How to find your Wi-Fi password on a Mac: all the methods from Keychain Access to Terminal

Forgot your home or office Wi-Fi password, but your connection to the network is saved on your MacBook or iMac? The situation is familiar to many: the router has been configured for a long time, the sticker with the password has been lost, and guests or a new device needs to connect. Luckily, macOS stores all Wi-Fi network passwords. in a secure storage, and they can be retrieved without resetting the router.

In this article you will find 5 working methods, how to find out the Wi-Fi password on a Mac - from standard tools like Keychain Access to commands in Terminal and third-party utilities. The methods have been tested on macOS Sonoma, Ventura And Monterey, but most of them also work on older versions of the system (before macOS Catalina). We'll also discuss what to do if the password isn't displayed or the system requires administrator rights.

Before you begin, make sure your Mac is already connected to the desired Wi-Fi network (or connected previously). If the network isn't in the list of saved networks, none of these methods will work—you'll have to reset the router or contact your ISP.

Method 1: View your password via Keychain (the easiest method)

Keychain Access — is a built-in password storage in macOS that stores data from Wi-Fi networks, websites, apps, and even bank cards. To find your Wi-Fi password:

1. Open Spotlight (click Command + Space) and enter Bunch of keys. Launch the application.

2. In the left side menu, select System (or Local elements, if you use iCloud Keychain).

3. In the search bar, enter the name of your Wi-Fi network (For example, TP-Link_1234).

4. Double-click on the found entry and check the box. Show password and enter your Mac account password (the one you use to log in).

After that in the field Show password The combination you are looking for will be displayed. If the button is inactive or the password is not visible, check that you have administrator rights on this Mac.

⚠️ Warning: If you use guest account on Mac or sign in Touch ID Without a password, the system will not allow you to view saved passwords. In this case, use Terminal (method 3) or temporarily add a password to your account in System Preferences → Users & Groups.

Method 2: View the password in Network Preferences (for macOS Monterey and later)

In recent versions of macOS, Apple has made it easier to access Wi-Fi passwords directly from the Settings panel. This method works on macOS Monterey 12.0 and above, including Sonoma:

1. Click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar (upper right corner of the screen) and select Network settings....

2. In the window that opens, click on the three dots ... next to the name of your network and select Additionally.

3. Go to the tab Wi-Fi and check the box Show passwordThe system will ask for an administrator password.

This method the fastest, but it is not available on all versions of macOS. If you have Catalina or older, use Keychain Access or Terminal.

Method 3: Obtaining a password via Terminal (for advanced users)

If the graphical interface does not help, you can extract the password using command lineThis method works on all versions of macOS, but requires knowledge of the exact name of the network.

Open Terminal (through Spotlight or folder Utilities) and run the following command, replacing NAZVANIE_SETI to the name of your Wi-Fi:

security find-generic-password -wa "NAZVANIE_SETI"

For example, if the network is called HomeWiFi_5G, the command will be:

security find-generic-password -wa "HomeWiFi_5G"

After entering, the system will ask administrator passwordIf everything is done correctly, the Wi-Fi password will be displayed in the Terminal.

⚠️ Please note: Some corporate networks (for example, in offices or universities) use safety certificates instead of passwords. In this case, the Terminal will not display the usual character combination, but will instead display encrypted data. For such networks, the password can only be obtained from the network administrator.

Method 4: Using third-party utilities (if standard methods don’t work)

If the built-in macOS tools don't help, you can use specialized programsThey're handy when you need to quickly find passwords for all saved networks or export them to a file.

• 🔍 WiFi Password Revealer — a free utility that displays passwords for all Wi-Fi networks your Mac has ever connected to. No installation required (works as .app-file).
• 🛠️ Keychain Access Explorer — an advanced manager for Keychain with convenient search and filters.
• 📄 WiFi Password — an application for exporting passwords to CSV or TXT (useful for backup).

All these programs require administrator rights and can be blocked Gatekeeper (macOS security system). To allow launch:

1. Download the utility from the official website (not from unverified sources!).
2. On first launch, right click on the file and select Open (not just double click).
3. Confirm launch in the warning window.

Download programs only from official websites

Check reviews and ratings on MacUpdate or Softpedia

Do not enter the administrator password in suspicious windows.

After use, delete the utility if you do not need it permanently.

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Important: Some utilities (such as WiFi Password Revealer) may be flagged by antivirus software as "potentially dangerous" due to their access to system data. This is a false positive—the programs do not steal passwords, but only extract them from Keychain.

Method 5: View the router password (if access to your Mac is restricted)

If you don't have administrator rights on your Mac or your system is locked, you can find out the password. directly from the routerTo do this:

1. Connect to the router via cable or Wi-Fi (if the connection is saved).

2. Open your browser and type in the address bar 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (the address may differ - see the sticker on the router).

3. Enter your login and password to log in to the control panel (usually admin/admin or indicated on the sticker).

4. Go to the section Wi-Fi (or Wireless), then Security (Security). Field Password, Key or Passphrase contains the password you are looking for.

On some routers (for example, TP-Link or ASUS) The password may be hidden behind asterisks. To see it:

• 🔄 Click on the eye icon (if present).
• 📝 Copy the password to the clipboard using the context menu.
• 🔧 Use a browser extension like ShowPassword (available for Chrome and Firefox).

⚠️ Attention: If you have not changed the default settings of the router, the password for the control panel (admin/admin) may be the same as your Wi-Fi password. In this case, change both passwords for security reasons—this will protect your network from being hacked.

What to do if none of the methods work?

If you've tried all the methods but still can't find your password, there may be a few possible reasons:

• 🔒 Corporate network (uses 802.1X, WPA-Enterprise (or certificates). The password is stored on the company's server, not on the device.
• 🚫 Password not saved on macOS (for example, if you always entered it manually).
• 🔄 Hidden network (SSID Hidden), and its name in the system is written differently (try searching by part of the name).
• 🛠️ Problems with Keychain Access (damaged storage). In this case, resetting the keys via Terminal:

sudo security dump-keychain -d login.keychain

If nothing helps, there are radical measures left:

1. Reset your router settings (button Reset for 10 seconds) and configure it again.
2. Contact your provider - some operators (for example, Rostelecom or Beeline) can send the password for your router via SMS or email.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Wi-Fi Passwords on Mac

security dump-keychain -d login.keychain | grep "airport network password" -A 1 > wifi_passwords.txt