Forum Discussion
Old Win 10 PC died, can't find Licence Key
Had my almost 10 year old desktop killed by a power surge, PSU and motherboard were fried. I've tried finding the licence key on the still working C: but no luck.
Having a new desktop built and Win 11 is being installed (not buying a licence). If I log into my Microsoft account on this new machine will it automatically licence itself?
When I log into my Microsoft account it doesn't show that I ever purchased Win 10.
2 Replies
This is a very common and frustrating situation. Don't worry, there's a very high chance your license can be recovered.
The most important thing to know is that if your old PC was a major-brand computer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) or was a pre-built PC from a system integrator, the Windows license is almost certainly embedded in the motherboard's firmware (a "Digital Entitlement") and not on a sticker. This is also true for most modern self-built PCs where you used a digital license linked to your Microsoft account.
If it was a retail copy you bought, the key might be recoverable from your Microsoft account.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 can activate automatically if your previous activation was linked to your Microsoft account (digital entitlement). This is common if you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 or if you linked your license to your Microsoft account.
