A friend or family member wants access to your password-protected WiFi network, but you’ve forgotten what the password is. Luckily, there are easy simple ways to retrieve the password on Windows 11. Here’s how.
View saved WiFi passwords in Windows 11 via Control Panel
Step 1: Launch the Control Panel. You can do this by entering “control panel” at the Run box or at the Search Bar.
Step 2: Click on Network and Internet.
Step 3: Click on Network and Sharing Center.
Step 4: Click the name of the active WiFi network listed at Connections.
Step 5: Click on Wireless Properties.
Step 6: Switch to the Security tab, and tick the Show Characters checkbox to reveal the WiFi password.
Find saved Windows 11 WiFi passwords via Settings
Step 1: Launch the Settings app, and go to Network & Internet.
Step 2: Click on Advanced Network Settings on the right pane.
Step 3: Click on More Network Adapter Options under Related Settings.
Step 4: Find the WiFi adapter and double-click on it.
Step 5: Click on Wireless Properties.
Step 6: Switch to the Security tab, and tick the Show Characters checkbox to reveal the Wi-Fi password.
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How to see saved Windows 11 WiFi passwords in using Command Prompt
Step 1: Launch the Command Prompt with administrator privileges. You can this by pressing Win+R to open the Run box, typing cmd and then pressing Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
Step 2: Enter following in the Command Prompt: netsh wlan show profiles
Step 3: Find the name of the WiFi whose password you want to recover, and then enter it with the following in the command prompt:
- netsh wlan show profile name=WiFiNameHere key=clear
Step 4: The password should be listed under Security Settings, specifically the Key Content.
Of course, these steps only work if you have a Windows 11 computer that already has the Wi-Fi password saved beforehand. If not, try other means of sharing the WiFi connection.
Or you can always enter the admin/web panel of the router or wireless access point itself and retrieve the password from there. And while you’re at the admin panel, consider enabling the guest WiFi so you don’t have to keep sharing the password to your private network to anyone outside your trusted circle.