Forum Discussion
Clarification on finding my products keys
On my oldest two computers, I currently have Windows 10 Pro (all my computers are using local accounts).
I wanted to find back their installation product keys.
I tried command wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey but OA3xOriginalProductKey show as a blank field.
I read that I should check "Activation settings", and there "Activation" reads "Windows is activated with a digital license."
Now, I remember something: these computers initially used Windows 7 Pro (or Enterprise or something) and I think that I upgraded them when MS offered free upgrades to Win 10. (I clearly remember the free upgrades to Win 11... but wasn't there also a free upgrade period to Win 10?)
Does this mean that my Windows 7 installation keys have become Windows 10 installation keys ? Or the my Windows 10 installations on these computers are a "dead-end" with nothing to recover?
2 Replies
The message stating that "Windows is activated with a digital license" indicates that your Windows 10 installation is activated using a digital license rather than a traditional product key. This means that the activation is tied to your Microsoft account and/or your hardware rather than a sticker on the case or a key you can enter manually.
When you upgraded your Windows 7 installation to Windows 10, the activation method transitioned to a digital license (previously known as a digital entitlement). This means that instead of a traditional product key being used for activation, your hardware configuration is registered with Microsoft’s servers, allowing you to validate your installation without needing to continually enter a product key.
