How to View Saved Wi-Fi Password on Windows 10 , Even if You’re not Connected to them Anymore
Ashish Mundhra
14 Oct 2015
There can be a lot of reasons as to why you might want to know the Wi-Fi password for a network you are currently connected to or you have connected in the past. Either your friend wants to know the password for the café you regularly visit, or you just want to know the password of the Wi-Fi at your friend’s place who won’t tell you and prefer typing it.
We have already seen how to uncover the secret on Android and iOS and today we would see how to get that done on a Windows computer. Just make sure you have the admin access to the computer.
View Password of Network You are Connected to
The trick I am going to show you right now has been documented on Windows 10. But it also works on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. When you are connected to the network, right click on the Wi-Fi icon on the Windows System Tray and click on Open the network and Sharing.
Once the Network and Sharing Center opens up, it will list all the networks your computer is currently connected to under the Active Network section. Click on the Connections: your computer is connected to and it will open the Wi-Fi Status Window.
Click on Wireless Properties in the Wi-Fi Status window and Wireless Network Property of the connected network. The page will show you the connection name and type and will have a Security tab you can click on.
The Network Security Key option will have the Wi-Fi password and you can check the option Show characters to make the password visible. Do not change any properties in here or it might mess up the connection and you can have trouble while connecting next time.
That was an easy solution to find the password to the network you are currently connected to. What if I share a secret using which you can get Wi-Fi password of networks you are not connected to anymore?
While we’re on networking: Why don’t you check out how you should pick out a Wi-Fi router that is right for you.
View Passwords of Networks You Were Previously Connected to
Open the command prompt, with admin access of course, and type in the command netsh wlan show profiles. It will list all the Wi-Fi networks you have connected to. Each of these mentioned profiles will be displayed using the SSID Name.
The next command you should type is netsh wlan show profile name=”Profile-Name” key=clear. The profile name should be the name of the Wi-Fi network you wish to know the password of and without quotes. The screenshot will clear any doubts you might have.
That’s all, the password for the said network will be displayed under the security tab.
Word of Advice on Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense
While talking about the Windows 10 W-Fi Sense previously, we mentioned that a user will have to type in the password again to enable Wi-Fi password sharing. But the trick might be a way to break that. So if you really don’t what to share your Wi-Fi, read about the Optout trick.
Conclusion
So that was how you can view saved Wi-Fi password on Windows. Don’t forget to check out how you can view the saved Wi-Fi password on Android and iOS. For any doubts, you can join me on our forum. have a good one guys.
Last updated on 5 Jul, 2019
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How to View Saved WiFi Passwords on Windows 7, 8, & 10
Because you really don’t want to untangle and flip over the router
Are you still using the WiFi password that is written on the back of the router your ISP gave you? If so, it’s probably some really long combination of letters, numbers and symbols that you can never remember.
Most people try to write the password down somewhere or simply check on the router every time they need to give it to someone else. Luckily, if you already have a computer connected to your WiFi network, you can easily view the password there.
I’ve already written about how to view WiFi passwords on a Mac and in this article, I’m going to talk about doing the same thing in Windows. Note that the procedure is the same for Windows 7, 8 or 10. Also, be sure to check out the YouTube video we made below, in case you don’t want to read so much text.
View WiFi Password in Windows
In order to view the WiFi password on your Windows machine, you need to make sure you are already connected to the WiFi network or have previously connected to the WiFi network. If so, then go ahead and right-click on the WiFi icon in the system tray and choose Open Network and Sharing Center.
Now go ahead and click on Change Adapter Settings in the left-hand menu. Also, be sure to read my previous post if you want to learn more about the Network and Sharing Center.
Find the icon for Wi-Fi, right-click on it and choose Status.
This will bring up the WiFi Status dialog where you can see some basic information about your wireless network connection.
Click on the Wireless Properties button and then click on the Security tab.
Here you will see a text field called Network security key. Go ahead and check the Show characters box and you’ll now be able to see the WiFi security password. Note that this is just the WiFi password of the currently connected WiFi network. What if you want to see the WiFi passwords for WiFi networks that your computer previously connected to?
Luckily, that’s pretty easy too in Windows 7. In Windows 8 and 10, you have to use the command prompt, which is pretty annoying. Anyway, in Windows 7, open the Network and Sharing Center and then click on Manage Wireless Networks.
You will now see a nice list of all the wireless networks that computer has ever connected to. Just double-click on the one you are interested in.
Then just click on the Security tab and check the Show characters box again to see the password.
In Windows 8 and 10, you have to open a command prompt by going to Start and typing in CMD. When the command prompt opens, type in the following command:
You’ll find all the wireless profiles listed under User Profiles. The name of the WiFi network is on the right. In my case, I only have one WiFi network listed. Now to see the password for a profile, type in the following command:
Go ahead and replace profilename with the actual name of the WiFi network listed from the previous command. In my case, the WiFi network is named VFTJM. You do not need to use quotes anywhere in the commands.
When you run the second command, you’ll get a lot of output, but you are only interested in finding the line that starts with Key Content. To the right will be the WiFi password. I’m not sure why Microsoft removed the convenience of seeing all your previously connected WiFi networks in Windows 8 and 10, but thankfully there is still a way to get all of the information. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
Founder of Online Tech Tips and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem’s Full Bio
How to Find the Current WiFi Password in Windows 10
Keith Johnston | Posted on November 14, 2017 |
Here you are, conference planner of the decade, at the event center, zero dark thirty, getting ready to rock and roll.
Set-up will launch as soon as your core team hits the ground at 5:30 am and the first thing any good event planning squad needs is WiFi access. The only problem is, you lost the little scrap of paper that your conference services contact handed you when you arrived the day before. WTF. You can’t figure out where in the hell you stuck that thing. It is not in your binder, it is not in your laptop bag, and you really don’t want to text for the password because it is 5:14 am and let’s be real, asking again would make you look like a dufus and no one, especially awesome people like you, want to look like a dufus at the butt-crack of dawn.
So. What do you do? Throw the conference new kid under the bus and have him text? Run away? Hide? Nahhh. This little trick is easy peasy and will not only save your bacon at the show site, it will also serve you well at home when cousin Paul wants to share the home wifi or when a client Becky comes into your office and needs a little internet.
Find the Password of a WiFi Network in Windows 10
Step 1
Right-click the network icon on the toolbar and select “open network and sharing center”.
Step 2
Click “Change adapter settings”
Step 3
Right-click on the Wi-Fi network and select “status” on the drop-down menu
Step 4
In the new pop-up window, select “Wireless Properties”
Step 5
Click on the Security tab
Step 6
Check the box beside “show characters” which I am not going to do because then you all would be hanging outside my office stealing the precious Wifi!
Your awesomeness is now safe and no one will ever know that you lost that stupid little &^$%@ scrap of paper.