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6 min fix Updated 8 Aug 2026Beginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

Open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks, select the network, then click View Wi-Fi security key. On older builds, use Control Panel's Network and Sharing Center instead.

How to Find Your Wi-Fi Password on Windows ​

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-08-08

Summary ​

Windows stores the password of every Wi-Fi network this PC has joined, and two built-in screens will show it to you — no commands to type. Use this to get a new phone, tablet, or laptop onto a network your PC already knows.

Before You Start ​

  • A Windows PC that has connected to the network at least once — Windows only stores passwords for networks it has joined.
  • No admin rights needed. Nothing here changes the network: you are viewing a stored password, not editing anything.
  • This works for home and small-office networks that use one shared password. Company Wi-Fi that signs you in with your own username has no shared password to reveal — the note in Troubleshooting has the exact ticket to send instead.

Instructions ​

1. Show the Password from Settings ​

On Windows 11 23H2 and later, Settings can show the stored password for any network this PC has saved — including one you are not connected to right now.

  1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
  2. Select Network & internet in the left sidebar, then click Wi-Fi at the top of the page.
  3. Click Manage known networks. A list of every Wi-Fi network this PC has saved appears.
  4. Click the name of the network you need the password for. Its properties page opens.
  5. Click View Wi-Fi security key. The password appears on screen.
  6. Type it into your new device exactly as shown — Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive.

If you cannot find Manage known networks, type manage known networks into the search box at the top of the Settings window — the page moves between Windows releases, but search always reaches it. If the network's page has no View Wi-Fi security key button, your Windows build is older than 23H2 — use Method 2, which works on every version.

2. Show the Password from Control Panel ​

The Control Panel route works on Windows 10 and every Windows 11 build, but only for the network you are connected to right now.

  1. Click Start, type control panel, and open Control Panel from the results.
  2. Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center. If your Control Panel shows a grid of icons instead of categories, click Network and Sharing Center directly.
  3. Under View your active networks, click your Wi-Fi network's name next to Connections — it is a blue link. The Wi-Fi Status window opens.
  4. Click Wireless Properties. The Wireless Network Properties window opens.
  5. Select the Security tab.
  6. Check the Show characters box. The dots in the Network security key field turn into your Wi-Fi password.
  7. Type the password into your new device, then close both windows — viewing the password changed nothing on this PC or the network.

That is the whole process: your new device is online, and the password stays findable here whenever the next device arrives.

Troubleshooting ​

INFO

Company and campus networks that ask for your username and password (called WPA2-Enterprise) do not use a shared network password, so there is nothing stored on the PC to reveal. To get a new device onto that kind of network, send IT a ticket: "I need my new phone/laptop on the wireless network — which network should it join, and how do I sign in on that device?"

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
No View Wi-Fi security key buttonWindows build older than 23H2Connect to the network and use Method 2 — the Control Panel route works on every version.
Network missing from Manage known networksThis PC never joined that networkWindows only stores passwords for networks it has connected to. Check the router's label — most home routers print the default password there.
Wireless Properties button missingNot connected to that network right nowThe Control Panel route only shows the current connection. Join the network first, or use Method 1 on Windows 11 23H2 or later.
Security tab shows no readable passwordNetwork signs you in with your account (WPA2-Enterprise)There is no shared password to reveal — the note above has the exact ticket wording to send.