How to Find a Saved Wi-Fi Password on Windows (Without Resetting the Router)
Your Windows PC is already connected to a Wi-Fi network, but you’ve forgotten the password and want to share it with another device. Windows stored it — you just have to reveal it.
Why this works: Once you’ve joined a network, Windows keeps the password (the “network security key”) in that network’s saved profile. You can view it without touching the router, as long as this PC is currently connected to that network.
Windows 11: reveal it in Settings
- Open Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi.
- Select Properties (the box for the network you’re connected to).
- Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show.
You can also reach it from Manage known networks: pick a network, then choose Show next to Wi-Fi network password.
Windows 10: use Network and Sharing Center
- Settings → Network & Internet → Status → Network and Sharing Center. (Or press the Windows key, type
control panel, and open Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center.) - Next to Connections, click your Wi-Fi network name.
- In Wi-Fi Status, click Wireless Properties.
- Open the Security tab and tick Show characters. The password appears in the Network security key box.
The Network and Sharing Center method also works on Windows 11 if you prefer it.
FAQ
Can I see a password for a network I’m not connected to? Not with these steps — they read the profile of the network you’re currently on. For other saved networks you’d need an elevated command-line method or the router itself.
The “Show” option / Security tab is greyed out. You may need to be signed in as an administrator to reveal the key.
I just need to get back online, not see the password. Then find it on the router instead — see log in to your router’s admin page.
Sources: Microsoft Support — Find your Wi-Fi network password in Windows