# How to Find Your Saved Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-find-wifi-password-windows-11/
Published: 2026-07-27 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Wi-Fi, Network, Password, Security
Summary: Forgotten the Wi-Fi password but your PC is still connected? Recover it from Windows 11 settings, from Terminal for any saved network, or from the router itself.
Recommended app: Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/network-monitor/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NGCWN2BKVSC?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
A PC that is already connected to Wi-Fi has the password stored. You do not need to reset the router or hunt for the sticker on the back — Windows will show it to you, and there are three ways to get at it depending on whether you are still connected to that network.

This only works for networks **this PC has connected to**, and only from an **administrator** account. That limitation is deliberate: it is a convenience feature, not a way into someone else's network.

> **Cannot connect at all?** Different problem — see [fix "can't connect to this network"](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-cant-connect-to-this-network-windows-11/). **Locked out of the PC itself?** See [reset a forgotten Windows password](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/reset-forgotten-windows-password/).

## Symptoms
Use this guide when:

* You need to connect a phone, tablet, or guest device and cannot remember the key.
* The router sticker was replaced with a custom password long ago.
* You are setting up a new PC and want the password from the old one.

## Step 1: Read It from Settings (Currently Connected Network)
Windows 11 shows the key for the active network directly.

1. Open **Settings** → **Network & internet** → **Wi-Fi**.
2. Click the name of the network you are connected to.
3. Scroll to **View Wi-Fi security key** and click **View**.
4. The password appears in plain text. Confirm the UAC prompt if one appears.

If you do not see that option, your build or account may not expose it — use Step 2 instead, which always works.

## Step 2: Use Terminal for Any Saved Network
This works for every network the PC has ever joined, including ones you are not connected to now.

1. Right-click **Start** → **Terminal (Admin)**.
2. List every saved network:
   ```
   netsh wlan show profiles
   ```
3. Find the network name in the **User profiles** list, then run:
   ```
   netsh wlan show profile name="YourNetworkName" key=clear
   ```
   Keep the quotation marks if the name contains spaces.
4. Read the **Key Content** line under **Security settings** — that is the password.

To dump every saved password at once:
```
netsh wlan show profiles | Select-String "All User Profile" | ForEach-Object { $n = ($_ -split ":")[1].Trim(); netsh wlan show profile name="$n" key=clear | Select-String "SSID name","Key Content" }
```
Run that in **PowerShell** (the default in Terminal), not Command Prompt.

## Step 3: Read It from the Router's Admin Page
Use this when no PC has the network saved, or you want to change the password rather than read it.

1. Open **Terminal** and run:
   ```
   ipconfig
   ```
   Note the **Default Gateway** — typically `192.168.0.1` or `192.168.1.1`.
2. Open that address in a browser and sign in. The admin credentials are usually on a sticker on the router, and are **not** the Wi-Fi password.
3. Go to **Wireless** or **Wi-Fi settings** and look for **Password**, **Pre-Shared Key**, or **Security key**. Many routers hide it behind a **Show** toggle.
4. Note that 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands may have separate entries.
5. If you cannot sign in to the router, a factory reset (the recessed button, held ~10 seconds) restores the sticker credentials — but wipes all other settings including your internet configuration.

## Step 4: Share the Network Without Revealing the Password
Often the goal is just to get a phone online.

1. Most routers support a **guest network** with its own separate password — set one up so visitors never get the main key.
2. Many router apps and admin pages generate a **QR code** for the network; phones join by scanning it.
3. Both approaches keep the main password private, which matters because anyone with it can reach every device on your network.
4. Related: [share files between Windows PCs on the same network](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/share-files-between-windows-pcs-same-network/).

## Step 5: Check Whether the Password Is Strong Enough
While you have it in front of you, judge it honestly.

1. It should be at least **12-16 characters** and not a phone number, address, or family name.
2. Security must be **WPA3**, or **WPA2-AES** at minimum. **WEP** and **TKIP** are broken — change them today.
3. In **Terminal**, check what the network actually uses:
   ```
   netsh wlan show interfaces
   ```
   and read the **Authentication** and **Cipher** lines.
4. Full hardening walkthrough: [secure your home Wi-Fi router](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/secure-your-home-wifi-router/) and [create strong, memorable passwords](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/create-strong-memorable-passwords/).

## Step 6: Store It Somewhere You Will Find It Next Time
1. Save it in a password manager rather than a note on the fridge: [how to use a password manager safely](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/use-a-password-manager-safely/).
2. Store the **router admin** password there as well — it is the more sensitive of the two.
3. Do not email or message the password to yourself in plain text; those messages outlive the network.

## Step 7: Remove Saved Networks You No Longer Use
Every saved profile is a stored credential, and your PC will happily re-join a network with that name.

1. **Settings** → **Network & internet** → **Wi-Fi** → **Manage known networks**.
2. Click **Forget** on cafés, hotels, and old addresses.
3. Or from **Terminal (Admin)**:
   ```
   netsh wlan delete profile name="OldNetworkName"
   ```
4. This matters most for public networks — an attacker can impersonate a remembered name: [stay safe on public Wi-Fi](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/stay-safe-on-public-wifi/).

## What Not to Do
* **Don't install a "Wi-Fi password finder" utility.** Windows already does this; those downloads are a common malware route — see [avoid malware in fake downloads](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/avoid-malware-fake-downloads/).
* **Don't factory-reset the router just to see the password** unless you have the internet settings to put back.
* **Don't reuse the Wi-Fi password anywhere else.** It gets shared with guests and eventually leaks.

## Still Not Working?
If `netsh wlan show profiles` lists nothing, the PC has no saved wireless networks — check the Wi-Fi adapter is present and enabled in **Device Manager** → **Network adapters**. If **Key Content** is missing from the output, the network uses enterprise authentication (common on work and university networks), where there is no shared key to recover; contact the network administrator.

Related: [fix slow Wi-Fi speeds](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-slow-wifi-speeds-windows-11/) and [how to change DNS servers in Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-change-dns-servers-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-find-wifi-password-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer (Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer shows real-time bandwidth usage, active connections, and per-app network traffic on Windows 10 and 11.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/network-monitor/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt