in mind that, if you plan to pay to upgrade to the paid version later, it’ll be cheaper to upgrade to Windows 10 Home, so you may want to install the Home version.

Windows 10 pro find product key