Reinstall win 11 Pro

[Denny]

I built a computer and installed Win 11 Pro. Years later I gave the computer to a relative and I want to reinstall the Win 11 Pro and remove all my info. If I need the Win 11 product key - how do I find it. I tried using Command Prompt steps twice - nothing, using PowerShell steps twice - nothing, Registry Editor once. still nothing.
Do I even need the Product key. Won't it install the key on its own when asked for. I will be using a USB with Win 11 Media Creation tool on it.

 

[Bastet]

You can try using showkey plus from the MS App Store which may show the key but unless the key is retails it’s tied to the Motherboard & can’t be used on another PC.
If you’re installing on the same PC then once the you/the new owner signs in it’ll activate automatically. On setup when it asks for the key just skip this.

 

[mahoneycutt]

Windows 11 product keys live at Microsoft. If you reinstall Windows 11 on a PC
that previously had Windows 11, it should automatically activate.

 

[Denny]

You can try using showkey plus from the MS App Store which may show the key but unless the key is retails it’s tied to the Motherboard & can’t be used on another PC.
If you’re installing on the same PC then once the you/the new owner signs in it’ll activate automatically. On setup when it asks for the key just skip this.

Thanks. Showkey worked.

 

[Denny]

Windows 11 product keys live at Microsoft. If you reinstall Windows 11 on a PC
that previously had Windows 11, it should automatically activate.

Thank you. I also installed Showkey and it worked.

 

[Bastet]

Good to hear.

 

[Grizzly]

There is only one catch. If you use YOUR key on your new computer, the Windows installation on your old computer (the one you gave away) becomes invalid as one can use a key on one computer only. Once the key is used, Microsoft stores a hardware token on their servers. That way, if Windows is reinstalled on that computer again, is no need to enter the key as Windows will be activated automatically. However, if you transfer they key to a new computer, you might run into some activation issues