How to find Wifi password on Windows 10 and 11, even for saved networks

Windows keeps the password of every Wi-Fi network you have joined, and it will show it to you. On Windows 11 it is one button in Settings, on Windows 10 it is a check box in the network properties, and a command shows networks you are not connected to now.

Facts checked on 16 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 and Windows 10 22H2, steps read against Microsoft Support and Microsoft Learn.

What the Wi-Fi password is and where Windows keeps it

The Wi-Fi password is the passphrase your router asks for when a device joins. Windows calls it the Network security key. When you join a network, Windows stores the name and the key in a profile on the PC, which is why it can join again later without asking. The same profile is what the methods below read.

Microsoft's own advice for a forgotten password is to look on a Windows PC that has already joined the network, and then use it on the other device, by typing it or by scanning the QR code that Windows 11 offers. A PC that never joined the network has nothing to show.

Many routers print a default Wi-Fi password and admin login on a label. If anyone has changed the Wi-Fi password since, the label is out of date, and the PC that joined after the change is the better source.

What each way gives you and what it costs

There is no speed or space to win here: nothing on the PC gets faster or smaller. The only question is which way reaches the password with the least risk. Viewing the password on Windows is read only, and only the router way can also change it.

Who should look up the password and who should not

If you are not the owner of the router, you may be able to read the password from a PC that has joined, but you usually cannot change it. Only whoever has the router login can do that.

How to find the Wi-Fi password on Windows

The methods go from the lightest to the heaviest. Methods 1 and 2 read the network you are connected to, Method 3 reads any saved network, and Method 4 goes to the router. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, but its steps are given because many PCs still run it.

Method 1. Show the password in Settings on Windows 11

2 minutesNo riskYou use Windows 11 and want the password of the connected or a saved network.

Windows 11 has a Show button for the saved key, so no command and no Control Panel are needed. Microsoft lists this as the way to find a forgotten Wi-Fi password.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet.
3. Select Properties for your connected Wi-Fi network.
4. Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show.
5. Read the password, or scan the QR code on another device if it supports it.

For a network you are not connected to, open Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks, choose the network and select Show next to Wi-Fi network password. Microsoft describes this on the same page. We could not test every Windows 11 build, so if Show is missing, use Method 3.

Method 2. Read the password in Network and Sharing Center on Windows 10

3 minutesNo riskYou use Windows 10 and the PC is connected to the network right now.

Windows 10 Settings has no Show button, but the old network properties window keeps the Show characters box for the key. Microsoft documents this path for Windows 10.

1. Select Start, then Settings.
2. Select Network & Internet, then Status in the left pane.
3. Select Network and Sharing Center.
4. Next to Connections, select the name of your Wi-Fi network.
5. In Wi-Fi Status, select Wireless Properties.
6. Open the Security tab and tick Show characters.

The password appears in the Network security key box. This works only for the network the PC is connected to now. The old guide called the last link Wireless Properties, and that is still the label Microsoft uses.

Method 3. Show the password of any saved network with netsh

5 minutesLow riskYou want a network the PC has saved but is not connected to, or Settings gives no Show button.

Every saved network is a profile that netsh wlan can list and display. The key=clear option asks Windows to print the key in plain text, which only an administrator is allowed to read.

1. Type cmd in the Start search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. On Windows 11 the same works in Terminal.
2. Type netsh wlan show profiles and press Enter.
3. Under User profiles, copy the exact name of the network you want.
4. Type the command below, with your name inside the quotes, and press Enter.
5. In the Security settings block, read the Key Content line. That is the password.

Replace NetworkName with the profile name

netsh wlan show profile name="NetworkName" key=clear

Step by step for the administrator window: How to run a program as administrator or in compatibility mode. Put the name in quotes even when it has no spaces, so the command never splits it.

Method 4. Read or change the password on the router

10 minutesRead the warningNo PC has the password saved, or you want to change it.

The password is stored in the router itself, so its settings page can show it and replace it whatever the PC knows. You need the router login, not the Wi-Fi password.

1. Connect a PC to the router by Wi-Fi or by cable, and open Command Prompt.
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
3. Under your active adapter, copy the address next to Default Gateway.
4. Paste the address into the address bar of a browser and press Enter.
5. Sign in with the router's admin name and password, then open its Wi-Fi or wireless security page to read or change the password.

