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BodhiStone's avatar
BodhiStone
Iron Contributor
Sep 09, 2025

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.

1 Reply

  • Felixsyu's avatar
    Felixsyu
    Iron Contributor

    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.

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