Windows doesn’t display your PC’s serial number anywhere in its interface, and neither do popular system information tools. But you can often find a PC’s serial number with a simple command, a peek in your BIOS, or on the hardware itself.
Run the WMIC Command
Open a Command Prompt window to get started. On Windows 10 or 8, right-click the Start button and select “Command Prompt”. On Windows 7, press Windows + R, type “cmd” into the Run dialog, and then press Enter.
At the Command Prompt, type the following command and then press Enter:
You’ll see the computer’s serial number displayed beneath the text “SerialNumber”. This command uses the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool to pull the system’s serial number from its BIOS.
If you don’t see your PC’s serial number, blame your PC’s manufacturer. The number will only appear here if the PC manufacturer saved it to your computer’s BIOS or UEFI firmware. PC manufacturers don’t always fill in the number properly. In that case, you’ll see something like “0” or “To be filled by O.E.M.” instead of an actual serial number.
RELATED:How to Check Your Motherboard Model Number on Your Windows PC
This is also true if you built your own PC because the PC itself won’t have a serial number. However, you can look up the serial number of your motherboard and other components.
Check the BIOS
You may also be able to find the serial number in the BIOS or UEFI firmware settings screen. This technique won’t get you a serial number if the wmic
command didn’t, since the command pulls the serial number from the BIOS. However, checking the BIOS could be helpful if you can’t actually sign into Windows to run the wmic
command.
RELATED:What Does a PC’s BIOS Do, and When Should I Use It?
Access the BIOS or UEFI firmware settings screen and look around for a “Serial Number” somewhere on a system information screen. It’ll be in a different place on different PCs, but you can usually find it somewhere on the “Main” or “System” screen.
Find the Serial Number On the PC’s Hardware, Box, or Elsewhere
If you don’t see a serial number after running the wmic
command—or if you just can’t turn the PC on or don’t have access to it—there are several other places you might find the serial number:
- If you have a laptop, flip it over. On some laptops, you’ll see the number on a sticker. On others, you’ll see the number printed directly on the metal or plastic the laptop is made from. If your laptop has a removable battery, the serial number is sometimes on a sticker inside the battery compartment, under the battery.
- If you have a desktop PC, look at the back, top, or side of the case for some sort of sticker. The number may also be on a sticker inside the case, so you might have to open it up.
- If you can’t find the serial number on the PC itself, look online for instructions specific to your model. The manufacturer’s website should tell you exactly where to look.
- If you registered your PC with the manufacturer or received warranty service, the serial number should be included in the registration documentation, warranty service receipt, or email confirmation for the service.
- If you still have the original product box, it usually has the serial number printed on it—often on the same sticker with the bar code.
- If you purchased the PC online or in store, the serial number may be printed on the physical or email receipt you received.
And if you just can’t find your serial number at all, don’t give up hope. If you have proof of purchase, the manufacturer still may be able to help you with whatever service you need and may even be able to find out the serial number for you.
I have a laptop running Ubuntu and also have a retail copy of Windows 7 x64 and x32 Professional. Considering that Windows 10 is a free upgrade, I'm contemplating wiping Ubuntu and putting Windows 10 on it. What I do have is my Windows 7 proof of license certificate with the product key printed on it.
I think I can install Windows 7 => upgrade to Windows 10 but I'd rather do a clean install of Windows 10. However, I'm guessing for that to happen, I'd need a Windows 10 serial.
Is there any quick way for me to enter that serial key on a legit site and get back a Windows 10 serial key?
2 Answers
I don't think there are any shortcuts, though it would be very handy.
The only way to really do a clean Windows 10 install when you also need to upgrade your Windows 7 license is:
- Install Windows 7 with the key you have and make sure it is activated.
- Do an in-place upgrade to Windows 10, ensuring that Windows is activated afterwards.
- You're now free to do a fresh install of Windows 10. I believe they do something to tie the activation to the hardware, so I'm not sure about moving the license to another computer any more. This means Windows 10 is auto activates on the hardware without supplying a key, or at least that has been my experience so far.
Note that once your license has been upgraded, it's no longer valid for a Windows 7 install. This may have changed or been clarified, but was the case last time I looked at it.
Edit:
Here's two FAQs that various Microsoft threads lead me to on the topic:
The relevant q's and a's are:
Q: Can I use Windows 10 media to upgrade to Windows 10 and still take advantage of the free upgrade offer?
A: Yes. You will be able to download Windows 10 installation media to upgrade qualified Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 devices to Windows 10 and still take advantage of the free upgrade offer. Your device will automatically activate online after upgrading to Windows 10 while the free upgrade offer is valid.
Q: Can I clean install (i.e. boot from media and install) Windows 10 on my Windows 7 or Windows 8.x device and still take advantage of the free upgrade offer?
A: No. Clean installs of Windows 10 on a Windows 7 or Windows 8.x device via booting from media are not considered “upgrades”, so the free upgrade offer will not apply. For your Windows 10 installation to be considered an upgrade, you must start installation of Windows 10 while booted in Windows 7 or Windows 8.x
Windows 10 License Number
If you attempt to clean install Windows 10 on a device that hasn’t taken advantage of the free upgrade offer and successfully activated Windows 10 online before, you will be prompted to enter a Windows 10 product key to continue installing Windows 10.
Q: After doing a free upgrade to Windows 10, how do I clean install Windows 10 subsequently?
A: Once your device upgrades to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer and activates online automatically, you will be able to clean install (i.e. boot from media and install Windows 10) the same edition of Windows 10 that you upgraded to on the same device during and after the free upgrade offer.
...
The automatic online activation will occur seamlessly after clean installing Windows 10 if the device had previously upgraded and activated online the same Edition of Windows 10. No product keys are required.
![Windows Windows](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BtAZzrPvQMM/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Windows 10 free upgrade serial number Windows 10 free upgrade serial number](https://winaero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/WIndows-10-hdd-serial-number.png)
I didn't need a Windows 10 key at all. I was told the best way to do it was as such:
Install widows 10 via upgrade.
Serial Number Windows 10 Pro
Leave on for about 2 hours to make sure windows recieves registration info.
Use Windows 10 media creation USB stick you can download to clean install Windows 10 on another or same drive, reformatting the old one.
This worked for me.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windows-7windows-10windows-10-upgradeserial-number or ask your own question.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
3. LicenseCrawler
Find the keys for Windows and a wealth of other software
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
Windows 10 Pro Product Keygen
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.
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
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.