How to Find Your Lost Microsoft Office Product Key: A Step-by-Step Guide

Using a third-party program like Nirsoft’s Produkey or ShowKeyPlus, or EaseUS Key Finder is the best way to get back a lost product key for Windows or an Office software. You might also have a product key written on your PC or disk box sign.

Before we talk about how to find lost product key for Microsoft office for Windows and mac, we need to know how many types of Microsoft office 

What are the 4 types of Microsoft Office?

for Windows :

Microsoft Office Professional : 2021, 2019, 2016, 2010

For windows and Mac

Microsoft Office Home and Business : 2021, 2019, 2016

Microsoft Office Home and Student : 2021, 2019, 2016

Microsoft Office 365 pro plus subscription (works for ipad and mobile)

1. How do you define a Microsoft Office Key (MOK) : 

 It is also alternatively famous as a product key or activation key. It can be defined as the unique alphanumeric code that is accustomed to license and activate a given version of Microsoft Office Software. Once you pick up a copy of Microsoft Office, either physically or online, it is typical that you are going to be accommodated with a product key. The product key is mandatory as a means to activate the software. The main idea of a product key is to impede forgery and piracy, meaning only users who have bought a legal copy of the software are allowed to use it. You will procure all the features of the purchased Microsoft Office immediately after you enter and validate the product key.

 When talking about Microsoft Office Product Key, we shouldn’t forget to mention the common scenarios someone might need to find a lost product key: here they are as follows ; 

  1- Reinstalling Software:  when reinstalling software you bought, you will be asked to enter a product key to finalize the installation. If you lose the packaging or documentation of the software, you will surely need to find the lost product key.

 2- Upgrading Hardware:  upgrading Hardware requires reinstalling the afore-installed software; as a result, you will be prompted to enter a product key to maintain a successful installation of the software.

 3- Recovering from a computer crash: the same happens when your PC crashes. The reinstallation of software always requires entering a product key.

 4- Transferring software to a new computer: to move software from an old to a new computer, you may need the product key to make it work.

 5-Verifying authenticity: it may be necessary to locate the product key to validate the legitimacy of the software being used. This can occur during a software audit or providing evidence of software license ownership.

Don’t be afraid. Here, we’ll show you 5 safe ways to recover a lost product key on Windows 11/10/8/7 that anyone can use by following the steps in the guides. Let’ see.

5 Ways to Find a Lost Windows or Microsoft office Product Key:

• #1. Check the COA Sticker
• #2. 1-Click Windows Product Key Finder
• #3. Use NirSoft’s ProduKey
• #4. Use ShowKeyPlus to Recover Lost Keys
• #5. Powershell Command
• #6. CMD Command
• #7. Notepad

The ways are listed from easiest to most difficult. Method 1 and Method 2 are suggested because they are the best ways to do it. Try way 3, Method 4, or Method 5 for a more complicated built-in Windows way.

Here, we’ll use the latest version of Windows 11, Windows 11, to show you how everything works. Let’s follow the steps below to start looking for your lost or forgotten Windows product key. 

Method 1: Find the product key for Windows 11/10/8/7 on the COA sticker

COA Sticker, which is also called a “Certificate of Authenticity Sticker,” is often put on computers that come with the Windows operating system. The COA sticker makes sure that the laptop or PC comes with a real copy of Windows. Also, a product key for the computer’s present operating system is written on the stick. 

So, if your computer has the original version of Windows loaded, you can check the Windows COA sticker to find the lost product key:

Step 1: Look at the back of your computer or where the keyboard is. 

Most COA stickers are put on the back of computers right now.

Step 2: Find the Windows product key that you lost.

Most of the time, it’s a series of numbers written on the COA sticker under where it says “Product Key.”

Note that the original product key on the COA sticker might not work if you update Windows OS. Methods 2, 3, 4, and 5 can help you find the current key on your computer.

Method 2: Find a lost Windows 11/10/8/7 or Microsoft Office product key with Product Key Finder

The other easy way to find a lost product key on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or even an older Windows PC is to use EaseUS Key Finder, which is trusted product key finder software. 

With this product key finder, it only takes one click to find the lost product key on a Windows machine. Check out what else this program can do:

Step 1: Under the Registry Key, click the “Windows” tab.

Step 2: Look at the product key for Windows on the right. Just click “Copy” to paste. Or choose the other two:

“Save” lets you save the file locally as a PDF.

