Well, if you forgot the password to your WiFi, there is an easy way you can find out what the password is.
The only thing you will need is a device – computer (Windows/Mac) or iPhone/Android – that was previously connected.
How it works?
When a device connects to a WiFi network, it saves the password automatically by default. This means even if you didn’t manually save the password, it is stored on that device for any WiFi networks it has connected to before, like your home, a local cafe, or a friend’s place.
So how do you find the saved WiFi password?
On a Windows computer, here are the steps:
1. Open the Control Panel and go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on the WiFi network name and then Wireless Properties.
3. Go to the Security tab and check the Show characters box to view the password.
the exact method for each windows, operating system would be little different, but the above instructions will give you an idea how to look for this option. If not, you can check out this article that goes in detail about finding Wi-Fi passwords on specific Windows operating system.
Find Wi-Fi Password on Windows using Command Prompt
- Open Command Prompt: Press the Windows key, type “cmd”, and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
- List Wi-Fi Profiles: Type the following command and press Enter:
netsh wlan show profilesThis command will display a list of all the Wi-Fi profiles that have been saved on your computer. - View Password for a Specific Profile: To view the password for a specific Wi-Fi profile, type the following command, replacing “WiFiProfileName” with the name of the profile you want to see the password for, and press Enter:
netsh wlan show profile name="WiFiProfileName" key=clearLook for the “Key content” field under the Security settings. - This is where the Wi-Fi password for that profile will be displayed in plain text.
To view Wi-Fi passwords using this method, you typically need administrative privileges on the computer. Also, this method only works for Wi-Fi networks that your computer has connected to in the past and for which the password has been saved.
Also check, Useful Windows Command Prompt Tricks You Should Know
On an iPhone, here is how to find the password:
1. Go to Settings > WiFi and tap the “i” next to the network.
2. This will open a new page where you can tap on the Asterix to reveal the password. It will use face unlock to authenticate the request.
3. The password will be revealed and you can copy it to share with someone else.
If you’re searching for Wi-Fi password on Mac check out this guide
And on Android, here are the steps:
1. Open Settings > WiFi and long press on the network.
2. Tap on the password to view it.
Some android phones, however will not let you see the password. But here is the work around for that.
mostly all android phones will let you share your mobile phones Wi-Fi with others by giving you a QR code. Any user can scan the QR code and their phone will be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
You can use this method to connect connect other mobile devices or you can also extract the password from the QR code. Here is how you can do it.
As you can see, it’s very easy to find the saved password for a WiFi network you’ve connected to before on any device. Thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any other tech tips you need help with.
