Most people when they connect to a wireless network, especially if they know they will connect again, will select the handy little option to “Connect Automatically”. This will save you a heap of time by not entering the password every time you reconnect. The problem with using this option is that if you ever need to re-enter the password again for the wireless network, there is a chance you may forget what it is. You’re in luck because there are ways to retrieve this password. The easiest and first option outlined below is available to you if you by chance already have another Windows computer connected to your network. If you do not then the second option is available only if you have previously connected to the network. In this article, we will discuss both options on how to find your WiFi password.
Option 1 – Use another Windows device to find your Wi-Fi password
To find your WiFi password you’re currently connected to on Windows:
1. Click the Start button and then type Control Panel in the search bar.
2. Open the Control Panel and then go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center (Windows 11).
2. Next to Connections, click your Wi-Fi network name highlighted in blue.
3. In the Wi-Fi Status page that opens, click Wireless Properties and then on the Security tab.
4. Finally, check the box next to Show characters to display your Wi-Fi network password above it.
Option 2 – Use Windows Terminal to find all your Wi-Fi network passwords
However, this isn’t the only way to find your Wi-Fi network passwords. The method above only allows you to view the password to whatever Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, but there is a way to find the passwords to all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to on your Windows computer.
To find all your Wi-Fi network passwords on Windows:
1. Right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar on your desktop.
2. Click Windows Terminal (Admin).
3. Type in netsh wlan show profile and hit Enter on your keyboard to view every Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to.
4. Once you find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for, type in netsh wlan show profile “(Wi-Fi network name)” key=clear (for example, netsh wlan show profile “Netgear667” key=clear), and then hit the Enter key.
The Wi-Fi network password will appear under Security settings, and next to Key Content. In addition to Windows Terminal, you can also use the Command Prompt application to type in the commands listed above to find your Wi-Fi passwords.