How to Get WiFi Password on Windows 10

This guide shows you how to recover saved WiFi network keys on Windows 10, letting you view the password for any network your PC has connected to before. You only need an account with administrator privileges on the machine — no extra software required.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 10 PC that has previously connected to the WiFi network
• Administrator access to that PC (the account must be in the Administrators group)

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Network Connections window. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter. Alternatively, go to Settings → Network & Internet → Status → Change adapter options.
2. Locate your WiFi adapter. In the Network Connections window, find the entry labeled “Wi-Fi” (it may be called “Wireless Network Connection” on older systems). It should show a signal-bar icon.
3. Open its status. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Status from the context menu.
4. Open Wireless Properties. In the Wi-Fi Status window that appears, click the Wireless Properties button near the bottom.
5. Go to the Security tab. In the Wireless Network Properties dialog, click the Security tab at the top.
6. Reveal the password. Under the “Network security key” field, check the box labeled Show characters. The WiFi password will now appear in plain text in that field.
7. Note it down. Write the password down or copy it to a secure location before unchecking the box or closing the window.

That’s the standard method for the WiFi network you’re currently connected to. To recover passwords for other saved networks (ones you’re not currently connected to), use the Command Prompt method below:

8. Open Command Prompt as administrator. Click the Start button, type cmd, right-click “Command Prompt” in the results, and choose Run as administrator. Confirm the UAC prompt.
9. List all saved profiles. Type the following command and press Enter:
   netsh wlan show profiles
   This lists every WiFi network your PC has a saved profile for.
10. Show the password for a specific profile. Type the following, replacing NetworkName with the exact name from the list (keep the quotes if the name has spaces):
    netsh wlan show profile name="NetworkName" key=clear
11. Find the key. Scroll through the output until you see a section called Security settings. Next to Key Content, you’ll see the plain-text WiFi password.

Common Mistakes

• Not running Command Prompt as administrator. Without admin rights, the key=clear parameter won’t show the password — it’ll just say “Key Content: (not shown)”.
• Typing the profile name wrong. The profile name must match exactly, including spaces and case. Use the list from netsh wlan show profiles and copy-paste the name if possible.
• Looking at the wrong network. If you’re connected to a guest network or a hotspot, that’s the one shown in the GUI method. Use the command-line method to check other saved networks.
• Confusing the “Network security key” with other fields. On the Security tab, the password is always in the field labeled “Network security key” — not “Security type” or “Encryption type”.

Tips

• Use the command line for batch viewing. If you want to see passwords for all saved networks at once, you can loop through profiles in a single command: for /f "tokens=2 delims=:" %a in ('netsh wlan show profiles ^| findstr "All User Profile"') do @netsh wlan show profile name="%a" key=clear | findstr /i "Profile Key"
• Export all profiles to a file. Run netsh wlan export profile folder=C:\WiFiBackup key=clear to save all profiles as XML files with the passwords visible. Keep this folder secure.
• Check your router if the PC method fails. If you can’t access the PC at all, the password is usually printed on a sticker on the router itself, or you can log into the router’s admin page (often at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) using its admin credentials.
• Use the “Show characters” checkbox only when needed. Leaving it checked while others can see your screen exposes the password.

Troubleshooting

• “Show characters” is greyed out. This happens when you’re not the administrator. Log out, log in with an admin account, and try again. If you’re on a work or school PC, the IT department may have disabled this via Group Policy.
• Command Prompt says “Profile is not found.” Double-check the exact spelling from the profiles list. If the network name contains special characters like & or %, you may need to escape them with a caret (^) in some cases — but usually copy-pasting works fine.
• Key Content shows “(not shown)” even with key=clear. This means the command wasn’t run as administrator. Close the Command Prompt, right-click it again, and select “Run as administrator.”
• No profiles are listed at all. This means the WiFi adapter is disabled or has no saved networks. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi and make sure it’s turned on. If you’ve never connected to a network on this PC, there’s nothing to recover.
• The password shown is wrong when trying to connect another device. Some routers use WPS or have a separate guest network with a different password. Make sure you’re looking at the profile for the exact SSID you’re trying to join.
• You get an “Access denied” error in the GUI. This is also a permissions issue. Right-click the network icon in the system tray, choose “Open Network & Internet settings,” then “Change adapter options,” and right-click the adapter from there — sometimes the context menu behaves differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a WiFi password from a PC that has never connected to that network?

No. Windows only stores passwords for networks the PC has successfully connected to at least once. If the PC has never joined that WiFi, the password isn’t stored anywhere on the system.

Will this work on Windows 11?

Yes, the same steps work on Windows 11 with nearly identical menus. The Command Prompt commands (netsh wlan show profiles) are unchanged.

Is it legal to recover a WiFi password this way?

It’s legal to recover a password for a network you own or have explicit permission to access. Using this method to break into someone else’s network without permission is illegal in most jurisdictions.

What if the WiFi password was changed after the PC last connected?

Then the stored password is outdated and won’t work. You’ll need to get the new password from the network owner or the router admin page.

Does this work for Ethernet or VPN connections?

No. This method only applies to wireless networks. Wired connections don’t use a password in the same way, and VPN credentials are stored separately.

Can I use PowerShell instead of Command Prompt?

Yes. Open PowerShell as administrator and run the same netsh commands — they work identically. You can also use Get-WifiPassword from the PowerShell Gallery, but the built-in netsh method is simpler and requires no extra installs.

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