Forum Discussion
How to find product key for Microsoft Office already installed
- Oct 18, 2024
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
Does this step finds the product key for Windows product key or Microsoft office product key?
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
This 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.
- lawtkyApr 24, 2025Copper Contributor
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"
- viniftsApr 24, 2025Copper Contributor
Hi there! The BackupProductKeyDefault key in the registry and the key obtained through the wmic command serve different purposes. The BackupProductKeyDefault key seems to be a stored product key for recovery or backup purposes, whereas the OA3xOriginalProductKey obtained through wmic is the original product key that came with the hardware (OEM).
The difference between the two keys might be due to various reasons, such as reinstalling Windows with a different product key or modifying the original key. If you're looking for the product key for Microsoft Office, these keys won't be relevant. For Office, you might need to check your account or purchase records. Let me know if you have any further questions! If I could help you somehow, I'd appreciate your like ;)