You may have bought a cheap copy of Windows 10 from a third-party seller who is in fact selling cracked versions of the operating system. The short answer is that the counterfeit software business is big money. So why would your copy be cracked unbeknownst to you? Obviously, if you cracked your copy of Windows yourself you wouldn’t be reading this article. Microsoft seems cool with it, so until their stance changes you might not actually have to pay any money for a Windows key. If you want to use Windows 10 on a secondary computer or in a virtual machine where you don’t care about the minor restrictions imposed by not activating it, you may never have to bother. You can save up for a Windows license and buy it when you’re ready. However, the steps to retrieve product keys for older Windows versions may differ.So if you’re in a hurry to get a key because you believe your computer is going to stop working or isn’t getting security patches, you don’t have to worry.

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 digital key