How to find computer serial numbers on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

On Windows 10, the ability to check the computer serial number can come in handy in many scenarios. For instance, when you need to create an inventory of the devices connected to your home network or organization, or need to contact technical support to troubleshoot a problem, order a replacement part, or check the warranty information.

Usually, you can find the required information on the sticker affixed on the back or bottom of your laptop or desktop, or checking the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) on your motherboard. However, if the sticker isn’t available or you don’t want to go through extra steps to access firmware, you can also use PowerShell and Command Prompt to retrieve this information quickly on Windows 10.

In addition, using commands can be useful to automate the process using a script when you need to retrieve the serial information from multiple devices.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to quickly find your device serial number using command lines.

How to determine PC serial number using PowerShell

To retrieve the serial number of your computer with a PowerShell command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to find out the computer serial number and press Enter:

Get-WmiObject win32_bios | select Serialnumber

Source: Windows Central

(Optional) Type the following command to determine device serial number and press Enter:

Get-CIMInstance win32_bios | format-list SerialNumber

(Optional) Type the following command to export the serial information to a text file and press Enter:

Get-WmiObject win32_bios | select Serialnumber > PATH\TO\EXPORT

In the command, make sure to replace «PATH\TO\EXPORT» with the path to the text file you want to export the serial number information.

For example, this command exports the output to the ComputerSerial.txt file in the C drive:

Get-WmiObject win32_bios | select Serialnumber > C:\ComputerSerial.txt

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, you’ll know the serial number of your desktop or laptop computer.

If you are using the command to export the output, you’ll find the file in folder location you specified. Also, since you exported it as a text format, you can open it with Notepad or any other text editor.

How to determine PC serial number using Command Prompt

To check the device serial number using a Command Prompt command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to find out the computer serial number and press Enter:

wmic bios get SerialNumber

Source: Windows Central

(Optional) Type the following command to export the serial information to a text file and press Enter:

wmic bios get SerialNumber > PATH\TO\EXPORT

In the command, make sure to replace «PATH\TO\EXPORT» with the path to the text file you want to export the serial number information.

For example, this command exports the output to the ComputerSerial.txt file in the C drive:

wmic bios get SerialNumber > C:\ComputerSerial.txt

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the command will return the serial number without needing to access the BIOS or going behind the device to look for the sticker.

Although these commands will work on any computer, custom-build devices don’t have a serial number. This means that the command output may read «To Be Filled By O.E.M.»

If you’re looking to retrieve the device model number, you can use these instructions.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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How to Find Serial Number of PC or laptop in Windows 10

Last Updated April 1, 2017 By Subhash D 3 Comments

The serial number is a unique identifier number consisting of the character string, numeric digits or/and typographic symbols assigned to PC or laptops by original equipment manufacturer. A serial number of laptop helps the manufacturers in providing technical support service or warranty. Serial No. ( S/No.) also helps in tracing the equipment in case of theft. You can find the exact serial number of the laptop or branded PC in a number of ways described in simple steps in this article.

Find serial number of PC/Laptop in Command prompt

1. In windows 10, right click on start button and open Command prompt(Admin)

1. Enter the following command. “wmic bios get serialnumber”
2. You can now see the serial number of your PC/laptop

Find serial number of PC/Laptop in windows PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell
2. Type the command “ gwmi win32_bios | fl SerialNumber”
3. After you press Enter, you will be able to see the serial number.

Find serial number in BIOS settings

Depending on the system brand, you can enter the bios settings by pressing F1, F2, F10 or Del button on the keyboard after restarting or just turning On the PC or laptop. In the main settings, you will be able to find the serial number of the system.

Find Serial number of PC by visual inspection

On a branded desktop PC, you can find the serial number on the sticker pasted on the backside of the computer. If you are using a laptop you can flip the laptop to the bottom side and you will find that either the serial number is directly printed on the body or a sticker with S/No. is pasted there. In same cases, serial number is found under the laptop battery and you need to remove the battery of a laptop to find the same.

Whenever you buy a new PC or Laptop, it is important to get the invoice with serial number mentioned in it since S/N is required to be cited while getting the part replacement or claim for warranty. In case the invoice is lost, you can use any of the above methods to find the serial number of PC in windows 10 OS.

Find your Windows product key

A Windows product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows. It looks like this:

PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Locate your product key for Windows 10

Depending on how you got your copy of Windows 10, you’ll need either a 25-character product key or a digital license to activate it. A digital license (called a digital entitlement in Windows 10, Version 1511) is a method of activation in Windows 10 that doesn’t require you to enter a product key. Without one of these, you won’t be able to activate your device.

Where to find your product key depends on how you got your copy of Windows.

Select any of the following to see more information:

The product key is preinstalled on your PC, included with the packaging the PC came in, or included on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached to the PC. For more info, contact your hardware manufacturer, and for pictures of authentic product keys and COA labels, see How to tell your hardware is genuine.

