Windows 11 stores Wi-Fi passwords for all networks you’ve connected to, which enables automatic reconnections. If you need to retrieve one of these passwords, either for sharing or reconnecting another device, Windows provides several built-in ways to find them.
Method 1. View Current Wi-Fi Password via Control Panel
If you’re currently connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can quickly view its password through the Control Panel interface. This method is simple and doesn’t require command-line input.
Step 1: Search for ‘control panel’ in the taskbar.
Step 2: Select Network and Internet.
Step 3: Click on Network and Sharing Centre.
Step 4: Find ‘View your active networks’ and click on the name of the network that is currently connected.
Step 5: Click Wireless Properties.
Step 6: Go to the Security tab and check the box labeled ‘Show characters’.
The password should then appear in the Network security key field.
Method 2. View Saved Wi-Fi Password Using Command Prompt
This method allows you to find passwords of any Wi-Fi network your device has previously connected to. You’ll need to use the Command Prompt with administrative privileges to view the passwords.
Step 1: Search for ‘cmd’ in the taskbar.
Step 2: Find Command Prompt and choose ‘Run as administrator’.
Step 3: In the terminal, type ‘netsh wlan show profiles’ then press Enter.
Step 4: Locate the network name you want from the list of saved networks.
Step 5: Type the following, replacing NETWORK_NAME with the actual name:
netsh wlan show profile name=”NETWORK_NAME” key=clear
Then, press Enter.
Step 6: Scroll to Security settings.
Find the Key Content field. This is where the password is displayed.
Method 3. Use Windows PowerShell (Alternative to Command Prompt)
PowerShell can also be used to find saved Wi-Fi passwords, similar to Command Prompt. This is ideal if you’re more comfortable with PowerShell or already using the Windows Terminal.
Step 1: Press Windows + X.
Step 2: Select Windows Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
Step 3: Type the following command:
netsh wlan show profiles
Press Enter.
Step 4: Note the name of the Wi-Fi network you want.
Step 5: Type the following command with your network name:
netsh wlan show profile name=”NETWORK_NAME” key=clear
Press Enter.
Step 6: Look under Security settings.
The Key Content field shows the saved password
Method 4. Retrieve Wi-Fi Passwords From a Backup File
If you want to create a backup of all saved Wi-Fi passwords or inspect them in raw text form, you can export them to XML files. This method is more technical but gives you access to all stored passwords.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Step 2: Run the following command, replacing FOLDERPATH as needed. The folder path is where you want the information saved:
netsh wlan export profile folder=”FOLDERPATH” key=clear
Press Enter.
This creates XML files for each network.
Step 3: Open File Explorer and go to the folder you saved the networks in.
Step 4: Open the .xml file for the network you want.
Step 5: Search for the line that contains <keyMaterial>.
The value between <keyMaterial> and </keyMaterial> is the Wi-Fi password.
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