You can connect to a WiFi network even if it is hidden. This tutorial will walk you through connecting to a hidden WiFi network on Windows.
No matter where you are, WiFi networks are abundant these days. Whether individuals or organizations, people use WiFi to connect to the internet and local network. One of the reasons is that WiFi is wireless. As such, it makes it easy to connect to a network. Not to mention, almost every phone and laptop has WiFi built into it.
Because WiFi is so adaptable, you must protect and secure the network so that no one may gain unauthorized access to it. Hiding a WiFi network is one such safeguard.
When a WiFi network is hidden, the network device stops broadcasting the SSID (Service Set Identifier). Windows cannot detect and list a WiFi network in the available WiFi networks list on the taskbar or in the settings without the SSID.
The good news is that you can still connect to the WiFi network, even if it is hidden. This article explains how to connect to a hidden WiFi network in Windows 10 and 11.
Table of contents:
Requirements
You need three things to connect to a hidden WiFi network.
- SSID of the WiFi network you want to connect to.
- The password of the WiFi network.
- Type of encryption used to protect the WiFi network.
Once you have all three details, follow the below steps.
What is an SSID
SSID, also known as Service Set Identifier, is nothing but the WiFi network name. This is the name that appears in the WiFi network list in Windows. The SSID is automatically broadcasted by your network device so that nearby devices can detect and list it as an available WiFi network.
In general, network device manufacturers automatically set a random SSID. However, you can change SSID with just a few clicks from the network device administrator page.
How to find the SSID of WiFi
If the SSDI is hidden, it will not be visible when you scan for available WiFi networks. However, if you have access to the WiFi router, you can log into it and go to the WiFi admin page to find the SSID. If you don’t have admin privileges, ask your network administrator about the SSID.
For example, if your friend, colleague, family, or organization hid their WiFi SSID, you can ask them to get the SSID.
You must already know the SSID to connect to a hidden WiFi network.
Connect to a hidden WiFi network in Windows
Follow these steps to connect to a secret WiFi network in Windows.
- Open the Settings app.
- Select “Network & Internet” on the sidebar.
- Go to the “Wi-Fi” page.
- Click on “Manage known networks.”
- Press the “Add network” button.
- Type the SSDI in the “Network name” field.
- Choose encryption type from the “Security type” dropdown.
- Type the WiFi password.
- Select the “Connect automatically” checkbox.
- Select the “Connect even if this network is not broadcasting” checkbox.
- Click the “Save” button.
- With that, Windows should connect to the hidden WiFi network automatically.
Steps with more details:
First, use the “Start + I” keyboard shortcut to launch the Settings app. After opening it, click the “Network & Internet” option on the sidebar.
Next, navigate to “WiFi -> Manage known networks.”
This is the page where Windows lists all of the WiFi networks that it is aware of. Because the WiFi network we wish to connect to is hidden, select “Add network.”
Type the SSDI (network name) in the “Network name” field. After that, select the “Security type.” Most modern WiFi networks use “WPA2-Personal AES” encryption.
After that, type the WiFi password in the “Security key” field.
Select the “Connect automatically” and “Connect even if this network is not broadcasting” checkboxes. Both these options ensure Windows will connect to the network automatically, even if hidden.
Finally, click the “Save” button.
As soon as you click the button, Windows will save the WiFi details and tries to connect to it. If the SSID, encryption type, & password are correct and the network is available, Windows will connect to it immediately.
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That is it. It is that simple to connect to a hidden WiFi network in Windows.
I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need some help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
