Forgot your Wi-Fi password? Windows 11 makes it easy to see the Wi-Fi passwords of connected networks. Here is how to do it in simple steps.
In general, Wi-Fi networks are password protected. In fact, it is always recommended that you protect your Wi-Fi network with a password. That way, only those with the password can connect to the Wi-Fi. i.e., you can choose which users can and cannot connect.
The problem with a Wi-Fi password is that most of us only ever configure it once and let it be. That means it is pretty common to forget the Wi-Fi password. Without the password, you cannot connect new devices to the Wi-Fi network. Don’t you think it would be helpful to see saved Wi-Fi passwords in those kinds of situations?
In Windows 11, it is straightforward to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Simply open the network flyout menu, select the network, type the password and click the “connect” button. Windows 11 will connect to that Wi-Fi network if the password is correct. You don’t have to enter the password again next time, provided you selected the “Connect automatically” option. When you choose this option, Windows 11 saves the Wi-Fi password. That means, if you ever forgot your Wi-Fi password, you can open Windows 11 settings to find the saved Wi-Fi password. It is pretty easy to do.
So, without further ado, let me show you how to see Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 11.
Table of contents:
See Wi-Fi password in Settings
You can directly see saved Wi-Fi passwords in the Windows 11 settings. All you have to do is know where to find them. The good thing is, it is pretty easy to find the Wi-Fi password page. Let me show you how.
Note: Before proceeding forward, make sure to connect to the Wi-Fi network you want to see the password.
- Open the Settings app.
- Select “Network & Internet” on the sidebar.
- Click on the “Advanced network settings” option.
- Click on “More network adapter options.”
- Double-click on the Wi-Fi adapter.
- Click on the “Wireless Properties” button.
- Go to the “Security” tab.
- Select the “Show characters” checkbox.
- You will see the Wi-Fi password in the “Password” field.
- With that, you now know the saved Wi-Fi password.
Same steps with screenshots:
As always, use the “Start key + I” key binding to open the Settings app. Select “Network & Internet” on the sidebar in the Settings app. After that, click on the “Advanced network settings” option in the main panel.
Now, scroll down and click on the “More network adapter options” option to open the adapters page.
Here, double-click on the Wi-Fi adapter to open its properties.
Now, click on the “Wireless Properties” button.
In the properties window, go to the “Security” tab. Here, select the “Show characters” checkbox. This action will show the saved Wi-Fi password in the “Password” field.
With that, you now know the password of the connected Wi-Fi network.
Command to see saved Wi-Fi passwords
If you are not afraid of delving into commands, you can use the good old Command Prompt to see Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 11. You have to execute a command to get the names of the saved networks and then execute another command to see the password of a saved network. Though it sounds complicated, it is pretty easy to do.
One of the main advantages of this method is that you can see the Wi-Fi passwords of all saved networks. All you need is the profile name.
First, right-click the Start menu and select the “Windows Terminal (Admin)” option. This action will open the Windows Terminal with admin rights.
In the terminal, type the below command and press the Enter button. It will show all the saved Wi-Fi networks. Select the Wi-Fi profile name of your choice and copy it with the “Ctrl + C” shortcut.
netsh wlan show profiles
Once you have the profile name, use the below command while replacing “profile_name” with the actual Wi-Fi profile name.
netsh wlan show profile name=”profile_name” key=clear | find /I “Key Content”
The terminal window will show the target Wi-Fi password as soon as you do that.
To know another Wi-Fi password, use the same command with the target Wi-Fi profile name.
That is all. It is that simple to see saved Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 11.
I hope this easy Windows 11 how-to guide helps you.
If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
