How to Retrieve Your Windows Product Key Using Notepad and a VBS Script

If you’ve ever needed to reinstall Windows or move your license to a new PC, you’ll know that finding your Windows product key can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, there’s a simple and effective way to retrieve your Windows product key using a VBS (Visual Basic Script) file. In this post, I’ll guide you through the process of creating a script using Notepad that will reveal your Windows product key in just a few steps.

What You Need

• A Windows PC
• Notepad (which comes pre-installed on all versions of Windows)

Step-by-Step Guide to Retrieve Your Windows Product Key

Step 1: Open Notepad

The first step is to open Notepad. You can do this by:

1. Pressing Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Typing notepad and pressing Enter.

Step 2: Copy and Paste the VBS Script

Next, you’ll need to copy a small script into Notepad. This script will extract the product key from your Windows registry.

Here’s the script you need:

Set WshShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead(“HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId”))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = “BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789”
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 – i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = “-” & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

Simply copy this entire block of code and paste it into your open Notepad window.

Step 3: Save the File as a VBS Script

After pasting the script into Notepad, you’ll need to save it as a VBS file:

1. Click on File in the top menu and select Save As....
2. In the “Save as type” dropdown, choose All Files.
3. Name your file something memorable, such as GetWindowsKey.vbs.
4. Make sure to add .vbs at the end of the file name so that it saves as a VBS script.
5. Choose a location to save the file (your Desktop is a good choice), and click Save.

Step 4: Run the VBS Script

Now that you’ve saved your script, it’s time to run it:

1. Navigate to where you saved the file (e.g., your Desktop).
2. Double-click the GetWindowsKey.vbs file.

A message box should appear displaying your Windows product key. You can write this key down or save it somewhere safe for future use.

Additional Tips

• Compatibility: This method works on most versions of Windows, including Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.
• Administrative Rights: In some cases, you may need to run the script with administrative privileges. If the script doesn’t work as expected, try right-clicking the .vbs file and selecting Run as administrator.
• Backup: Always make sure to keep a backup of your product key in a secure place. This key is crucial for reinstalling or activating Windows.

Conclusion

Using this simple Notepad and VBS script method, you can easily retrieve your Windows product key in just a few steps. This can save you time and effort when you need to reinstall Windows or move your license to a new computer. Happy scripting!