Losing a Wi-Fi password is one of those small, recurring headaches. A new phone needs to join, a guest asks, or you are setting up a smart speaker and the password is nowhere in sight. The good news is that if any of your devices are already connected, the password is almost certainly stored on one of them, and you can read it back out in a couple of minutes.

One honest limit before you start: these methods only recover a password you already have access to. You need to be signed in on a device, or have admin access to the router. There is no legitimate way to find the password for a neighbor’s network or any network you have never joined. If that is what you are after, the only real answer is to ask the owner.

The sections below cover every common place a Wi-Fi password hides, from the easiest first.

Check the router label (fastest)

Before touching any menus, flip your router over. Most home routers ship with a sticker on the base or back panel that prints the default network name (often labeled SSID) and the default password, which may be called Wi-Fi key, WPA key, password, or PIN.

  1. Locate the router or gateway box from your internet provider.
  2. Look on the underside, the back, or a pull-out card for a label.
  3. Match the network name on the label to the one you are trying to join, then copy the password exactly, including capital letters and symbols.

This only works if nobody has changed the password since the device was set up. If you or an installer picked a custom password, the label is out of date and you will need one of the methods below. For the difference between joining over Wi-Fi and plugging in directly, see our guide on Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet.

One thing that trips people up: many routers broadcast two networks, a 2.4GHz band and a 5GHz band, sometimes with slightly different names. They usually share the same password, but if the label lists two keys, match the one to the network name you actually see on your device.

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Windows keeps the key for every network your PC has joined. There are two reliable routes.

Through Settings (currently connected network):

  1. Open Settings and go to Network & internet, then Wi-Fi.
  2. Click your network name, then open View additional properties or the network’s properties panel.
  3. Alternatively, open Control Panel, go to Network and Sharing Center, click your Wi-Fi connection, choose Wireless Properties, open the Security tab, and tick Show characters to reveal the key.

Through Command Prompt (any saved network): This is the most dependable method, and it works for networks you are not currently connected to.

  1. Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
  2. Type netsh wlan show profiles and press Enter to list every saved network.
  3. Type netsh wlan show profile name=”NETWORK_NAME” key=clear, replacing NETWORK_NAME with the exact name from the list, then press Enter.
  4. Read the password next to Key Content, under the Security settings heading.

If the key=clear part is missing, the output hides the password, so make sure you include it.

macOS (Keychain Access)

Every Wi-Fi password a Mac has used is stored in its Keychain. You will need an administrator account password to reveal it.

  1. Press Command and Space to open Spotlight, type Keychain Access, and press Enter.
  2. In the search box at the top right, type the Wi-Fi network name.
  3. Double-click the matching entry (its Kind will say AirPort network password).
  4. Tick the Show password box.
  5. Enter your Mac’s administrator username and password when prompted. The Wi-Fi password then appears in the field.

On recent versions of macOS you can also open System Settings, go to Wi-Fi, click Advanced or the (i) next to a known network, and reveal the saved password after authenticating. Keychain Access works across versions, so it is the safe fallback if your menus look different.

iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 and later)

Apple added a built-in password reveal in iOS 16, so this will not appear on older software. Update first if you do not see the option.

  1. Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the (i) info button to the right of the network name. You can do this for the network you are on, or any saved network listed under Known Networks.
  3. Tap the Password field.
  4. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. The password appears and you can tap Copy.

On iOS 18, the same passwords also live in the new Passwords app: open it, authenticate, tap Wi-Fi, choose the network, and reveal the key. Either path works.

Android (version 10 and later)

From Android 10 onward, you can view a saved password without rooting the phone. Exact menu names vary by maker, so treat the following as the common path and adjust for your phone.

  1. Open Settings and tap Network & internet, then Internet or Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the gear or the network name you want. For a network you are not on, look under Saved networks.
  3. Tap Share.
  4. Confirm your identity with your PIN, pattern, or fingerprint.
  5. The password appears as text beneath a QR code.

On Samsung Galaxy phones the route is Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi, then the network and QR code. On some Xiaomi and older builds only the QR code shows, with no text; in that case, scan the code with another phone’s camera or Google Lens and it will display the password. Another handy phone is a mesh Wi-Fi system, where the app that manages it usually lets you view or share the network password too.

Finding a phone or PC hotspot password

Sometimes the network you want is not a router at all but a hotspot a phone or laptop is sharing. Those passwords live in a different place, and unlike a router you fully control them.

  1. On an iPhone, open Settings and tap Personal Hotspot. The current password is shown under Wi-Fi Password, and you can tap it to change it.
  2. On Android, open Settings, go to Network & internet or Connections, tap Hotspot & tethering, then Wi-Fi hotspot. The password appears there, sometimes hidden behind a Show password toggle.
  3. On Windows, open Settings, go to Network & internet, then Mobile hotspot, and read the Network password field.

Because these are passwords you set, you can simply overwrite them if you cannot recall the old one, without any reset.

Read it from the router admin page

If no device has the password saved and the label is outdated, the router itself holds the current one. You will need to be on the network already, or connected by cable.

  1. Open a web browser and type the router’s address, commonly 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 10.0.0.1. The exact address is often on the router label.
  2. Sign in with the admin username and password, which may also be on the label and is different from the Wi-Fi password.
  3. Open the Wireless or Wi-Fi settings section.
  4. Find the field labeled password, passphrase, or security key and reveal or copy it.

Because this is a single admin account protecting your whole network, it is worth storing that login somewhere safe. If you juggle a lot of credentials, read our explainer on what a password manager is.

If you forgot it entirely

When nothing has the password, the router label is wrong, and you cannot reach the admin page, the last resort is a reset.

  1. Find the small recessed Reset button on the router, usually a pinhole.
  2. With the router powered on, press and hold it for about 10 seconds using a paperclip, until the lights blink.
  3. Wait for the router to restart, then connect using the default network name and password printed on the label.
  4. Set a new password you will remember, and reconnect your other devices.

A reset wipes all custom settings, not just the password, so your network name, guest network, and any special configuration return to factory defaults. Use it only when the other options are exhausted. Once you are back in, write the password down or save it in a password manager so the next setup is painless.