The other day, I had to run a WMIC command to get my PC’s serial number. However, the Command Prompt threw the “wmic is not recognized as an internal or external command” error despite running the correct command.
After some research, I came to know that WMIC, or Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line tool, is not available by default in the latest Windows 11.
What is WMIC in Windows?
WMIC is the abbreviation for Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line utility. It provides the command-line interface for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). For instance, we can run the wmic get bios serialnumber command to retrieve the system’s serial number.
We all know how useful the WMIC tool is. It helps us pull various information about the computer with a simple command. Besides, it can also be used to change various system settings, such as the security settings.
If you are someone who often needs to use the WMIC, you will be happy to know that the WMIC tool can be installed on Windows 11 with ease. The feature is turned off by default and available as a feature on demand.
The WMIC tool can be installed as an optional feature and works without any issues.
Get WMIC utility in Windows 11
Follow the directions given below to install WMIC in Windows 11.
Step 1: Launch the Settings app using search or Windows logo + I hotkey.
Step 2: On the left pane of the Settings pane, click System.
Step 3: Now, on the right side, click Optional features.
Step 4: Once the Optional features page is opened, click the View Features button present next to Add an optional feature option.
Step 5: In the resulting dialog, scroll down to see the WMIC entry. Check the box next to it and then click the Next button.
Step 6: Finally, click the Add button to download and install the WMIC tool. Note that Windows might take a few minutes to complete installing WMIC. The Settings > System > Optional features page shows the progress.
Once installed, you may start using the WMIC tool.
From now on, the Command Prompt should not throw any error when you attempt to run a valid WMIC command now.
Is WMIC available in Windows 10?
WMMIC utility was part of Windows 10 when it was launched back in 2015. However, the utility has been deprecated even on Windows 10 for a few years and must be installed as an optional feature. On Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Optional features page, click View features, and then select the WMIC tool.
Is WMIC available in Windows 11 Home edition?
Yes, WMIC can be installed on Windows 11 Home edition as well. It’s just that it’s not installed by default, and we need to install it as an optional feature if we need it.
Useful WMIC commands for Windows
The following are some of the most helpful WMIC commands.
wmic computersystem get model – to get information about system manufacturer
wmic get bios serialnumber – get system’s model number
wmic os get lastbootuptime – displays the boot time
wmic csproduct get uuid – shows your PC’s UUID
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