There’s nothing more annoying than forgetting your Wi-Fi password. Not to worry: there are plenty of ways you can solve the problem.
We all know it: you just got a new phone or laptop and want to connect it to wifi, but you have no idea what the password is. Maybe it’s somewhere on the router in another room or you wrote it on a lost post-it.
And sometimes you’re just unlucky and have to figure it out yourself. Fortunately, there are easy ways to figure out the Wi-Fi password without having to bother anyone or switch to something else in vain. We’ll show you how.
Forgot your Wi-Fi password? Here’s how to find it quickly
On almost every device imaginable, you can find the Wi-Fi password within a few clicks. Whether you’re using an Android, iPhone, Windows or macOS. We’ll go over all the steps with you briefly.
Android
Do you have a Google Pixel phone? Then go to Settings, tap Network and Internet, then tap the cog icon next to the name of your Wi-Fi network. Then choose Share, verify your identity and a QR code will appear to share the Wi-Fi data. The password is also there.
Tracking the password on a Google Pixel (Image: Gizmodo)
On a Samsung Galaxy, it works a little differently. Go to Settings, choose Connections and select Wi-Fi. Then tap the cog icon next to your current network. The password will be hidden at first, but if you tap the eye icon and confirm your identity, you can see it.
Do you have another Android smartphone? Then you can probably find a similar Wi-Fi settings page. Also check the handy additional options, such as auto-reconnect and the frequency or Wi-Fi standard you’re connected to.
Finding the Wi-Fi password on an iPhone
iPhone users open the Settings app and go to Wi-Fi to see the connected network. Tap the blue information icon next to the network name (the small “i” in a circle) to view the settings.
Once you tap the Password field, you need to confirm your identity via Face ID, your PIN, or another security method. Then the password will appear and you can easily copy it.
On an iPhone (Image: Gizmodo)
Windows
Want to find your Wi-Fi password on Windows? Open Settings from the start menu and go to Network and Internet and Wi-Fi. At the top, you’ll see the network you’re connected to. Click on your network name to see the details.
On the next screen, you’ll see all kinds of information such as your network profile and DNS and IP settings. But we’re here for the password: scroll down and click Display next to Show Wi-Fi Security Key and the password will appear in a new window.
This is how it works on Windows (Image: Sam Dill/WANT)
MacOS
Finally, we’ll show you how to retrieve the password on a macOS. Open the Apple menu, go to System Settings and click on Wi-Fi. You’ll see the network you’re connected to at the top, but to get the password, scroll down to Known Networks.
There you’ll see three dots next to each Wi-Fi network: click on them and choose Copy Password. The password will then be sent to your clipboard. To see it, paste it into an app such as TextEdit or Notes (Cmd+V).
On a MacOS (Image: Gizmodo)
