Networking

How to Find Wifi Password on Your PC or Mobile

More often than you may imagine, people forget their WiFi passwords. When attempting to join a new device or share the password with visiting friends and family, it is common for consumers to connect their smartphone and laptop to their home WiFi network and then forget the password.

There are numerous ways to determine the WiFi password, which is excellent news if you haven’t saved it anywhere that’s easy to locate. On various platforms, several techniques exist to find out the WiFi password of any stored network or router.

In this post, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step tutorial on how to check the WiFi password on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS platforms.

A laptop or desktop running Windows may learn a WiFi password in various methods. The WiFi network or router password that you are presently logged into is readily available. You can achieve it by doing the following actions:

how to find wifi password using command prompt
  • Search for Network Status in the Start Menu. Alternatively, you may use the right mouse button to click on Open Network & Internet Settings by selecting the WiFi icon in the lower right corner of the screen.
  • Click on Change Adapter Options to continue. The Wi-Fi connection will be displayed in a new window that will open.
  • Wi-Fi should be double-clicked before you choose Wireless Properties.
  • Two options—Connection and Security—will appear when you do that.
  • Check the Show Characters option under Security. The password for the WiFi network or modem to which you are presently connected will be visible with this.
  • On your Windows-powered device, there is an interesting approach to finding out the passwords for the other stored networks. All you have to do is adhere to these instructions:
  • Command Prompt should be typed into the Start Menu.

Run the command line: netsh wlan show profile

The list of all stored WiFi networks will appear. Run the following command after selecting the network whose password you want to learn: the command

netsh wlan show profile name=”XXXXXXXX” key=clear

How to Find Wifi Password on MAC or Apple OS?

On macOS, there is a method for discovering WiFi network passwords as well. The operating system includes a programme called Keychain Access. The programme tracks all of the passwords you have saved on your macOS.

Using the programme, you may quickly find the WiFi password of any WiFi network that was joined to your MacBook or Mac. The following instructions will show you how to do it on Mac OS:

on macos - how to find wifi password
  • On your Mac, launch the Keychain Access software.
  • On the top toolbar, there is a selection labelled Passwords. Just click it.
  • Enter the network name whose password you wish to know in the search field. Double-click the network name after you’re finished.
  • You’ll see a pop-up window with the network’s specifics in it. Simply choose Show Password.
  • You’ll be prompted for your administrator user credentials by the system.
    Once you have entered your system password, the WiFi network password will be seen.

How to Find Wifi Password on Windows?

If you already have another Windows PC linked to your Wi-Fi network, you may use it to recover your forgotten Wi-Fi network password. Once you have it, you may use it to join to your Wi-Fi network on a different computer or device.

on windows - how to find wifi password
  • Depending on the version of Windows that is installed on your computer, perform one of the following actions on a Windows computer that is linked to your Wi-Fi network:
  • When using Windows 11, click Start, type control panel, and then choose Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
  • Choose Start, followed by Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network and Sharing Center on Windows 10.
  • Search for “Network” on Windows 8.1 or 7, then choose Network and Sharing Center from the list of results.
  • Choose your Wi-Fi network name from the Connections in Network and Sharing Center list.
  • Select Wireless Properties from Wi-Fi Status.
  • Select the Security tab in Wireless Network Properties, then tick the Show characters box.
  • The Network security key box displays the password for your wireless network.

How to Find Wifi Password on Android Devices?

Android provides an easy way to know stored WiFi passwords readily. You might be able to access the WiFi password of the stored networks on your smartphone if you are using Android 10 or later. You must take the following actions in order to achieve that:

  • Go to WiFi & Network in the Settings app.
  • Next to the connected or stored network for which you require the password, click either the gear or lock symbol.
  • Press the Share Password button. You might need to use your fingerprint or pin to unlock this screen.
  • A QR code with the password printed beneath it will now be visible on the screen.
  • If the password is difficult, you can either opt to give it directly or request that the recipient scan a QR code with their smartphone.

How to Find Wifi Passwords on iOS Devices?

It isn’t easy to locate the WiFi password on an iOS smartphone. Due to Apple’s rigorous privacy and security policies, it isn’t easy to discover the WiFi passwords of the networks you saved on your iPhone.

There is, however, one workaround. But you’ll need a macOS computer for that. On any laptop or PC running Windows, the manual is inoperable. So, to verify the WiFi password on iOS while using a macOS system, you must take the following actions:

  • Go to Settings on your iPhone and select iCloud. You may select Keychain from that menu. Turn it on.
    Then return to Settings and activate Personal Hotspot.
  • Connect your Mac to the personal hotspot on your iPhone at this point. You may enter Keychain Access in Spotlight search (CMD+Space) after the hotspot is linked to your Mac.
  • When you hit enter, you may search for a WiFi network whose password you wish to know.
  • A pop-up window displaying the network’s specifics will appear.
  • Simply choose Show Password. You’ll be prompted for your administrator user credentials by the system.

Once finished, you can see the WiFi network’s password.

How to Find Wifi Password by Resetting Router?

Check the stickers on your router before you reset it if it was provided by your internet service provider (ISP). The ISP may have printed the SSID and network security key directly on the device.

A recessed reset button is included on almost all routers. The router will reset to the factory settings if you push it with a pen or an unfurled paperclip and hold it for approximately 10 seconds.

press reset button

To access the router itself after a reset, you’ll need that alternate username/password combination. Resetting the router probably terminated any current Wi-Fi connection, so do this using a PC connected to it via Ethernet.

Although many routers and whole-home mesh systems may now be operated via an app, real access is often done via a web browser. The default Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and network security key (password) may also be printed on certain routers, allowing you to reconnect to the network after a reset.

Typically, 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or any other version is the URL to enter into the browser to view a router’s settings. Test them at random; it usually works. Open a command prompt and run ipconfig to determine which PC uses Ethernet to connect to the router.

Find an IPv4 Address, which will begin with 192.168, among the jargon. The two additional spaces, octets, will each contain a distinct value between 0 and 255. Observe the third octet (probably a 1 or 0). The final one is unique to the computer you use to access the router.

Enter 192.168.x.1 in the browser, replacing the X with the result from the ipconfig search. Since the router is the most important device on the network, the 1 in the final octet should be directed at it. (Read How to Access Your Wi-Fi Router’s Settings for more information.)

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Kartik

Hi, My name is Kartik. I have expertise in Technical and Social Domains. I love to write articles that could benefit people and the community.

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