If a laptop or phone is already connected to your WiFi, it has the password stored somewhere — you just need to know where to look. Here’s how on every major platform, plus the one method that works everywhere: checking the router itself.

Windows

  1. Right-click the WiFi icon in the taskbar and choose Network & Internet Settings.
  2. Click Advanced network settings → More network adapter options (or go to Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center on older versions).
  3. Click your WiFi adapter, then Wireless Properties → Security tab.
  4. Check Show characters to reveal the password in the “Network security key” field.

Prefer the command line? Open Command Prompt and run:

netsh wlan show profile name="YourNetworkName" key=clear

Look for Key Content in the output — that’s your password.

macOS

  1. Open Spotlight (Cmd + Space), type Keychain Access, and open it.
  2. Search for your network name in the search bar.
  3. Double-click the matching entry, check Show password, then confirm with your Mac’s login password (Touch ID works too).

Android

Since Android 10, this doesn’t require root access:

  1. Open Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap your connected network, then tap Share (usually shown as a QR code icon).
  3. Confirm with your fingerprint or PIN — you’ll see a QR code, and on most versions the password is printed as text underneath it too.

On older Android versions without this feature, you’ll generally need root access to view saved passwords directly, so checking the router (below) is the more practical route.

iPhone or iPad

Apple doesn’t expose saved WiFi passwords directly in Settings, but there are two reliable options:

  • From another Apple device already on the network: bring both devices close together with Bluetooth and WiFi on, tap the network name on the new device when prompted to enter a password, and a “Share Password” prompt should appear on the already-connected device.
  • Via iCloud Keychain on a Mac: if the password was saved while signed into the same iCloud account, it’ll show up in Keychain Access on a Mac using the steps above.

The method that always works: check the router directly

If none of the above applies — no device is connected, or you just want the source of truth — log into your router’s admin panel:

  1. Find your router’s IP address and type it into a browser.
  2. Log in with your router credentials (check the sticker on the device if you never changed them).
  3. Look for a section called Wireless, WiFi, or WLAN Settings — your current network name and password are shown in plain text there, and this also works if you want to change the password rather than just view it.

A quick safety note

Only recover passwords for networks you own or have permission to access. If you’re setting up a new device and want to share access without displaying the password on screen, our WiFi QR Code Generator turns a network name and password into a scannable code — useful for guests, and the password never leaves your browser in the process.