Windows Wi-Fi Password Retrieval: Quick Guide
Have you ever found yourself in need of retrieving the password for a Wi-Fi network to which you're currently connected? Whether it's for troubleshooting, sharing access with a friend, or simply out of curiosity, knowing how to find that password can be quite handy.
List all wifi profiles
First, let's list all the Wi-Fi profiles that are stored on your computer. Open a command prompt and run the following command:
1PS C:\Users\chris.kramins> netsh wlan show profile
2
3Profiles on interface Wi-Fi 2:
4
5Group policy profiles (read only)
6---------------------------------
7 <None>
8
9User profiles
10-------------
11 All User Profile : Jack
Take note of the profile name you want to retrieve the password for. In this case, the profile name is "Jack".
Show password for a specific profile
Next, let's retrieve the password for the profile we're interested in. Run the following command, replacing "Jack" with the name of the profile you want to retrieve the password for:
1PS C:\Users\chris.kramins> netsh wlan show profile "Jack" key=clear
2
3Profile Jack on interface Wi-Fi 2:
4=======================================================================
5
6Applied: All User Profile
7
8Profile information
9-------------------
10 Version : 1
11 Type : Wireless LAN
12 Name : Jack
13 Control options :
14 Connection mode : Connect manually
15 Network broadcast : Connect only if this network is broadcasting
16 AutoSwitch : Do not switch to other networks
17 MAC Randomization : Disabled
18
19Connectivity settings
20---------------------
21 Number of SSIDs : 1
22 SSID name : "Jack"
23 Network type : Infrastructure
24 Radio type : [ Any Radio Type ]
25 Vendor extension : Not present
26
27Security settings
28-----------------
29 Authentication : WPA2-Personal
30 Cipher : CCMP
31 Authentication : WPA2-Personal
32 Cipher : GCMP
33 Security key : Present
34 Key Content : supersecretpassword
35
36Cost settings
37-------------
38 Cost : Unrestricted
39 Congested : No
40 Approaching Data Limit : No
41 Over Data Limit : No
42 Roaming : No
43 Cost Source : Default
The password for the Wi-Fi network is displayed under "Key Content". In this case, the password is "supersecretpassword".