By Achilles Hill | Last Updated
If forgot or lost Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product key, how could we find it?
It is known that Windows 8 is different from previous Windows operational system. There is no sticker available on computer listing product license key. In Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 computer, product keys are saved in the registry and evaluated each time you load a Windows update.
So now see three options on how to find Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product key from BIOS and registry?
From the above introduction, we know Windows product key is saved in registry, so we open registry now to view Windows product key.
1. Press Win + R to get Run box appear.
2. Enter Regedit into the text box displayed and press OK button. Windows registry editor opens.
3. Navigate to the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion" key in the registry. This holds several Windows settings for your machine.
4. Right-click the ProductId key and select Modify. View the number displayed. This is your product key for Windows. Press the "Cancel" button to avoid making changes to the value.
If the above couldn't help you, we need to ask for Windows 8 replacement product key from Microsoft. But at first you have to make sure Windows 8 version you are using. Is it Windows OEM version? If it is, you have to call the support department of your PC vendor first.
If your vendor cannot solve your problem, then you should go to Microsoft support and ask them for Windows 8 replacement product key.
Now activate Windows 8 new product key in command prompt:
1. Open the command prompt as administrator (when opened as admin the prompt will be at "c:\windows\system32").
2. Uninstall the present Product Key (if any) by typing this "slmgr /upk".
A message should pop up notifying it done.
3. Now install the new Product Key by typing this command "slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX". This command will replace the X's with the Windows 8/8.1 key.
A message should pop up to notify you later that new product key has been installed. You can verify it by refreshing and checking the systems properties page. Hope your problem has been solved.
Surely, above two ways work sometimes. But whether there is another way more easily and effectively to find Windows 8 product key? The answer is yes. iSunshare Product Key Finder is such third-party software used to find forgotten or lost product keys for installed software programs, including Windows, Office, SQL Server, IE, Adobe etc.
Step 1: Get Product Key Finder and install it on your computer.
Step 2: Run it and click Start Recovery. Product Key Finder begins to find Windows 8 product key and product ID and other software license keys.
About few seconds later, you will see their product keys and product ID listed in the Product Key Finder.
Step 3: Click Save or Save to File button to save all the product keys in a text document.
Open the text file, you would see not Windows 8 or 8.1 product key is saved there, but also product keys of Microsoft Office, SQL Server, and other software listed above are found together.
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