In Summary
Windows 11 was released last year in October by Microsoft and now carries some substantial upgrades over the previous iterations of Windows. But in this new layout of Windows 11, you may also want to know how to view a saved Wi-Fi password if you have forgotten it. So, here we will see how you can easily view all the saved passwords stored on your Windows 11 PC without any hassles.
Therefore, it is difficult to remember all stored networks. You may also want to enter a saved network once without having to enter the network’s credentials. This is especially convenient if you have lost or forgotten the password of the protected network. Below are some important steps you can take to access the saved passwords on Windows 11 PC.
5 Ways to Retrieve Saved Windows 11 Wi-Fi Password?
Several methods exist to view the saved Wi-Fi password on your Windows 11 PC. In this article, we’ll present three main methods to find out your forgotten network password. All of these methods are easy to perform. Let’s get started.
Method 1: View Saved Wi-Fi Password Using Control Panel
Retrieving your current Wi-Fi password from the Control Panel is one of the most commonly used and easiest methods. You must already be logged into the Wi-Fi account you want to recover for this approach to work. This is also helpful in a scenario where you’re always logged into your Wi-Fi network and probably forgot the password when you want to give it to a guest or a friend. Here are the steps to follow:
Then, open the Control Panel and click Network and Internet.
After that, open the Network and Sharing Center. Your currently saved Wi-Fi network will now be displayed on the recurring page.
Click on your current Wi-Fi network on the Connections tab.
A new window will open where you can see all the properties of your Wi-Fi network.
Then, click on Wireless Properties. Then, open the Security tab in the Properties window.
You can then see your Wi-Fi password. To read the WiFi password, select Show characters. The password can also be copied to the clipboard and saved for further use.
Method 2: View Saved Wi-Fi Password Using Command Prompt
As mentioned earlier, the Control Panel technique can be helpful if you need to access the Wi-Fi password for the currently connected network. However, if you want to access the password of a previously used Wi-Fi network, you can use the command prompt. Below are the steps you need to do this.
First, press the Windows key + R simultaneously to open Run. Then, type cmd to open the Command Prompt window. To view the names of the saved Wi-Fi network profiles, type in the command window: netsh wlan show profiles and press Enter.
The list of all Wi-Fi networks you have accessed via PC will be displayed. Make a note of the name of the network whose saved password you want to retrieve. Now type the following command: netsh WLAN show profile name=profilename key=clear In the following command, replace the profile name with the network whose password you want to access. For example, the last command would look like this to show the Wi-Fi password for the user CC -143A: netsh WLAN show profile name=CC-143A key=clear Press the Enter key. Afterward, you will find the saved password at the bottom of the Key Content tab. Please write it down to be able to use it in the future.
Method 3: View Saved Wi-Fi Password Using PowerShell
The prompt method allows you to view only the password for a selected user profile. However, if you want to access the password for all stored networks on your Windows PC, run PowerShell to view the passwords for all user profiles. To do this, perform the following steps.
Open the WinX menu by pressing Windows + X at the same time. You can also right-click on the Windows icon. Then, click on Windows Terminal. When a command window opens, click Yes. Next, type or copy and paste the following command into the PowerShell window: (netsh wlan show profiles) | Select-String “:(.+)$” | %{$network=$.Matches.Groups[1].Value.Trim(); $} | %{(netsh wlan show profile name="$network" key=clear)} | Select-String “Key Content\W+:(.+)$” | %{$password=$.Matches.Groups[1].Value.Trim(); $} | %{[PSCustomObject]@{ NETWORK_NAME=$network;PASSWORD=$password }} | Format-Table -AutoSize
You can then view all the Wi-Fi network profiles saved on your computer. You can then write down the required network profile password you want to use for further use.
Method 4: Find WiFi password directly from Settings
Microsoft is moving a lot of options from the Control Panel to Settings, making it easier for users to find all settings under one roof. To find WiFi passwords in Windows 11, open Settings, go to Network and Internet, and then turn on your Wi-Fi.
Click on Wireless Properties after finding your WiFi. When you are in Wireless properties, go to Security options and select the box that says Show characters under Network security key. The WiFi password used last time to connect will now be displayed in Windows 11. Simple and neat, isn’t it?
Method 5: Use third-party apps to find Wi-Fi password
The four methods we have mentioned above are the recommended ways to view and find WiFi passwords in Windows 11. But if you are trying to help a non-techie like your grandmother over the phone, you can try one of the many third-party applications instead. In these apps, you won’t be asked to type any commands or look for any settings. Just extract the file and open the application, and it will show your WiFi password. We suggest WirelessKeyView and WiFi Password Revealer applications which are simple to use with clean interface.
View the stored network passwords on your Windows PC with ease
Viewing Wi-Fi passwords on your Windows 11 computer or laptop should be really easy if you follow the instructions above. You can also change the password of a currently saved network if you think it is too easy to crack. Please let us know in the comments below if you were able to view the password of your Wi-Fi network using this article.
