practical You are in a place where you were before and your Windows laptop immediately remembers SSID and the password of the Wi-Fi network, automatically saving you. But your phone, tablet and laptop from your colleague have never been before, so they can’t connect. If only you remember the password or if you wrote it somewhere.
Fortunately, Windows 10 and 11, and Android keep a recording of all your stored network connections, and if you know what to do, you can find SSIDS and passwords to share with a friend or use on another device.
Find the password for your current connection in Windows
The simplest password to find is that of the network to which you are currently logged in. To see a list of current network connections, search “Display network connections” in Windows search and click on it.
You will then be transported to a screen with a list of all your network adapters, including all Ethernet adapters or virtual adapters used for virtual machines. Your Wi-Fi adapter must be listed and displayed connected to the current SSID network.
Right -click on the current network connection and select Status.
Then click on the Wireless Properties button.
Access the safety tab.
Check the Shop and Wi-Fi password for the current network will become visible in the network safety key.
You can now copy this password in your clipboard to send to others or type it in another device.
Find SSIDS and passwords for older networks
What happens if your friend needs to know the Wi-Fi password for the Office network, but you are in a different place, so you are not actively connected? Good news. Windows provides a way to obtain SSIDS and passwords for each network to which you are connected.
First, open an order prompt (it does not need to be a raised command prompt). The easiest way to do so is to search for “CMD” in Windows search.
At the command prompt, enter the following command to see a list of all Wi-Fi profiles.
netsh wlan show profile
You will see a list of all the Wi-Fi networks to which you are connected to this PC.
Locate the exact name of the Wi-Fi network for which you want to get the password. Then enter as follows:
netsh wlan show profile [NETWORK NAME] key=clear
If the SSID contains spaces, be sure to put quotes around the name. For example, when I searched Valhallan Huntington, a network for an Esports training center where I take my son, I entered:
netsh wlan show profile "ValHallan Huntington" key=clear
You can then find the password in raw text under Safety Settings-> Key content.
As with any text you see in a Windows command prompt shell, you can copy the password in your clipboard by highlighting it and pressing Entrance (do not click CTRL + C).
Get forgotten Wi-Fi passwords from your Android device
Android phones and tablets also allow you to display stored Wi-Fi SSIDS and Wi-Fi passwords. Depending on the Android version and the skin you have, the method of doing this may vary slightly. Here’s how I did it on an original Android phone, a Google Pixel 8A running Android 15.
First, sweep at the top of your screen to get the quick settings menu, then select “Internet”.
If you want the current network, press its name here. It should be at the top.
If you want a network to which you are not connected at the moment, scroll down and press you, scroll to press the saved networks.
Then press the name of the network you want to display.
On the next screen, you will be shown some information on the network. Click Share.
You will be asked to check your identity at this stage, perhaps with a facial connection (if you have a configuration) or a pin. On the next screen, you will be displayed both a QR code and the real Wi-Fi password in text.
If there is another Android device you want to share, you can have this device scan the QR code. Otherwise, it is easier to copy and paste the password in an email, SMS or an instant message to send to the person who needs.®®®
