When you purchase a Symantec product, you are essentially purchasing a license to use the product. In other words, Symantec continues to own the software but you, the end-user, are granted permission to use the software on a limited number of computers for the service/subscription period.
The license to use the product comes in the form of a product key. Your product key is located on a yellow sticker attached to either the back of the white sleeve that holds your CD or the activation card that accompanied your software. You are required to activate your product with this product key within 15 days after you install the software on your PC. If you fail to activate your product in 15 days, then it may stop working.
In addition to serving as a means of transferring a license from Symantec to the consumer, product activation is designed to protect customers from pirated or counterfeit software, as well as to be certain that the customer receives appropriate levels of product support and customer service.
Recovering Your Product Key
- Sign in to your account at
- Log in using the email address and password you used during your initial activation of your product.
- Select your product in the dialog box.
- Click Use this key.
If you do not have a Norton Account, you may find your product/activation key in a text file in the following location:
- Windows XP: My Documents\Symantec\Product Name_Key.txt
- Windows Vista: My Documents\Symantec\Product Name_key.txt
For additional assistance, you may also contact Norton
Customer Support.