The admin login is often on the router label or in its documentation. If the page does not open at all, check the connection first: How to check your internet connection in Windows.

How to undo it and put everything back

Reading the password changes nothing, so there is nothing to undo for Methods 1 to 3 except what is left on the screen. Untick Show characters or close the window, and close Command Prompt, because the Key Content line stays in its scrollback until you do.

• Export file. If you used netsh wlan export profile with key=clear, the XML file holds the password in plain text. Delete it when you are done.
• Router change. If you changed the password, the old one stops working for new connections, and each device must join again with the new one.
• Router reset. A reset restores factory settings. Put back your network name, password and any provider login that you noted before.

Myths about finding a Wi-Fi password on Windows

• It needs a password recovery tool. No. Windows shows it with built-in screens and one command. Extra tools only repeat what Windows already holds.
• It works for any network nearby. No. It shows only networks this PC has saved, and netsh reads the same saved profiles. A network never joined has no profile.
• Forgetting a network keeps its password. No. Forgetting a network removes its profile, and the delete profile command in Microsoft's reference does the same. After that Method 3 finds nothing.
• Viruses stop Windows saving the password. Nothing on this page needs that idea. If a saved network no longer joins, the cause is usually a changed router password.

Frequently asked questions

Can I find the Wi-Fi password on Windows if I am not connected to that network now?

Yes, if the PC has saved the network before. Windows 11 lists saved networks under Wi-Fi > Manage known networks, and each one has a Show button for the password. On Windows 10 the Settings screens cover only the current network, so use Method 3: list the profiles with netsh wlan show profiles and then show the one you need with key=clear. A network the PC never joined has no saved password anywhere on it.

Why does Key Content not show in the netsh output?

The most common reason is that Command Prompt is not running as administrator. Microsoft documents that a plain text key is only given to a local administrator, and otherwise it stays encrypted. The other reasons are that the network is open and has no password at all, or that it is a work network that signs you in with an account, not one shared key. Open a new Command Prompt with Run as administrator and try again.

Is it safe to show the Wi-Fi password on my PC?

Yes for the PC and the network: showing the password does not change the saved profile, the router or your connection. The risk is only who can see the screen. Cover it when someone is nearby, do not paste it into a shared chat by accident, and delete any exported XML file afterwards. The password is not hidden from a local administrator in any case, so a PC with several people on it should use separate accounts.

How do I find the Wi-Fi password on Windows 11 and share it?

Open Settings > Network & internet, select Properties for your Wi-Fi network and select Show next to Wi-Fi network password. Microsoft says Windows 11 can also show a QR code. On another device that supports it, scan the code to join without typing. If the other device cannot scan, read the password aloud and type it. For a saved network you are not connected to, open Manage known networks instead.

Is the Wi-Fi password the same as the router admin password?

No. The Wi-Fi password lets devices join the wireless network. The router admin password opens the router's settings page in a browser. They are often different, and many routers print both on a label as defaults. If you changed one, the other stays as it was. This is why Method 4 starts with the Default Gateway address and the router login, not with the Wi-Fi password you are trying to find.

What if no PC has ever joined the network?

Then Windows cannot help, because the password lives only in the saved profile and in the router. Look at the label on the router for a default password, in case it was never changed. Otherwise open the router's settings page from a device that is connected (Method 4) and read it there. As a last resort a router can be reset, but that erases its settings, so treat it as the final step.

Does 'Show characters' change my password or disconnect me?

No. The check box only switches the display between dots and text. It does not edit the saved key, and it does not disconnect the PC. Untick it, or close the window, and the password is hidden again. Nothing is written to the router. If your connection drops while you look, that is a separate fault in the Wi-Fi itself.

Does this work on Windows 7 or Windows 8?

The old version of this guide covered Windows 7 too. We did not check Windows 7 or 8, because Microsoft's current pages describe Windows 10 and Windows 11 only, and both older systems are long out of support. The netsh wlan command exists in Microsoft's reference for Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you are on an older PC, the router page (Method 4) works from any computer.

How do I find the Wi-Fi password on a phone, a Mac or any other device?

This page covers Windows. A phone or a Mac has its own screens, and we have not checked them here. The device-independent way is the router: its label shows a default password, and its settings page shows the current one (Method 4). If you have a Windows PC that joined the same network, Method 1 or Method 3 reads it from there.