How to find the product key for your Autodesk product

Issue

You want to know how to find the product key required to install your Autodesk software.

Solution

(This information applies to all Autodesk software that requires a product key at installation.)

Starting with the Autodesk 2010 product releases, most Autodesk software required both a serial number and product key to successfully install and activate.

Product keys are used to differentiate products that are both sold independently and sold as part of a product suite. For example, a user installing AutoCAD 2010 would use product key 001B1 while a user installing AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2010 (which includes AutoCAD 2010) would use product key 241B1. The same AutoCAD is in both software packages but the product key differentiates one package from the other.

For examples of how and where to locate your product key, we suggest you start by viewing the following video:

(English)

The serial number and product key for your Autodesk software can be found in a variety of locations, depending on how you obtained your product.

Physical Media

If you have physical media, you’ll see the serial number and product key printed on the label of the box.

This example shows the label from an Autodesk Education Master Suite for 2011 but the location and format will be similar for 2010 and later products. So, if you are installing from a DVD or USB key, the first place to look for this information is on the product packaging.

Subscription Center

If you’re a Subscription Customer, you can find this information in the “Contract Administration” section of the Subscription Center. Log into the Subscription Center, click “Contract Administration” and “Coverage Report”. Once you're looking at the Subscription Coverage Reports, pick your contract number and you will see your serial number and product keys listed under the “Products” section.

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Autodesk Education Community

If you participate in the Autodesk Education Community, you can find this information by logging in and locating the product in question. If you have not already downloaded the product, picking the download button will start the download and will display the products serial number and product key.

If you have already downloaded the product and just need to know the serial number and product key, pick the “Get Serial” button for your product to have it display this information.

Online Autodesk Store

If you ordered your product using the online Autodesk store, the serial number and product key will be provided in the “Order Details” confirmation screen after the purchase, as well as the subsequent “Thank You” e-mail that you will receive after the purchase process is complete.

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Other Options

If, for whatever reason, you cannot locate your product key, there is another method:

Using your installation media, (USB key, DVD, download folder, etc.) navigate to the location of the setup.exe file for your Autodesk product.
In that folder, look for a file named MID.txt, MID01.txt, MID02.txt or some variation on that name.
Open this file in notepad and verify that the product name is what you expected it to be.
The first five characters of the part number should also be the product key for that product.

Example:

MID: Autodesk_Design_Suite_Ultimate_2012_64bit_SWL_ENU_C009_EXE1
Product Name: Autodesk Design Suite Ultimate 2012
Platform: Windows XP/Vista/Win7
Media: ESD
Part Number: 769D1-05Y001-P503E, 769D1-05Y001-P504E

We recommend verifying the product name because sometimes customers who download their Autodesk software inadvertently download the wrong product and are then confused when the product key does not work as expected.

Finally, the Autodesk Business Center can provide this information. Their toll-free number is 800-538-6401.

AUTODESK DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOAD OR IMPLEMENT ANY SERVICE PACK OR WORKAROUND, OR ANY OF THE TIPS, TRICKS, EXAMPLES OR SUGGESTIONS OUTLINED IN ANY AUTODESK PRODUCT SUPPORT TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS. TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS, SERVICE PACKS AND WORKAROUNDS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU. AUTODESK PROVIDES TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS, SERVICE PACKS AND WORKAROUNDS "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF DATA, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF IMPLEMENTING ANY SERVICE PACK OR WORKAROUND, OR ANY SUGGESTION OUTLINED IN ANY AUTODESK PRODUCT SUPPORT TECHNICAL DOCUMENT, EVEN IF AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.