The product key is on a label or card inside the box that Windows came in. For more info, contact the retailer that sold you Windows 10. How to tell your software is genuine.

Find your product key in the confirmation email you received after buying Windows 10 or in a digital locker accessible through the retailer’s website.

The product key is in the confirmation email you received after buying your digital copy of Windows. Microsoft only keeps a record of product keys if you purchased from the Microsoft online store. You can find out if you purchased from Microsoft in your Microsoft account Order history.

If you upgraded to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you should have a digital license instead of a product key.

If you bought Windows 10 Home, Professional, or Upgrade to Pro in the Windows 10 Store app, you’ll receive a digital license instead of a product key. You can use the digital license for activation.

If your product key is scratched, blurred, or otherwise unusable, contact the retailer who sold you the product. If you aren’t able to get help from your retailer or have already tried and couldn’t get a working key, call Microsoft Support.

For more information about digital licenses and product keys in Windows 10, see the “Methods of Activation” section in Activate Windows 10.

Locate your product key for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1

A product key is usually required when uninstalling or reinstalling Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Generally, if you bought a physical copy of Windows, the product key should be on a label or card inside the box that Windows came in. If Windows came preinstalled on your PC, the product key should appear on a sticker on your device. If you’ve lost or can’t find the product key, contact the manufacturer. To ensure your product key is genuine, see How to tell your software is genuine and How to tell your hardware is genuine.

Related links

For info about how to tell if your copy of Windows is genuine Microsoft software, see the How to tell page.

For more Windows 10 download info, see Download Windows 10.

If you need installation media to install or reinstall Windows, see Create installation media for Windows to learn how to create your own installation media using either a USB flash drive or a DVD.

If you need more help with activation, see Activate Windows 10.

If you’re getting an activation error, see Get help with Windows activation errors.

If you’re reinstalling Windows 10, you might not need a Windows product key. See Activation in Windows 10 for more info.

If you’re reinstalling Windows 10 due to a motherboard problem or some other hardware issue, see Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change.

If you’re looking for product keys for Office, apps, games, and more, see Find your Microsoft downloads and product keys

Find Hard Disk Serial Number in Windows 10

In Windows 10, you can see aserial number for the hard disk installed in your PC using the command line. If you need to print it out or just view your hard drive details without restarting your PC or using a third party tool, it can be done with a single command.

A serial number is a unique number assigned to the hardware by its manufacturer. It is used for identification and inventory purposes. A serial number allows the manufacturer to identify a product and get additional information about it. It may be required for replacement, updating firmware, or for checking compatibility with other hardware.

Usually, the serial number is labeled on the drive’s case.

However, it is required that you disassemble your PC to see it. Here is how to see it with built-in Windows 10 tools.

To find Hard Disk Serial Number in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Type or copy-paste the following command: wmic diskdrive get Name, Manufacturer, Model, InterfaceType, MediaType, SerialNumber .
   
3. In the output, you’ll see the model, name, and serial number listed for the installed hard drives.

The command above will give you information about the storage devices you have. This is usually not visible without third party tools.

The full list of properties that you can use for the query above is as follows:

• Availability
• BytesPerSector
• Capabilities
• CapabilityDescriptions
• Caption
• CompressionMethod
• ConfigManagerErrorCode
• ConfigManagerUserConfig
• CreationClassName
• DefaultBlockSize
• Description
• DeviceID
• ErrorCleared
• ErrorDescription
• ErrorMethodology
• FirmwareRevision
• Index
• InstallDate
• InterfaceType
• LastErrorCode
• Manufacturer
• MaxBlockSize
• MaxMediaSize
• MediaLoaded
• MediaType
• MinBlockSize
• Model
• Name
• NeedsCleaning
• NumberOfMediaSupported
• Partitions
• PNPDeviceID
• PowerManagementCapabilities
• PowerManagementSupported
• SCSIBus
• SCSILogicalUnit
• SCSIPort
• SCSITargetId
• SectorsPerTrack
• SerialNumber
• Signature
• Size
• Status
• StatusInfo
• SystemCreationClassName
• SystemName
• TotalCylinders
• TotalHeads
• TotalSectors
• TotalTracks
• TracksPerCylinder

You can find their descriptions at the following MSDN page: Win32_DiskDrive .

WMIC is a really useful tool to perform WMI queries in Windows. Here are a few more examples of such queries:

Another option is PowerShell. It can work as a wrapper for the mentioned Win32_DiskDrive WMI object.

Find Hard Disk Serial Number With PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell.
2. Type or copy-paste the following command: Get-WMIObject win32_physicalmedia | Format-List Tag,SerialNumber .
3. The Tag value will give you the physical drive number that matches the disk number in Disk Management to help with your drive identification.

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About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.