What to Know
- Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > your Wi-Fi network name.
- Select Wireless Properties > Security > Show characters. Look next to Network security key.
- To find passwords from previous wireless connections, use the Command Prompt.
This article will show you how to find the Wi-Fi password on Windows 11.
Where Are Wi-Fi Passwords Stored in Windows?
A Windows PC saves the passwords of all Wi-Fi networks it connects to. These include the active Wi-Fi network and any past networks. A couple of methods make it easy to retrieve the network passwords if you forget them.
The active Wi-Fi password is stored in the Wireless Network Properties in the Control Panel. You can access Wireless Network Properties located in the Control Panel in three ways:
- From the Control Panel
- From the Settings app.
- From the Run Command box.
How Do I View Wi-Fi Passwords in Windows 11?
You can find Wi-Fi adapter settings in the Control Panel. The adapter stores the password for the active connection.
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Select Start.
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Type Control Panel and select the top result.
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Select Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
Tip:
For easier visibility and less confusion, change the view of the Control Panel applets from View by: Category to View by: Large icons.
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In the Network and Sharing Center, next to Connections, select your Wi-Fi network name.
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In Wi-Fi Status, select Wireless Properties.
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In Wireless Network Properties, select the Security tab, then select the Show characters check box. Your Wi-Fi network password is displayed in the Network security key box.
How to Open Wireless Properties From Settings
You can also access Wireless network properties from the Settings app, which has gradually ported many features from the legacy Control Panel. It's also easier to find than opening the Control Panel in Windows 11.
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Select Start > Settings. Alternatively, use keyboard shortcut Windows key + i.
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Select Network & internet from the left sidebar.
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Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Advanced network settings.
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Under Related settings, select More Network adapter options.
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The Network Connections window will open in the Control Panel. Select Wireless Properties.
Note:
You can also open the Network Connections window in the Control Panel by entering ncpa.cpl in the Run dialog box.
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In Wireless Network Properties, select the Security tab, then select the Show characters check box. Your Wi-Fi network password is displayed in the Network security key box.
How Do I View All Wi-Fi Passwords in Windows 11?
You can find the current Wi-Fi password and the passwords from previous wireless connections used by your PC.
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Search for Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
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To find all Wi-Fi connections used by Windows, type netsh wlan show profiles at the command prompt. Press Enter.
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Note the specific Wi-Fi connection name for which you need the password.
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Enter netsh wlan show profile name=WifiConnectionName key=clear at the command prompt. Substitute "WifiConnectionName" with the network name (without quote). Press Enter.
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Note down the value next to Key Content. That's the specific Wi-Fi network’s password.