How to Find Your Windows Product Key from a Disconnected Computer [2024 Guide]

How to Retrieve Your Windows 10 Product Key from an Unbootable PC

Suppose you are faced with a similar issue where your PC or laptop seems unable to boot or has suddenly become unbootable. In that case, you'd want to retrieve the Windows product key before reinstalling the system. Stay right here; we'll walk you through the detailed steps on how to easily recover or retrieve the Windows or installed application's product key from an unbootable or corrupted computer.

Let's get started.

4 Ways to Retrieve Your Windows Product Key from a Dead PC

Here's a list of tools you can try to retrieve your Windows product key from a frozen or unbootable computer:

1. #1. COA 
2. #2. Microsoft account
3. #3. Microsoft Support team
4. #4. Key Finder tool

• Supported OS: Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista, and Windows Server.
• When to Use: Find the Windows product key from an unbootable or corrupted PC.

#1. Retrieving the Windows Product Key from a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) for a Deactivated PC

• Tool: Authenticity Certificate
• Duration: 1 minute

The proof of license, or COA sticker, is often attached to the box that Windows comes in. When you buy an operating system like Windows 7, for example, you get a box with an installation CD, a COA sticker, and some documentation.

The COA sticker has the system product key. So, if you still have that sticker, that's how you can find the product key for a deactivated Windows computer.

Step 1: Remove the COA sticker

Step 2: Locate the Windows product key on the sticker.

#2. Find Windows Product Key from a Deactivated PC with a Microsoft Account

• Tools: Microsoft account, username, and password. • Time required: 1-2 minutes.

If you bought Windows from the Microsoft Store, you can recover your Windows key from your Microsoft account by following the steps here:

Note that you will need a healthy computer to assist with this process.

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Store.

Step 2: Sign in with your Microsoft account, using your username and password.

Go to Downloads > Product Keys.

Step 4: Then choose Subscriptions and click on “Digital Content.”

Your Windows product key should be listed under this section.

#3. Contact Microsoft Support to inquire about your Windows key

• Tools: Phone or e-mail, Microsoft support team.
• Durations: 2-5 minutes, or longer.

The last official method you can try is to contact Microsoft's support team for assistance. If you manage to get in touch with a Microsoft support agent, they might be able to find your Windows product key from your broken computer.

Step 1. Go to the Microsoft Support page.

Step 2: Click Support.

Step 3: Describe the problem you're having with your computer to the tech support team and ask for help.

Get your Windows product key from the Microsoft Support team:

#4 Use Windows Product Key Viewer - KeyFinder Software

Tools needed: A new computer, an SATA data cable, and a Windows product key finder tool. Time required: Approximately 5 minutes.

Aside from the methods mentioned above, there's one more simple and clever solution that can help you out – you need to turn to a reliable Windows product key viewer, the software KeyFinder Tool, also known as KeyFinder.

This is an HTML code for embedding a YouTube video. When displayed on a webpage, it will show a video player with a height of 450 pixels and a width of 700 pixels, allowing fullscreen playback and enabling various device features such as accelerometer, autoplay, clipboard-write, encrypted-media, gyroscope, and picture-in-picture. The ID of the video is "EUicf9T3nlo".

Its main function is to let you scan and view product keys in two easy steps. Here's how:

First, remove the operating-system drive from the retired computer.

You have to open up the case of the computer, find the system drive, and remove it from the dead computer.

Next, attach the system disk to a new machine.

Then you'll need a SATA-to-USB 3.0 adapter to turn your drive or SSD into an external drive.

Finally, run the Key Finder software to locate your Windows product key.

Now, you can run the Todo Key Finder tool with the Product Key feature to scan and retrieve the stuck Windows product key:

Step one: Connect the system drive from the computer that won't boot or is experiencing errors to a functioning PC via a SATA-to-USB cable as an external drive.

Connect the operating system drive to the new computer via USB-SATA cable as an external hard drive:

Step 2. On a working computer, start the Key Finder tool, click on “External Hard Disk,” and then select the faulty or non-bootable operating system drive from the “Select Drive” section. Click “Scan” to proceed.

Alternatively, you can browse under “Choose a Microsoft account” to select the user account on the crashed or unbootable OS drive.

Step 3: Retrieve important product keys from the failed or unbootable computer's operating system drive.

Find your Windows, app, or Wi-Fi password:

Click “Windows” or “Applications.” The Windows product key for your crashed or unbootable PC, or the product keys for programs installed on it, will appear in the right-hand pane. Click “Copy,” “Print,” or “Save” to back up your Windows or software product keys, or your WiFi passwords.

2. Find passwords for browsers or Windows credentials:

Click “Internet & Network” or “Windows Credentials” on the left and then click “Verify Now.”

• Sign in with the Microsoft account and password for the damaged or unbootable PC to authenticate.

Then, you will see all of the saved usernames and passwords from your web browsers and computer. You can “Copy,” “Print,” or “Save” these usernames and passwords as a backup for your new computer.

Conclusions

With one of these four methods, you should be able to retrieve or recover a Windows product key from a bricked or unbootable PC.

Note that if you don't have a COA sticker or can't remember your Microsoft account, you can always turn to the Key Finder tool for help. It's always there for you.