Product keys are one of the ways software developers protect their products against piracy. Unfortunately, they're easy to lose, which can be a real problem if you need to reinstall Windows or any other software from scratch
If you've bought a desktop PC or laptop with Windows 10 already installed, you'll probably find its product key on a Certificate of Authenticity sticker on the the case or in the included paperwork, but not if you've built your own PC and installed the operating system yourself.
Windows 7 startup programs manager. Disable and Enable Windows 7 Startup Programs Many programs when they are installed on your PC, they are configured to load themselves into the startup of Windows, so that the moment you boot your machine and Windows starts, they automatically start and most of them can be seen in the notification area when they are loaded.
Many other applications also require product keys if you reinstall them – including Microsoft Office – and if you've lost the email you received when you first installed them, you could be in real trouble later on.
Find your serial number. For help finding your product's serial number, select your product in the list below. If your product isn't listed, please contact our support team. SMART Board interactive displays. SMART Board 7000 and 7000 Pro series displays; SMART Board 6000 and 6000 Pro series displays; SMART Board 2000 series displays. The serial number for your Xbox One console is located in two places: On the sticker on the bottom of the console. On the Console Info & updates screen in Settings (along with the console ID, as described in the previous section). Find the Kinect sensor serial number. The Kinect sensor serial number is located on the bottom of the sensor.
Product key finders only work for software that's already installed, so download one and make a note of all your keys now, so you're prepared in advance.
1. Belarc Advisor
A wealth of information about your hardware and software
Automatic updates
No security score for Windows 10
Belarc Advisor is primarily a tool for gathering information about your Windows system, including hardware, security updates and product keys.
Whenever you run Belarc Advisor, it automatically checks its database for software definitions – essential for finding keys for new programs. After that, it scans your system and presents the findings in an HTML page in your default web browser. Scroll down to 'Software licenses' to find serial numbers and product keys for Windows, Office and many other applications.
Furnace Serial Number Lookup
Belarc Advisor offers a wealth of other information, including details of your antivirus software, connected hardware, and other devices on the same network. It also offers a security benchmark score, though sadly this is only available for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP Pro.
Belarc Advisor's scans are fast and offer so much more information than just serial numbers, it's our favorite free product key finder.
2. Abelssoft MyKeyFinder
Displays your Microsoft product keys in a clear, searchable list
Searchable results
There are two versions of Abelssoft MyKeyFinder: free and paid-for. Both will find Windows and Microsoft Office product keys but the Plus edition (£8.90 – about US$10, AU$15) will also scan external hard drives and find Wi-Fi passwords.
After MyKeyFinder has scanned scan your PC’s registry the results are presented in a clear list, ready to be copied to the clipboard with a single click. Unlike many product key finders, MyKeyFinder won’t throw up duplicate keys and the results can be searched and filtered.
You can also add programs and keys not detected by MyKeyFinder as standard, then export the full list as a PDF so they’re all in one convenient location.
Serial Numbers Nero3. LicenseCrawler
Find the keys for Windows and a wealth of other software
Portable
You Serial Numbers
Occasional ads
LicenseCrawler will find the license key for pretty much any application that has one, and it's free for home use. Its scan of the Windows registry takes a long time to complete – even if you select the 'high speed' option – but you can limit its scope using the blacklist and whitelist filters.
LicenseCrawler is distributed as a portable app, meaning you don't have to install it on the Windows system you're scanning – just download the zip file, extract its contents and run LicenseCrawler.exe. This is particularly handy if you have several PCs; just download it to a USB stick and you can just plug it in and run it on any of them.
The only downside of LicenseCrawler is the occasional pop-up ad, but finding product keys isn't a task you'll be performing every day, so they're only a minor inconvenience.
4. Windows Product Key Viewer
A quick way to find your Windows product key, but nothing else
Portable app
Some misleading ads on site
Windows Product Key Viewer is super fast, taking barely a second to scan your system and present the results. That's because, as the name suggests, it only supplies the product key for your operating system.
Serial Number Finder Apple
That shouldn't necessarily put you off though. Although it doesn't find serial numbers for other applications, it does provide some extra information about your OS, including the registered user, install date and last boot time, and it's compatible with versions of the operating system from Windows 10 all the way back to Windows 95.
Take care when downloading the software – the site includes some ads that look like download buttons for the software, but are in fact unrelated. Only click the link 'Download Windows Product Key Viewer'.
5. Free PC Audit
A super simple way to find your Windows 10 product key
Portable
Free PC Audit is another portable application, and doesn't even come as a zip archive – just download the exe file and run it to begin scanning.
Like Belarc Advisor, Free PC Advisor provides a wealth of information about your whole system – not just its software – though its interface isn't quite as intuitive. It's compatible with all versions of Windows, from NT all the way through to Windows 10, but doesn't find keys for Microsoft Office or any other software.
It also provides lists of all installed software and running system processes, though this information is readily available through Windows itself.
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