System Find Product Key in Windows 11

PCUser · Mar 17, 2025

Or, open your registry editor (regedit), "Run as Administrator"

go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

and you'll see it. EASILY READABLE.

dacrone · Mar 17, 2025

PCUser said:
Or, open your registry editor (regedit), "Run as Administrator"

go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

and you'll see it. EASILY READABLE.

Registry may show a different key than CMD and PowerShell because of how Microsoft encodes the product key for different purposes (usually in relation to OEM keys).
Retail will typically show the same key in all locations/methods.

MisterEd · Mar 18, 2025

dacrone said:
Registry may show a different key than CMD and PowerShell because of how Microsoft encodes the product key for different purposes (usually in relation to OEM keys).
Retail will typically show the same key in all locations/methods.

If I use ShowKeyPlus with my laptop it shows both the Windows 11 Home key (OEM) and the actual installed Windows 11 Pro key.

However, that does not work for my custom desktop computer with Windows 11 Pro.
If I run the scripts in CMD and PowerShell I get nothing.
In the registry I only see the generic Windows 11 Pro key, VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T.
If I run ShowKeyPlus it shows nothing for the OEM key and the same generic Windows 11 Pro key.

Note the desktop computer originally had Windows 10 Pro (Retail). I did a free in-place upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.

dacrone · Mar 18, 2025

MisterEd said:
If I use ShowKeyPlus with my laptop it shows both the Windows 11 Home key (OEM) and the actual installed Windows 11 Pro key.

However, that does not work for my custom desktop computer with Windows 11 Pro.
If I run the scripts in CMD and PowerShell I get nothing.
In the registry I only see the generic Windows 11 Pro key, VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T.
If I run ShowKeyPlus it shows nothing for the OEM key and the same generic Windows 11 Pro key.

Note the desktop computer originally had Windows 10 Pro (Retail). I did a free in-place upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.

You talking about the Cmd/ps “OA3xOriginalProductKey” commands? Those are worthless. Run the .bat I uploaded on your desktop and see what it outputs

Bree · Mar 18, 2025

MisterEd said:
If I run the scripts in CMD and PowerShell I get nothing.
In the registry I only see the generic Windows 11 Pro key, VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T.
If I run ShowKeyPlus it shows nothing for the OEM key and the same generic Windows 11 Pro key.

Note the desktop computer originally had Windows 10 Pro (Retail). I did a free in-place upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.

That would be correct. Only a PC that was built for and supplied by the OEM with Windows 8 or later would have an OEM key embedded in its firmware in manufacturing. Your System Two says it is a custom build.

Also, the free upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 would not have retained the original W7 Pro key, it replaced it with the generic W10 Pro key (W11 uses the same generic keys as W10).

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

PCUser said:
Or, open your registry editor (regedit), "Run as Administrator"

go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

and you'll see it. EASILY READABLE.

I tried this and it shows a completely different key than the Pro key the system is running on. And it doesn't match any of the generic keys either. The way I installed Windows on this computer was with a 23h2 Home ISO on a Rufus USB, then I upgraded to Pro afterward by simply changing the product key to a Pro product key. Do you suppose it's a product key from the Home ISO? If so, I wonder why that would still be there since I switched to a Pro key...

I know the system is actually running on the Pro key because I did the 3 methods of confirming it, using Admin Command prompt (slmgr /xpr), Admin Command prompt (slmgr /dli), and Powershell (slmgr /dlv).

Bree · May 29, 2025

Trying to learn said:
it shows a completely different key than the Pro key the system is running on. And it doesn't match any of the generic keys either. The way I installed Windows on this computer was with a 23h2 Home ISO on a Rufus USB, then I upgraded to Pro afterward by simply changing the product key to a Pro product key. Do you suppose it's a product key from the Home ISO?

Get ShowKeyPlus: ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Help Forums

It has a 'check edition' option where you can enter a key and it will tell you exactly what sort of key it is.

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

@Bree Ok. I just did that and it says this mystery key in the registry is a Win 10 RTM Professional Retail. So that nixes my theory of it being a key from the Home ISO, I guess. And it's strange, because the only Pro key we have does not match this one in the registry. The Pro key we have is the one that shows up when I do the 3 checks I mentioned previously, and the one we have also shows up as the key running the OS in the ShowKeyPlus tool. Funny, eh? I'm boggled. lol.

antspants · May 29, 2025

I’m sot sure why this is worth investigating, unless you simply have an interest in it, which is awesome.
If you’ve lost the key, let me know.

As per your DM.

Here is a list of generic Windows 10 (and 11) keys from Microsoft. The key ending in what you sent me is not included in either of the following lists.
I don’t know where the one you showed me is from.
How did you setup Windows before you received your Pro key?
Did you use a key at all?
I know you don’t use a Microsoft Account so it’s likely not a digitally stored key.

