How to find a saved Wi-Fi password on Windows

Short answer: for the network you are connected to, open Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → (your network) → View under Wi-Fi security key. For any other saved network, Windows hides the password — a free viewer like Wi-Fi Password Viewer shows all of them at once, with copy buttons.

What Windows does and doesn't show

Windows stores every Wi-Fi profile you ever connected to, key included, so it can sign in automatically. But the settings app only reveals the password of the currently connected network. For an old network — say, your home network while sitting at a café — there is no button in Settings. The key is still on the disk, though.

Method 1: current network in Settings

  1. Connect to the network whose password you want.
  2. Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → click the network → View next to Wi-Fi security key.

Works only while connected, one network at a time.

Method 2: the netsh command (any saved network)

  1. Press Win + R, type cmd, Enter.
  2. List your networks: netsh wlan show profiles
  3. Show one password: netsh wlan show profile name="MyNetwork" key=clear
  4. Find the Key Content line — that is your password.

Two catches: the field name is translated on non-English Windows (on Russian it is «Содержимое ключа»), and you repeat the whole dance per network.

Method 3: Wi-Fi Password Viewer — every network, one click

Download Wi-Fi Password Viewer and run it — no admin rights needed:

  1. The app lists all saved networks with passwords masked as dots.
  2. Press Show passwords or the eye button of one network.
  3. Copy a single key, or press Copy all for a tidy network: password list you can paste into a password manager.

The keys come from the same Windows profiles — the app exports them to a temporary folder, reads them and deletes the folder immediately. Open networks are marked “no password” instead of pretending.

Download free — WifiPasswordViewer-Setup.exe

Good to know

  • You can only see networks this PC has connected to. A network you never joined has no profile — and no tool can extract a key that is not there.
  • A forgotten network can be deleted: Settings → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks → Forget.
  • If the password changed on the router, the stored key will be stale — Windows will ask for the new one on the next connection.
  • Sharing with a guest? Reveal the password, or better, use your router’s guest network.

FAQ

Why is there no “Show password” button for my old network?

The Settings app only shows the key of the current connection. For others, use the netsh command above or a viewer app.

Does reading the password require admin rights?

No — the profiles of the current user are readable without elevation.

Is the netsh key the real Wi-Fi password?

Yes, the Key Content value is the exact WPA passphrase stored for that network.

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