How to read out your Windows 10 serial number

When you install Windows 10 for the first time, you will be asked for the serial number, a 25-digit code, without which the operating system will not be activated. If you want to read out the product key, you have several options to do so.

How does the Windows 10 serial number readout work?

The serial number of the Windows 10 version is well hidden by Windows. To find the product key is encrypted in the registry, however. If you just want to assign the Windows key, you can display the last 5 digits in the command prompt:

1. Press Windows key + R, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Now enter this command: slmgr /dli

Read out serial number with free tool

It is easier and faster to read out the product key with the help of free online tools such as Windows Product Key Viewer and Windows Product Key Extractor. To read out the serial number with one of the applications, you only need to perform a few steps:

1. Call up one of the free applications and download it.
2. Unpack the program, if necessary, and run the .exe file.
3. Depending on the program, a request appears that this tool needs to perform a look into the deeper system data to find the serial number.
4. Der Produkt-Key wird Ihnen nach dem Ausführen angezeigt.
5. Diesen können Sie in die Zwischenablage kopieren (Rechtsklick > Kopieren).
6. Anschließend geben Sie die erhaltene Seriennummer ein und aktivieren Windows 10.

Bei einem Upgrade von Windows 7 oder 8 auf 10 benötigen Sie den alten (Win 7 oder 8) Key, der von Windows 10 durch den hinterlegten Eintrag auf den Microsoft-Servern aktiviert wird.