Anyway, here are the lists:

Windows 10

Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions

List of Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions

www.tenforums.com

Windows 11

Generic Product Keys to Install or Upgrade Windows 11 Editions

This tutorial will provide you with a list of RTM (retail) and KMS generic keys (default keys) for all editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. Generic keys (aka: "default keys") for Windows 10/11 from Microsoft will allow you to install or upgrade to a specific Windows 10/11 edition you want...

www.elevenforum.com

antspants · May 29, 2025

Just to add. The ISO’s I gave you are from Microsoft and should not have a key within them, unless they are generic. I have no idea how it works, I’ve never asked or have had knowledge about keys in an ISO from Microsoft.

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

@antspants Yeah, there wasn't any problem at all. Everything's working fine. :) As I mentioned, I was just looking at info about how to find the product key on the system. (We have the key written down, of course, in a secure place. But I thought it would be good for us to also know how to view it on the system itself.) So I tried the method of looking in the registry mentioned here in this thread and was surprised to see a key that didn't match the Pro product key we had, nor any of the generic keys Brink listed. That sparked my curiosity. I first wondered if maybe there had been a key in the Home ISO ('cos what do I know? lol.). But then putting this mystery key into the ShowKeyPlus tool, it said there that it was Pro RTM Retail.

It's a brand new self-built computer, never used before. We used a Rufus USB with the Home ISO for installation. I can't quite recall if I put in any generic key before we put in the Pro retail key, but I don't think I did.

Hubby and I are now pondering if Microsoft could've maybe made a new key during activation of Pro and put that in the registry. One that couldn't actually activate any other computer on its own. Like, maybe it's a sort of 'safe' way for them to note in the system that our Pro is legit without having the *actual* activating key (the Pro retail key) being quite so easy to find (in case of hackers/malware). No idea. But as newbies, it's the next best guess we could think of as to why it might be there. I might contact Microsoft to ask them about it tomorrow, if I don't forget after work, just 'cos it's a little puzzle that intrigues me.

(I find myself even more interested in all this kind of stuff than I knew I would be. GPEditor, Registry Editor, Terminal, etc. it's quite fascinating, in a way that reminds me of my youth and when I first 'fell in love' with complex algebra puzzles. lol. I hope to keep learning more great stuff here and on Microsoft's learning/support pages, to broaden my understanding about it all.) :)

dacrone · May 29, 2025

Windows 11 reports as Windows 10 more often than not in majority of its aspects, so no surprise there.
Check post #10 and run that PowerShell code. I haven’t seen it fail to report the correct key yet and I’ve used it many times.

antspants · May 29, 2025

Trying to learn said:
I first wondered if maybe there had been a key in the Home ISO

The ISO installs depending on the key you supply it. If you install using a Home key, you will get home. If you install with a Pro key…

Trying to learn said:
GPEditor, Registry Editor, Terminal, etc. it's quite fascinating

I really couldn’t tell you how that key is showing unless you put it there, so yes, there must be some relationship between Windows (Microsoft) and “That Key”

Try the PowerShell in post 10 as dacrone suggests.

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

Do I just copy and paste that big block of code from post 10 into Powershell? I saw, @dacrone , that you mentioned a .bat file a couple times, but I didn't see a .bat file in the thread here. I should just open Powershell and paste the copied code from post 10 just exactly as it is?

antspants · May 29, 2025

Trying to learn said:
I can't quite recall if I put in any generic key before we put in the Pro retail key, but I don't think I did.

I think you’d know if you did. Was windows registered when you started the PC up after install? If no, who knows. But “That Key” isn’t one I have been able to find in any list.

EDIT: This is what I have just found;

A Windows 11 product key ending in FX8XG is likely a Windows Home Single Language key. This type of key is typically associated with computers that came pre-installed with Windows Home Single Language.

Generic Keys:
If the key is 6NVT3-XG2B2-468M9-2R8CC-FX8XG, it's likely a generic key that won't activate Windows
Windows Home Single Language:
This key is meant for activation on a machine where Windows Home Single Language is already installed.

dacrone · May 29, 2025

open powershell ise, paste that code and then save it as a .ps1
open powershell as administrator, change the directory to where you saved the .ps1, then type

Code:

.\

and press tab until it shows the name of the .ps1
press enter to run it

*you can just use the "Play"/"Run" button inside ISE to run it, but depending on if a powershell code requires -ExecutionPolicy to be changed on your system, you may see issues with it (for future knowledge)

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

I was just reading through all my notes again about what all was done for the BIOS, OS and driver installations. I'm surprised at what I forgot. Turns out, there were generic keys involved. I wrote in my notes for hubby:

"On May 4, 2025, I disconnected the internet from the tower. There was a key already there in Windows Home (a generic one, I think? -which I guess must've come from either Rufus, the Windows installation process, or else from the ISO antspants gave us 'cos it wasn't one I myself put in). So I changed that already-present key to a generic Pro key that I got from the elevenforum.com tutorial (about upgrading from Home to Pro) so that Windows would upgrade itself from Home to Pro version. (This was possible because the ISO had been a multi-edition one, so that Pro coding was already present upon installation, just not being used, making an upgrade possible without having to reinstall using a different Pro ISO.)