Click “Print” to print the key file.

3. Use NirSoft’s ProduKey to get back your product keys, even if you can’t get your computer to start up.

Note: Because of what it does and how it works, Nirsoft’s ProduKey will almost certainly set off your antivirus. ShowKeyPlus is a choice if you want a solution that works for Windows 10 and Windows 11 and won’t set off your antivirus.

A third-party tool is the easiest way to get your product key, and NirSoft is the best at making them. Their tools never have junkware and always work well. The only problem with this tool is that some security programs will flag it as a fake positive because malware could try to steal your product key.

Note: Depending on how the OEM chose to activate the licenses, NirSoft’s tool might not always work on OEM computers. This won’t work if the company that built your computer used the same key for all of them. It also doesn’t work with Microsoft Office 2013 and later versions.

All you have to do to see all of your product keys is download ProduKey, open it, and run it. That’s all there is to it.

If you want to get a key from a computer that is no longer working, you can connect the hard drive to a computer that is working, run ProduKey, and then use File > Select Source to point to the external Windows location. Then it will be easy to get the keys from that machine.

You can also use a Linux live CD to copy the Windows folders from the other computer to a thumb drive, or you can just copy the registry files if you prefer. We have a guide on how to get data off a dead computer if you need it.

4. Use ShowKeyPlus to find keys you’ve lost.

Nirsoft’s program works, but your security or browser might give you a warning about it. ShowKeyPlus is a good choice if you don’t want to deal with that. ShowKeyPlus for Windows 10 and Windows 11 can be bought from the Microsoft Store.

Open the Microsoft Store, look for ShowKeyPlus, click the “Install” button, and wait while it downloads and installs. The program is pretty small, so it shouldn’t take too long.

After it has downloaded, click “Open,” and it will show you the product keys on your machine.

It’s important to remember that there may be both a set key and an OEM key. OEM keys, which stand for “Original Equipment Manufacturer,” are tied to the device’s hardware. If you bought a pre-built desktop PC or laptop, the OEM key and the key that came with it will be the same unless you bought a different Windows license separately.

If you bought and installed a different Windows license for a prebuilt computer, laptop, or computer you built yourself, make sure you get the installed key and not the OEM key.

2. Check for the product key on your computer

  1-where product keys are stored on Windows and Mac computer

Product keys for software are usually saved in different locations on Windows and Mac computers. On Windows, the product keys are typically stored in the Windows Registry. You can access the Registry Editor by pressing “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialogue box, then typing “regedit” and hitting Enter. You can navigate to the appropriate location to find your product key.

The product keys are generally saved on Mac computers in the Keychain Access application, located in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. Once you launch Keychain Access, you can search for the name of the software product to find its associated product key.

  2-Step-by-step instructions for locating the product key using a command prompt or PowerShell (for Windows users).

Here are step-by-step instructions for locating the product key using a command prompt or PowerShell on a Windows computer:

Using Command Prompt (CMD) :

1. Open the Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Run dialogue box (press “Windows key + R” to open it).
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and select “Run as administrator”.

3. Type “wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey” and hit Enter.

4. Your product key should now be displayed on the screen. If nothing shows up or it keeps saying “OA3xOriginalProductKey,” you do not have Workplace Discount Program software. In the Command Prompt, try the “OSPP.VBS” Powershell steps listed below.

Using PowerShell:

1. Open PowerShell by typing “PowerShell” in the Run dialogue box (press “Windows key + R” to open it).
2. Right-click on the PowerShell icon and select “Run as administrator”.

3. Type ” wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey  and hit Enter.

4. You can also use the following:

(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey

5.  After the command has been run, your product key should show up. If not, you have a physical copy of Office retail instead of a digital one. Do the next thing.
6. Paste the matching text string mentioned below (the right location of “OSPP.vbs), then press “Enter” to run it:

• Office 2016-2021 (32-bit) on a 32-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.vbs” /dstatus
  Office 2016-2021 (32-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2016-2021 (64-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2013 (32-bit) on a 32-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2013 (32-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\OSPP.vbs” /dstatus
  Office 2013 (64-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2010 (32-bit) on a 32-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2010 (32-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2010 (64-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2007 (32-bit) on a 32-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2007 (32-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2007 (64-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2003 (32-bit) on a 32-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2003 (32-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office11\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
  Office 2003 (64-bit) on a 64-bit Windows OS
  cscript “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\OSPP.VBS” /dstatus

 3-Step-by-step instructions for locating the product key using Terminal (for Mac users)

To locate the product key on a Mac using Terminal, follow these steps:

1. Access Terminal by either searching for it in Spotlight (CMD + Space) or navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Once Terminal is open, enter the command below and press Enter:
   sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c “Print :ProductKey” /Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Office365/UserContent/uls.plist
   If prompted, enter your admin password.
3. The product key will be displayed in the Terminal window.

