Microsoft Windows NT Server x.xx serial key or number

The product key is a usually unique, alphanumeric code of any length required by many software programs during installation. They help software developers ensure that each copy of their software was legally purchased.

Most software, including some operating systems and programs from most popular software makers, require product keys. As a general rule these days, if you pay for a program, then it probably requires a product key during install.

In addition to product keys, some software makers, including Microsoft, often require product activation to help further ensure that software is obtained legally.

Open source and free software programs usually don't require a product key unless the manufacturer implements its use for statistical purposes.

How Product Keys Are Used

A product key is like a password for a program. This password is given upon buying the software and can only be used with that specific application. Without the product key, the program will most likely not open past the product key page, or it might run but only as a trial of the full version.

Product keys can usually only be used by one installation of the program but some product key servers allow for the same key to be used by any number of people so long as they're not used simultaneously.

In these circumstances, there's a limited number of product key slots, so if the program using the key is shut down, another can be opened and use that same slot.

Microsoft Product Keys

All Microsoft Windows operating system versions require the entry of unique product keys during the installation process, as do all versions of Microsoft Office and most other Microsoft retail programs.

Microsoft product keys are often located on a product key sticker. In most versions of Windows and other Microsoft software, product keys are 25-characters in length and contain both letters and numbers.

In all versions of Windows since Windows 98, including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, product keys are of the five-by-five set (25-character) form as in xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx.

Older versions of Windows, like Windows NT and Windows 95, had 20-character product keys that took the form of xxxxx-xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxx.

See our Windows Product Key FAQ for more information about Windows product keys.

Locating Product Keys

Since product keys are required during installation, finding that you've lost a product key could be a serious problem if you need to reinstall a program. You probably don't need to repurchase the software but instead, just find the key you used when it was first installed.

The unique product key entered for an operating system or a software program is typically stored in an encrypted format in the Windows Registry, at least in Windows. This security makes finding one very difficult without some help.

Special programs called product key finders locate these keys, as long as the program or operating system hasn't already been erased. See our Free Product Key Finder Programs list for updated reviews of the best of these tools.

Warning About Downloading Product Keys

There are lots of online sources that either claim correctly that they have product keys you can use for various software programs or claim erroneously that a program they provide can generate a product key for you.

The way they sometimes work is by having you replace a DLL or EXE file on your computer with one that was taken from a legitimate copy of the software; one that is using the product key legally. Once the file replaces your copy of it, the program might now be a never-ending "trial" or will work fully if you provide the given product key that goes with the pirated software.

Another way product keys are illegally distributed is simply through text files. If the software does all of the activations offline, the same code can be used by multiple people for multiple installations without raising any flags. This loophole is why lots of software programs activate their products online by sending the product key information elsewhere to validate it.

Programs that generate product keys are called keygen programs and they usually contain malware along with the product key applier/activator. This is one of the main reasons keygens should be avoided.

No matter how you go about it, getting a product key from anyone other than the software manufacturer is most likely illegal and considered software theft, and probably isn't safe to have on your computer.

Developer(s)	DEC, TSC, Heath Company, Microsoft, IBM, DR, Novell, Toshiba, JP Software, ReactOS Contributors
Operating system	OS/8, FLEX, HDOS, DOS, MSX-DOS, FlexOS, SpartaDOS X, 4690 OS, OS/2, Windows, ReactOS, KolibriOS, SymbOS, DexOS
Type	Command

In computing, (short for version) is a command in various command-line interpreters (shells) such as , and 4DOS/4NT. It prints the name and version of the operating system, the command shell, or in some implementations the version of other commands. It is roughly equivalent to the Unix command .

Implementations[edit]

The command is available in FLEX, HDOS,^[1]DOS, FlexOS,^[2]SpartaDOS X,^[3]4690 OS,^[4]OS/2,^[5]Windows,^[6] and ReactOS.^[7] It is also available in the open-source MS-DOS emulatorDOSBox, in the KolibriOS Shell^[8] and in the EFI shell.^[9]

TSC FLEX[edit]

In TSC's FLEX operating system, the command is used to display the version number of a utility or program.^[10] In some versions the command is called .^[11][12]

DOS[edit]

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.^[13] MS-DOS versions up to 6.22 typically derive the DOS version from the DOS kernel. This may be different from the string printed on start-up.

PC DOS typically derives the version from an internal string in (so PC DOS 6.1 reports the version as 6.10, although the kernel version is 6.00.)

DR DOS 6.0 also includes an implementation of the command.^[14]DR-DOS reports whatever value the environment variable reports.

PTS-DOS includes an implementation of this command that can display, modify, and restore the DOS version number.^[15]

IBM OS/2[edit]

OS/2 reports an internal string, with the OS/2 version. The underlying kernel here is 5.00, but modified to report x0.xx (where x.xx is the OS/2 version).

Microsoft Windows[edit]

Windows 9x report a string from inside command.com. The build version (e.g. 2222), is also derived from there.

Windows NT reports either the 32-bit processor string (4nt, cmd), or under some loads, MS-DOS 5.00.500, (for all builds). The underlying kernel reports 5.00 or 5.50 depending on the interrupt. MS-DOS 5.00 commands run unmodified on NT.

Microsoft Windows also includes a GUI (Windows dialog) variant of the command called , which shows the Service Pack or Windows Update installed (if any) as well as the version. In Windows before Windows for Workgroups 3.11, running from DOS reported an embedded string in .

