How to Find Your WiFi Password on Windows 11

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How to Find Your WiFi Password on Windows 11

A guest wants to join your Wi-Fi, or you're setting up a new phone, and nobody remembers the password. If a Windows 11 PC is already connected (or has connected before), Windows has stored the password and can show it to you. Here are three ways, from easiest to most powerful.

These steps are for your own networks or networks you're allowed to use. You need an administrator account on the PC to reveal a saved password.

Method 1: Settings (Current Windows 11)

Open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi.
Select your network's properties (the name of the connected network at the top).
Find View Wi-Fi security key and select View.
Confirm with your PIN or password if asked. The password appears in a small window.

If you don't see this option, your Windows 11 version is older; use Method 2 or 3, or install the latest updates in Settings > Windows Update.

For a network you've joined before but aren't connected to now, recent versions also show the key under Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks when you select the network. If yours doesn't, Method 3 works for every saved network.

Method 2: Control Panel (Works on All Versions)

This only works for the network you're connected to right now.

Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. (This opens Network Connections.)
Double-click your Wi-Fi adapter to open Wi-Fi Status.
Select Wireless Properties.
Open the Security tab.
Tick Show characters. The password appears in the Network security key box.

Method 3: Command Prompt (Any Saved Network)

This shows passwords of every network the PC has saved, including ones you're not connected to.

Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin) (or run Command Prompt as administrator).
List the saved networks:

netsh wlan show profiles

Show the password for one of them (replace NetworkName with the exact name from the list, keeping the quotes):

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

Scroll to Security settings. The password is on the Key Content line.

If there's no Key Content line, the network uses a login (enterprise Wi-Fi) or the window wasn't opened as administrator.

If No PC Has the Password

Look on the router. Most routers have a sticker with the default Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password. This only helps if nobody changed it.
Log in to the router. Type the router's IP address into a browser and sign in with the router's admin account; the Wi-Fi password is in the wireless settings. See how to find your router IP address on any device.
Check a phone. An Android phone connected to the network can usually share it as a QR code from the network's settings (Share), and an iPhone can show saved Wi-Fi passwords under Settings > Wi-Fi, tapping the info (i) button next to the network, then Password (iOS 16 and later).
Last resort: reset the router to factory settings with its reset pin. This removes all your settings (Wi-Fi name, password, and for some internet types, the login your provider gave you), so only do it if you know how to set it up again.

After You Change the Password

If you change your Wi-Fi password on the router, every device must reconnect with the new one. Windows often keeps trying the old password and fails silently. Fix it by forgetting the network and joining again; see how to forget a WiFi network on any device.

Keep the Password Safe

Use a long password (12+ characters) with WPA2 or WPA3 security.
Give guests a separate guest network if your router supports it.
Store it in a password manager or write it down somewhere safe, so you don't need these steps next time.

If you're connected but pages won't load even with the right password, that's a different problem; start with WiFi connected but no internet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where is the Wi-Fi password in Windows 11 settings?

On current versions, open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, open your network's properties and select View next to View Wi-Fi security key. Older versions show it in Control Panel under the network's Wireless Properties > Security > Show characters.

How do I see the password of a Wi-Fi network I'm not connected to?

Windows keeps passwords of networks it has joined before. Run netsh wlan show profiles to list them, then netsh wlan show profile name=NetworkName key=clear (put the name in quotes if it has spaces) in an administrator Command Prompt and read the Key Content line.

Why does the Wi-Fi password field stay empty?

Work networks that use your username (WPA2-Enterprise) have no shared password to show, and some organisations block it. You also need an administrator account to reveal saved passwords.