Having trouble connecting to WiFi? Perhaps your laptop is connected but your phone isn't, or you need to share your network with guests but can't remember the password. There are many ways to share wireless passwords between devices, but it's not always possible. This article will show you how to retrieve your WiFi password in plain text from devices already connected to the network. This way, you don't need to reset network security or hack the WiFi network, and everyone can be online.
How to view WiFi 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). Right-click your PC's WiFi 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.
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 WiFi Password Revealer , which will show you the passwords for all your saved networks.
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 WiFi 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 WiFi 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 WiFi login information in one place. To view WiFi passwords in plain text, open the app, verify your identity, then tap on Wi-Fi . Select the network in question, then hover over the password field to display it.
If you're running an older operating system, your WiFi 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 WiFi 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 WiFi passwords on Linux
View Wi-Fi password via terminal.
- Open the terminal and enter the following command to navigate to the folder containing your saved Wi-Fi information:
cd /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections
- 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. - 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-wifi-to-extract-password with the Wi-Fi network name.
sudo cat SSID-wifi-can-see-mat-khau
- 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
- In the command results, look for the [wifi security] section ; the wifi password is after " psk= "
View saved Wi-Fi passwords using the GUI (on Ubuntu)
- Open the Settings app , using one of these two methods:
- Select WiFi from the left column and you will see all WiFi networks on the right. Click on the corresponding gear icon of the WiFi network whose password you want to view. This icon may look different in the image, depending on the theme you are using.
- In the window that opens, select the Security tab , check Show password , and you will see the password appear in the Password field .
Good luck!