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Forgot Your Saved Wi-Fi Password?

We will guide you on how to view previously saved Wi-Fi passwords on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS computers in case you forget your Wi-Fi password.

Published: 6 minutes read
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We will guide you on how to view previously saved Wi-Fi passwords on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS computers in case you forget your Wi-Fi password.

How to view Wi-Fi password in Windows

How to view Wi-Fi password in Windows: visual guide

Windows makes this easy, as long as you're connected to a network. Open Settings > Network & Internet , then click the Change Adapter Options button (in Windows 10) or Advanced network settings > More network adapter options (in Windows 11). Right-click your PC's Wi-Fi adapter in the list and select Status > Wireless Properties . Open Security and you'll see a password box with dots in it - click the Show Characters box to see the password displayed in plain text.

How to view Wi-Fi password in Windows: step 2

If you're trying to see the password for a network you're not currently connected to, things get a little more complicated. You can download a third-party app like Magical JellyBean Wi-Fi Password Revealer, which shows you the passwords for all your saved networks.

How to view Wi-Fi password in Windows: step 3

If you don't want to install additional software, use Windows Command Prompt. Open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt , right-click the application, and select Run as Administrator . Then, run the command netsh wlan show profile to see a list of saved Wi-Fi networks.

Select the network you want from the list, then run the command ` netsh wlan show profile MyNetwork key=clear` (replace MyNetwork with the name of the network you are referring to). You will see a lot of information about the network, most of which can be ignored. Find the section titled `Security Settings` ; the item marked `Key Content` is the password.

How to view Wi-Fi password in macOS

How to view Wi-Fi password in macOS: visual guide

In macOS Sequoia, Apple changed how the operating system stores passwords. Instead of using Keychain, Apple Passwords stores access keys, verification codes, and Wi-Fi login information in one place. To view Wi-Fi passwords in plain text, open the app, verify your identity, then tap Wi-Fi . Select the network in question, then hover over the password field to display it.

How to view Wi-Fi password in macOS: step 2

If you're running an older operating system, your Wi-Fi password is still stored in Keychain, which you can view by opening Launchpad > Other > Keychain Access . Use the search bar in the Keychain Access application to look up the name of the Wi-Fi network you previously connected to. Double-click the network, then select the Show Password checkbox at the bottom. Enter your Mac's login credentials to view the password in plain text.

How to recover saved Wi-Fi passwords on Linux

View Wi-Fi password via terminal

  1. Open the terminal and enter the following command to navigate to the folder containing your saved Wi-Fi information:
cd /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections
  1. Next, enter the command lsto view the list of saved Wi-Fi networks on Ubuntu. If you know the network's SSID and are certain that Ubuntu has saved the password for that network, you can skip the `ls` command.
  2. Enter the command below to extract the Wi-Fi network password, and enter your computer's password for the command to execute. Remember to replace SSID-Wi-Fi-to-extract-password with the Wi-Fi network name.
sudo cat SSID-wifi-can-see-mat-khau
  1. For example, if I need to see the password for a Wi-Fi network named Lau-7, the command would be: sudo cat Lau-7
  2. In the command results, look for the [Wi-Fi security] section; the Wi-Fi password is after " psk= "

View Wi-Fi password via terminal: visual guide

View saved Wi-Fi passwords using the GUI (on Ubuntu)

  1. Open the Settings app, using one of these two methods:

View saved Wi-Fi passwords using the GUI (on Ubuntu): visual guide

  1. Select Wi-Fi from the left column and you will see all Wi-Fi networks on the right. click the corresponding gear icon of the Wi-Fi network whose password you want to view. This icon may look different in the image, depending on the theme you are using.

View saved Wi-Fi passwords using the GUI (on Ubuntu): step 2

  1. In the window that opens, select the Security tab, check Show password , and you will see the password appear in the Password field.

View saved Wi-Fi passwords using the GUI (on Ubuntu): step 3

Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

Forgot Your Saved Wi-Fi Password?

We will guide you on how to view previously saved Wi-Fi passwords on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS computers in case you forget your Wi-Fi password.

How can you view Wi-Fi password in Windows?

Windows makes this easy, as long as you're connected to a network. Open Settings > Network & Internet, then click the Change Adapter Options button (in Windows 10) or Advanced network settings > More network adapter options (in Windows 11).

How can you view Wi-Fi password in macOS?

In macOS Sequoia, Apple changed how the operating system stores passwords. Instead of using Keychain, Apple Passwords stores access keys, verification codes, and Wi-Fi login information in one place.

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