I disconnected the internet because I wasn't sure how the change from Home to Pro would go, and I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any issues during the change regarding microsoft pushing a microsoft account, and, of course, wanting to prevent BitLocker if I could.

I changed the product key through 'SETTINGS' > System > Activation > Change Product Key.

I used the generic key I got from the forum first, because I wanted to make sure the change to Pro would go okay and be usable for us (and safe, BitLocker-wise) before putting in the actual digital product key for Pro that we got. ('Cos if we weren't going to be able to use Pro, then I thought there should be a chance for the key to be given to someone else.) But the change went fine.

It did turn out that I couldn't prevent Bitlocker from being in the Pro version. It's impossible to remove it, it seems. But at least it was turned off because of the things I'd done to limit it (using Rufus for the original ISO installation, only having a local account instead of a Microsoft account, and not having internet connection at the time Home was being upgraded to Pro). We'll just have to be VERY careful not to accidentally turn it on."

@antspants The last 5 characters are the same, but all the rest of the code is different than the one you found. I guess it must be a generic key that was there upon the Home installation. Whether that key came from Rufus, from Microsoft itself putting it there, or from the ISO, I have no idea. But after just digging out and rereading my notes above, it sparked a memory of seeing a product key already there well before I ever entered the generic Pro, and later retail Pro. I wonder if the system shows people the generic product keys and maybe it's only the paid-for keys that aren't readily shown.

antspants · May 29, 2025

Trying to learn said:
Whether that key came from Rufus

Nope.

Trying to learn · May 29, 2025

Just had to delete a comment, because I wrote it wrong. Here's what it should have said:

I guess it can't be a generic Home key because when I put that mystery key into ShowKeyPlus, ShowKeyPlus said the mystery key was a Win 10 RTM Professional Retail key. I forgot that for a few minutes, but I had already written it above, in response to bree.

dacrone · May 29, 2025

as far as the registry entry goes:

Fun Fact:
This key might differ from what CMD and PowerShell reveal. The reason stems from how Microsoft encodes the product key for different purposes, especially with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)-installed versions of Windows.

for whatever that's worth. mine has the correct last 5 but different first 20, like yours

side note, this old .vbs still works and reports correctly as well lol

Code:

Option Explicit 
 
Dim objshell,path,DigitalID, Result 
Set objshell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'Set registry key path
Path = "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\"
'Registry key value
DigitalID = objshell.RegRead(Path & "DigitalProductId")
Dim ProductName,ProductID,ProductKey,ProductData
'Get ProductName, ProductID, ProductKey
ProductName = "Product Name: " & objshell.RegRead(Path & "ProductName")
ProductID = "Product ID: " & objshell.RegRead(Path & "ProductID")
ProductKey = "Installed Key: " & ConvertToKey(DigitalID) 
ProductData = ProductName  & vbNewLine & ProductID  & vbNewLine & ProductKey
'Show messbox if save to a file 
If vbYes = MsgBox(ProductData  & vblf & vblf & "Save to a file?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion, "BackUp Windows Key Information") then
   Save ProductData 
End If
 
 
 
'Convert binary to chars
Function ConvertToKey(Key)
    Const KeyOffset = 52
    Dim isWin8, Maps, i, j, Current, KeyOutput, Last, keypart1, insert
    'Check if OS is Windows 8
    isWin8 = (Key(66) \ 6) And 1
    Key(66) = (Key(66) And &HF7) Or ((isWin8 And 2) * 4)
    i = 24
    Maps = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
    Do
           Current= 0
        j = 14
        Do
           Current = Current* 256
           Current = Key(j + KeyOffset) + Current
           Key(j + KeyOffset) = (Current \ 24)
           Current=Current Mod 24
            j = j -1
        Loop While j >= 0
        i = i -1
        KeyOutput = Mid(Maps,Current+ 1, 1) & KeyOutput
        Last = Current
    Loop While i >= 0 
    
    If (isWin8 = 1) Then
        keypart1 = Mid(KeyOutput, 2, Last)
        insert = "N"
        KeyOutput = Replace(KeyOutput, keypart1, keypart1 & insert, 2, 1, 0)
        If Last = 0 Then KeyOutput = insert & KeyOutput
    End If     
    
 
    ConvertToKey = Mid(KeyOutput, 1, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 6, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 11, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 16, 5) & "-" & Mid(KeyOutput, 21, 5)
    
    
End Function
'Save data to a file
Function Save(Data)
    Dim fso, fName, txt,objshell,UserName
    Set objshell = CreateObject("wscript.shell")
    'Get current user name 
    UserName = objshell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserName%") 
    'Create a text file on desktop 
    fName = "C:\Users\" & UserName & "\Desktop\WindowsKeyInfo.txt"
    Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set txt = fso.CreateTextFile(fName)
    txt.Writeline Data
    txt.Close
End Function

System Find Product Key in Windows 11

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