How to Find Your Windows 8 Serial Number

If you're planning to reinstall Windows 8 on your PC, you'll need to enter the product key during the installation process. But where do you find this crucial piece of information? Fortunately, it's stored in a few different places on your computer, making it relatively easy to extract.

Stored in Software on Your PC

When you or your PC manufacturer installs Windows 8, the operating system stores its product key in the registry. This means that the key is buried deep within the software, waiting to be uncovered.

The good news is that you don't need to have access to the actual computer where the key was originally installed. You can recover a key even if your computer won't boot anymore. This raises the question of why Microsoft makes it so difficult for users to see their product keys in plain text. After all, the keys are stored in the registry and can be read by software, even if not by humans.

Finding Your Product Key

To find your Windows 8 serial number, you'll need to access the disk drive from a working computer. Here's where things get a bit tricky: the product ID is stored in the registry, but it's in a binary format that can't be read by humans without some advanced technical knowledge.

In the screenshot above, you can see the product ID stored in the registry, but it looks like gibberish to anyone who doesn't speak Cylon. Fortunately, there are software tools available that can help you extract and decode this information.

By following these steps, you should be able to find your Windows 8 serial number and enter it when reinstalling Windows on your PC. Happy troubleshooting!

How to find your windows 8 serial number