When you set up your Wi-Fi network, you probably don’t think much about your password because your phone, laptop, and other devices are online, which can be a problem if a friend or family member asks to connect to Wi-Fi. Access to Fi. -wifi, but you don’t. You remember your password – you have not written it down.
Is that number too long on the back of your router? Or maybe you changed it to something personal?
Luckily for you, there’s a way to find all your Wi-Fi passwords in one place: your computer.
As long as your Windows or Mac computer was previously connected to the network, these Wi-Fi passwords are stored permanently in your settings.
It might take some digging on your end, but all of your passwords are there, stored and ready to be shared with anyone who wants to connect to Wi-Fi.
Here’s how to find the passwords for all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve connected to on macOS and Windows.
Every password you enter and save on your Mac is stored in Keychain Access, the macOS password manager. This includes Wi-Fi passwords.
To get started, use the search field to open the Keychain Access app. Do the following:
1. Click System under System Keychain in the sidebar.
2. Click Password at the top of the screen.
3. Find the Wi-Fi network you want to encrypt and double-click it.
4. Check the box next to Show password and enter your password when prompted.
The Password section will display the password used to access the Wi-Fi network.
You can double-click the password field to select a password and copy it to the clipboard if needed.
How to find Wi-Fi passwords on Windows
Finding the password for the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to is easy on Windows, but finding all your saved Wi-Fi passwords takes some work.
To find the password of a Wi-Fi network you’re connected to in Windows:
1. Click the Start button and go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center (Windows 11) or Settings > Network and Internet > Status > Network and Sharing Center (Windows 10).
2. Next to Connections, type the name of the Wi-Fi network highlighted in blue.
3. On the Wi-Fi profile page that opens, click Wireless, then click the Security tab.
4. Check the box next to Show characters to display the Wi-Fi password above it.
And that’s not the only way to find your Wi-Fi passwords.
The above method only lets you see the password for every Wi-Fi network you connect to, but there is a way to find the password for all the Wi-Fi networks you connect to on your Windows PC.
To find all Wi-Fi passwords on Windows:
1. Right-click the Windows icon in your computer’s system tray.
2. Click Windows Terminal (Administrator).
3. Type netsh wlan show profile and press Enter on your keyboard to view all Wi-Fi networks you are connected to.
4. When you find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for, type netsh wlan show profile “(Wi-Fi name)” key = clear (e.g. netsh wlan show profile key “Netgear667” = clear), then press the Enter key button.
The Profile, Connection, Security and Value settings will appear. The Wi-Fi password will appear under Security Settings, next to Key Content. Besides Windows Terminal, you can also use the Command Prompt program to type the commands mentioned above to find the Wi-Fi password.
If you want to learn more about passwords, whether on a computer or a mobile phone, check out the best password managers to use and nine rules to follow when creating passwords.
