Forum Discussion
How to find product key for Microsoft Office already installed
AwenamI had the same issue after reinstalling Windows and couldn't find my Office key. I used Dr. Key to recover it easily, and it worked like a charm – highly recommend it!
I followed this tutorial: (worked with my office 2016)https://www.uumeo.com/find-office-product-key
Awenam An Office product key is a 25-character alphanumeric code used to activate Microsoft Office software. It verifies that the copy of Office you're using is genuine and properly licensed. This key is provided when you purchase Office and is necessary to unlock full features of the software.
If Microsoft Office is installed on your computer and activated, you can retrieve the product key using the Command Prompt. Note that this method only works for some versions of Office, particularly if the key is stored in the system's registry (usually with older versions or volume licenses).
How to Find Office Product Key via CMD:
1. Press Windows + S and type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey4. If the product key is stored in the system's BIOS/UEFI (for OEM pre-installed Office), it will be displayed.
Does this step finds the product key for Windows product key or Microsoft office product key?
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKeyThis command OA3xOriginalProductKey refers to a property within the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) class Software Licensing Service that contains the original OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) embedded license key. It's essentially a 25-character code used to activate Windows, typically found pre-installed on new computers. This key is tied to the specific hardware vendor and is usually not transferable.
Hi vinifts,
thank you for sharing this is to find Windows key. Would you like if we do registry edit and from the following path > Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform> BackupProductKeyDefault, what would this key shows?
This keys is different to the result of "wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey"
That's a good question and you are right. It finds the Windows license key, not Office's.
This was very helpful, thank you very much.
Chloe1895 This method works if the product key is stored in your system’s BIOS or UEFI, often the case for devices pre-installed with Microsoft products. For retail versions of Office 2013 or later, the key may be tied to your Microsoft Account instead of being stored locally. If this method does not retrieve the Office product key, you may need to check alternative ways, such as using a third-party product key finder tool or finding it in your Microsoft account.
