Volume licenses are often purchased in bulk by large companies, educational institutes, or the government. Check with your manufacturer on how to do that. You can not install Windows using this key, but you can recover from a preinstalled partition on your computer. This is preinstalled no activation required key. OEM licenses are standard with brand-name computers, including Dell, Hewlett, Packard, Compaq, etc. Nowadays, most of these licenses are embedded in the BIOS or UEFI firmware. OEM or Original Equipment Manufacturer means your copy of Windows came installed on your computer and is licensed only to that computer for its lifespan. Retail Windows can be transferred and activated to another computer but only assigned to one computer at any time.

So, what are the differences between Retail, OEM, or Volume?Ī retail license means you purchased Windows either online or at a store, and you should have a physical copy. A partial product key will also be displayed and whether it is licensed. You should see what edition you have (Home, Pro), and the second line will tell you if you have Retail, OEM, or Volume. Wait a few seconds for the Windows Script Manager to appear and tell you which license type you have.

There are a few possible commands depending on whether you use PowerShell, Command Prompt, or Windows Terminal: However, the steps to retrieve product keys for older Windows versions may differ.TIP: Hard to fix Windows Problems? Repair/Restore Missing Windows OS Files Damaged by Malware with a few clicksįinding out which type you have is easy to do, so let's get that out of the way. In addition, to deinstall or reinstall another Windows version you might need a Windows 7 product key or Windows 8 product key.

You have a volume licensing contract or MSDN subscription.

You’ve got a digital version of the operating system from an authorized dealer.

You’ve purchased the disc-based Windows 10 version.

In the following situations it may be necessary to retrieve the Windows 10 product key: If you’ve purchased a digital license, you may be able to view the Windows 10 license and get a product key afterwards.

You purchase an operating system via the Microsoft Store.

You upgrade Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10.

You purchased a new PC with a Windows operating system.

Even when you’re reinstalling Windows 10, the system detects the license automatically. The operating system can be activated via your Microsoft account. Digital licenses allow for the simple installation of an operating system without requiring a bootable device. With the launch of Windows 10, product keys have become less important because Microsoft launched digital licenses in 2016.

Windows 10 key oem