Keep in mind that these steps are specifically for Mac users looking to find the product key for Microsoft Office 2019 and Office 365. If you’re using a different version of Microsoft Office or a different operating system, the steps may differ.

3.Retrieve the product key from your Microsoft account

The product key was added to your Microsoft Account if the Windows license was purchased through the Microsoft Store. This indicates that you received the key from Microsoft in a confirmation email. Look through your email for it. Search the rubbish folder if you don’t see it. The key is lost after it has been activated and is associated with your Microsoft account. Go to your account and select Office installation from the “Subscriptions and services” menu.

1. go to the link https://account.microsoft.com/services

2. sign in with your email who used for product key

3. go to service and subscription in top of menu

How to Find the Office Product Key on Windows 10 and Windows 11

With Windows 10 and 11, you may get the final five characters of your product key using PowerShell, Command Prompt, the Registry, or even third-party applications. Once you have those, you may use a match-finding email search to obtain the whole key, look for the original packaging that has those final five characters, or get in touch with your administrator in networked scenarios.

4. Contact Microsoft support

 1-when it’s appropriate to contact Microsoft for help finding a lost product key?

If you have legitimately purchased a Microsoft product and need help locating the product key, it is appropriate to seek Microsoft’s assistance. 

Situations that may require you to contact Microsoft for help include: losing the product key after purchase, being unable to find the key after upgrading or reinstalling Windows, or the key not working on a used computer. 

In such cases, Microsoft support can help locate the product key, but you must provide evidence of purchase or ownership, such as the original receipt or email confirmation. Microsoft may then provide you with a new product key or aid in recovering the lost one.

2-what to expect when contacting support

When you contact Microsoft support, they can assist you with various issues relating to their products and services. Here are some crucial points to remember:

1. Contact options: Microsoft provides multiple ways to contact their support teams, such as phone, chat, and email support, and you can also visit their website for forums and troubleshooting guides.
2. Issue resolution: Microsoft’s support team will work with you to solve your problem quickly and effectively. Depending on the issue, they may need to use troubleshooting techniques, provide software updates, or refer you to an expert for more assistance.
3. Verification process: For security reasons, Microsoft might need to verify your identity before providing support. This may involve giving personal information such as your name, email address, and phone number or answering security questions.
4. Availability: Microsoft’s support team is accessible 24/7, but response times can vary depending on the contact method and complexity of the issue.
5. Technical expertise: Microsoft’s support team comprises trained technical specialists with in-depth knowledge of their products and services. They can guide you on everything from basic software installation to complicated network setups.

In summary, contacting Microsoft support can be a beneficial way to solve your issues and maximize your use of their products and services. Just make sure to provide detailed information about your issue and cooperate with the support team to reach a solution.

3-what to expect when contacting support

To ensure a smooth process with Microsoft support, consider these tips:

1. Ensure you have all the necessary information before contacting Microsoft support, such as your account information, error messages (if any), and device or product details.
2. Select the appropriate support channel based on your preferences and requirements. Microsoft provides various support options, including email, live chat, phone, and community forums.
3. Be patient and respectful while communicating with the support agent. Although they are trained to help customers, they may require some time to diagnose the problem and provide a solution.
4. Clearly and concisely describe the problem you’re experiencing, including any relevant information that may assist the support agent in identifying the issue.
5. Adhere to the instructions given by the support agent, who may provide guidance or troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue. Be sure to provide feedback on the results.
6. Keep track of your communications with Microsoft support, including the agent’s name, date and time of the conversation, and any solutions or instructions given. This may be helpful if you need to follow up later.
7. If you are dissatisfied with the support you receive, request that the issue be escalated to a higher-level agent or supervisor.

Following these guidelines can improve your chances of having a positive and efficient experience with Microsoft support.