The situation usually goes like this: your device connected long ago, then a guest asks for the password, and nobody can remember it.
The good news is that the password is still there. Every operating system stores it for each network that has been joined, so the device can reconnect on its own next time. Showing it again takes only a few taps.
One thing to state up front: these methods only work for networks your device has genuinely joined with the correct password. None of them opens someone else's network.
A summary by device
| System | Possible? | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Android 10 and above | Yes | QR code in the Wi-Fi menu |
| Android 9 and below | No | Must go via the router |
| iPhone / iPad, iOS 16+ | Yes | Wi-Fi settings, needs Face ID |
| Older iPhone | No | Must go via a Mac or the router |
| Windows | Yes | Network properties or a command |
| macOS | Yes | The Keychain Access app |
| The router's page | Yes | Works for that network itself |
Android
Since Android 10, the password is not shown as plain text but wrapped in a QR code, and on most brands, the text is still printed underneath it.
- Open Settings → Wi-Fi or Connections.
- Tap the name of the connected network, or the gear icon beside it.
- Choose Share or the QR icon.
- Unlock the screen when prompted.
A QR code appears, with the password usually written directly beneath it. If only the QR code appears, ask your guest to scan it directly, the result is the same, and rather more convenient.
On Android 9 and below, the password sits in a system file that cannot be opened without root access. Skip this and use the router method below.
iPhone and iPad
This capability only arrived in iOS 16. Before that, the password could not be viewed directly on an iPhone.
- Open Settings → Wi-Fi.
- Tap the information icon beside the network name.
- Tap the Password row shown as dots.
- Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode.
The password appears and can be copied. For a network you are not currently connected to, go into Edit at the top right of the Wi-Fi list first.
Windows
There are two routes. The first through the interface, the second faster if you are comfortable typing commands.
Through network settings
- Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center.
- Click the Wi-Fi network name next to Connections.
- Click Wireless Properties → the Security tab.
- Tick Show characters.
Through Command Prompt
This route has an advantage: it also shows passwords for networks you are not currently connected to, as long as they were saved.
Open Command Prompt, then run netsh wlan show profile to list every saved network.
Once you know the network name, run
netsh wlan show profile name="NETWORK-NAME" key=clear and look for the
Key Content line.
macOS
- Open the Keychain Access app through Spotlight.
- Select the Passwords category, then search for the network name.
- Double-click the entry and tick Show password.
- Enter your Mac user password.
If an iPhone and a Mac share the same iCloud Keychain, network passwords stored on the iPhone appear here too. This is the way round for older iPhones.
Through the router's page
This route works without depending on any particular device, and is often the only option on older Android.
Open the router's IP address in a browser, usually 192.168.1.1, and how to find it is explained in the guide to local IPs and DHCP. Sign in with the admin password, then open the wireless settings menu. The password sits in the same field used to change it, and some routers provide an eye icon to reveal it.
Remember the distinction. The router admin password is not the same as the Wi-Fi password. If you cannot get into the settings page, what you have forgotten is the admin password, a different problem. It is explained in the guide to changing your Wi-Fi password.
Sharing without revealing the password
If the aim is simply to connect a guest, showing the password is not actually the best step. These two are tidier:
- A QR code. The guest scans, their device connects, and the password is never seen or written down anywhere.
- A guest network. A separate password that can be changed at any time without cutting off a single household device. This is the right choice if guests come often, how to set it up is in the guide to separating a guest network.
One thing worth thinking about
This convenience has another side: anyone who gets hold of your unlocked laptop or phone can read your home Wi-Fi password in under a minute.
That does not make the feature dangerous, it is designed this way, and the system asks for authentication first. What is worth recognising is that a Wi-Fi password is not a secret that can be held for long once it has been shared across many devices.
Which is why handing the main password to every guest is not a habit that lasts. A guest network settles it once and for all. If you feel the main password has already circulated too widely, the next steps are in the guide to blocking a Wi-Fi user and the guide to securing a home router.
Frequently asked questions
Can this be used on a neighbour's Wi-Fi?
No. What is displayed is only the password already stored on your own device, and it is only there because that device once connected using the correct password. A network you have never joined stores nothing to display.
Why is there no option to show the password on older Android?
Sharing by QR code only arrived in Android 10. On earlier versions the password sits in a system file that cannot be opened without root access. The remaining route is to open it from the router's settings page.
Does showing the password need special permission?
On iPhone and macOS, the system asks for Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode first. On Windows you need an account with administrator rights. On Android, unlocking the screen as usual is enough.
Is there a way to share without revealing the password?
Yes, by QR code. Guests scan it and connect without ever seeing the password. For repeated use, such as at a business, a separate guest network is more appropriate than sharing the main password.