Windows also includes the command that is used to set the version number that the MS-DOS subsystem (NTVDM) reports to a DOS program.^[16] This command is not available on Windows XP 64-Bit Edition.^[17]

DOSBox[edit]

In DOSBox, the command is used to view and set the reported DOS version. It also displays the running DOSBox version. The syntax to set the reported DOS version is the following:

The parameter is the number before the period, and is what comes after. Versions can range from 0.0 to 255.255. Any values over 255 will loop from zero. (That is, 256=0, 257=1, 258=2, etc.)^[18]

Others[edit]

AmigaDOS provides a command. It displays the current version number of the Kickstart and Workbench.^[19] The DECOS/8CCL command prints the version numbers of both the OS/8 Keyboard Monitor and CCL.^[20]

Syntax[edit]

Some versions of MS-DOS support an undocumented switch, which will show the revision as well as the version.

Version list[edit]

The following table lists version numbers from various Microsoft operating systems:^[21][22][23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Have you ever needed to find a Windows product key? Maybe you’re troubleshooting a Windows PC, planning on re-installing Windows 10 in a virtual machine, installing on a PC, or installing into Boot Camp on a Mac, or maybe you have a PC computer running Windows that needs the Windows product key for some reason or another.

This article will show you three different ways for how to find a Windows product key directly from Windows itself on the computer, without having to rely on tracking down the Windows product key card from a box, email, or COA. So if you lost or misplaced any of those, don’t worry, the methods covered will work to retrieve the Windows product key directly from Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or even Linux. And yes if you’re running Windows in Boot Camp on a Mac or in a VM, these tricks work there too.

This article is obviously aimed at users who need their Windows product key for whatever reason. Nonetheless, it’s worth remembering that you can download the Windows 10 ISO directly from Microsoft for free, and you can then use that ISO to create a Windows 10 installer drive for Boot Camp, install Windows 10 into VirtualBox (also free), into Parallels or VMWare, or even for installing on PC hardware. And no, you do not need to activate in order to install Windows 10 from the ISO, nor do you need a product key, but of course there are some limitations with running Windows without activation, of which you can always activate later if needed. Anyway, assuming you have an authorized version of Windows running somewhere and you need the product key, read on to discover three ways to retrieve it.

How to Get the Windows Product Key via cmd in Windows

The simplest way to find the Windows Product Key license is to turn to a privileged command prompt in Windows and execute a command that retrieves the software license product key.

From Windows, open a new Administrator Command Prompt window and then enter the following syntax:

Hit Enter / Return for the Windows product key to be displayed, it is a 25 character alphanumeric string in the format of the following:

That’s it. You can get the Windows product key on nearly any Windows installation using this method.

How to Find Windows Product License Key via Powershell

You can also retrieve a Windows product key from Windows Power Shell with the following command string, entered into a privileged command prompt:

Regardless of which method you use, the product key will be the same (assuming it’s being run on the same installation of Windows anyway).

How to Get Windows Product Key via Linux

You can also get the Windows Product Key from Linux by entering the following privileged command:

Executed correctly with the proper syntax and you’ll find your Windows product key immediately reported back.

This handy linux trick was found on Twitter by @brandonprry and is perfect for users who dual boot Windows and Linux on a computer. And no, in case you were wondering, the linux specific trick does not seem to work from a Mac running Windows in Boot Camp, but if you do know of a method to retrieve a Windows product key used in Boot Camp from Mac OS, share it with us in the comments below.

You can use any of the three methods outlined above to find the Windows product key, obviously two are specific to Windows while the third applies to Linux. There are other options available as well, including using Windows specific utilities like ProduKey which can reveal a Windows product key as well as a Microsoft Office product key, which is quite helpful if you’ve misplaced those as well.

Where can I find the Windows product key usually?

Aside from using the above methods to find a Windows Product Key, the typical places you’d find the 25 digit license key code are; on the COA sticker, in the physical software box, or in an email if you bought Windows digitally.

As you may already know, the most typical place for the Windows product key to be found is on the shiny COA (Certificate of Authenticity) sticker adhered to the enclosure of a Windows PC, whether it’s a laptop or desktop, but maybe that sticker was lost, peeled off, damaged, or never included at all.

If you bought a physical copy of Windows, the product key is typically included in the box itself on a piece of paper, but of course that can be lost or misplaced.

And if you bought Windows digitally, you typically get the product key in an email instead.

But if you’re running Windows in a virtual machine, or on a Mac in Boot Camp, or on a home-built PC or even some laptops, the Certificate of Authenticity sticker for Windows that includes the product key will not be available, and perhaps you long ago lost the email or box containing the product key itself. Or maybe you’re on the road and just don’t have the materials with you, or access to the email or other methods of obtaining the license key. This happens fairly often, regardless of how, where, and why you’re using Windows, which is why it can be so helpful to retrieve the product key directly from software.

Obviously if you don’t use Windows then this will be of no use to you, but Windows remains the most common operating system in corporate, government, and educational environments, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. So even if you’re a heavy Mac user or Linux user, you may still be working with Windows from time-to-time, and this can apply to you as well.

If you know of any other tips, tricks, or methods to obtain the Windows product key license number from Windows, Linux, or Mac OS, share them with us in the comments below!