If you own a valid license for version 10.52, your wincmd.key will likely work for all future 10.x versions and many past ones. However, older keys (e.g., from version 6 or 7) may not activate version 10.52 due to encryption changes. In that case, you must request a free upgrade key from the author.
If you have the file and version 1052 installed, here is how to apply the key. Ranked from easiest to most permanent. total commander 1052 wincmdkey
You can specify a custom location by adding a line under the [Configuration] section of your wincmd.ini KeyPath=C:\PathToYourKey\ (do not include the filename). Windows Registry: If you own a valid license for version 10
However, to use these features without interruption, you need to activate the software. If you have the file and version 1052
file is your personal, physical license key for Total Commander. Ghisler (the developer) famously offers free lifetime updates