How to View Wi-Fi Password on an Android Phone Without Rooting: A Complete Guide

Forgot your home Wi-Fi password and your router is in another city? Or did a friend share their network but didn't tell you the access code? Situations where you need to Find your saved Wi-Fi password on Android, occur more often than you think. Fortunately, this can be done even without ROOT rights — it is enough to know the hidden functions of the system and a few workarounds.

Many users mistakenly believe that without superuser rights (root) viewing passwords is impossible. This is not true: manufacturers Samsung, Xiaomi, Google and others leave loopholes in firmware, and some apps can extract data from system files legally. In this article— 5 proven methods, running on most devices running Android 8.0–14.

⚠️ Attention: Extracting Wi-Fi passwords without the network owner's consent may violate privacy laws. Use these methods only to restore access to your own networks.

1. Standard method: via Android settings (works on some firmware versions)

The easiest method is to look in the Wi-Fi settings menu. Unfortunately, this isn't available on all devices: Google Pixel, OnePlus and some models Samsung (starting from Android 10) allow you to view passwords directly, whereas Xiaomi, Huawei And Realme hide this option.

To check if your phone supports this method:

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and networks → Wi-Fi.
2. Click on the name of the connected network (or select it from the list of saved ones).
3. Tap the button Share (or Share (on English firmware).
4. The system will ask for confirmation. PIN code, fingerprint or pattern.
5. After authentication, you will see QR code and a text password underneath it.

If the buttons Share No, your firmware doesn't support this method. Proceed to the next section.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with Android 9 and below this method may not work due to security restrictions. Also, some manufacturers (for example, Huawei) remove the function in localized versions of firmware.

2. Using a file manager (for advanced users)

Android stores Wi-Fi passwords in an encrypted file wpa_supplicant.conf, but access to it is usually blocked. However, on some devices (especially with Android 8–9) you can bypass the restrictions through the standard file manager with rights to read system folders.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with support ROOT viewing (For example, Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Follow the path:

   /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore

   Or (on older versions of Android):

   /data/misc/wifi

3. Find the file wpa_supplicant.conf and open it with a text editor.
4. Look for blocks like:

   network={
   ssid="Network_Name"
   psk="wifi_password"
   key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
   }

If the folder /data/ unavailable - this means that the manufacturer has blocked access to it without rootIn this case, the following method will help.

Install Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer

Enable "Show hidden files" mode

Grant all permissions to the application

Download a text editor (e.g. QuickEdit)

-->

3. Password Extraction Apps (No ROOT Required)

There are several applications that can do this read Wi-Fi passwords from system files without receiving root-access. They don't work on all devices, but they're worth a try:

• 🔹 WiFi Password Viewer - shows saved networks and passwords (requires Android 5.0+). Supports Samsung, LG, Sony.
• 🔹 WiFi Password Recovery — extracts data from backups. Works on Xiaomi And Huawei With Android 8–11.
• 🔹 WiFi Key Recovery - analyzes the system cache. Effective on Google Pixel And OnePlus.

How to use:

1. Download one of the applications from Google Play (or APK from a trusted source).
2. Launch and grant access to Storage And Wi-Fi.
3. Wait for the scan to complete – the program will display a list of networks with passwords.

⚠️ Attention: Some antiviruses (for example, Avast or Kaspersky) may block such apps as "potentially dangerous." This is a false positive—the apps don't steal data, they only read it. yours saved passwords.

4. Export Wi-Fi settings via ADB (for advanced users)

If the previous methods did not work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) — a debugging tool that allows you to extract system data. The method requires PC and a little technical skills, but it works on 90% of devices are not rooted.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Download ADB Tools and unzip the archive onto your computer.
2. Turn it on on your phone Developer mode (Tap the build number 7 times in Settings → About phone).
3. Activate USB debugging in the developer menu.
4. Connect your phone to your PC and launch it Command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) in the ADB folder.
5. Execute the commands in order:

   adb devices

   (your device should appear)

   adb pull /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore/wpa_supplicant.conf

   Or for older versions:

   adb pull /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf

6. File wpa_supplicant.conf will appear in the ADB folder. Open it with Notepad and find the line psk="...".

If the command returns an error Permission denied, try an alternative route:

adb shell
su -c "cat /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore/wpa_supplicant.conf"

⚠️ Attention: On some devices (eg. Xiaomi With MIUI 12+) Wi-Fi files are encrypted with an additional key. In this case, the ADB method won't work.

What to do if ADB doesn't see the device?

Make sure you have installed the drivers for your phone (download from the manufacturer's website).

Try a different USB cable (preferably the original one).

Enable the "Allow USB debugging (safe mode)" option in developer options.

Restart your phone and PC.

5. Password recovery via backup (for Samsung and Xiaomi)

Manufacturers Samsung And Xiaomi allow you to create local backups, which sometimes store Wi-Fi passwords. This method requires setting up a backup beforehand, but if you've done that, the chances are high.

For Samsung (via Smart Switch):

1. Install Samsung Smart Switch on PC.
2. Connect your phone and create a backup (select Settings → Wi-Fi).
3. Open the backup file using an archiver (for example, 7-Zip) and find the folder com.android.providers.settings.
4. In the file settings.db (can be opened via DB Browser for SQLite) look for the table wifi — there will be SSID and passwords.

For Xiaomi (via Mi Cloud):

1. Log in to the website i.mi.com.
2. Go to Devices → Backups.
3. Download the latest copy and find the file in it MiuiSystemBackup/wifi.config.

This method works in ~60% of cases, since not all firmware saves passwords in backups.

6. Alternative methods: if nothing helps

If all the above methods don't work, there are radical (but legal) options:

• 🔄 Resetting the router - press the button Reset on the back of the router (hold for 10 seconds). The password will be reset to the factory default (indicated on the router sticker).
• 📱 Another device - If a laptop, tablet or second phone is connected to the network, look at the password there (on Windows: Control Panel → Network Connections → Wireless Network → Properties → Security).
• 📧 Contacting your provider - if it is a provider network (for example, Rostelecom or Beeline), the password can be found in your personal account or by calling the support phone number.

It is also worth checking if the password is saved in Google account:

1. Go to passwords.google.com.
2. Enter your Google account login and password.
3. In the section Passwords find Wi-Fi - sometimes saved networks are displayed there.

⚠️ Attention: Resetting your router will disconnect all users from the network and restore factory settings. Use this method only as a last resort.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about viewing Wi-Fi passwords on Android

❓ Is it possible to find out the password for a Wi-Fi network that my phone isn't connected to?

No. Android only stores passwords for networks the device has previously connected to. If a network is saved but inactive, try connecting to it (even without internet)—this can sometimes allow you to retrieve the password via wpa_supplicant.conf.

❓ Why do password viewer apps require access to the vault?

Applications need access to system files (eg. wpa_supplicant.conf), which are stored in protected folders. Without read permission, they won't be able to scan the device. This isn't dangerous if you download programs from trusted sources (for example, Google Play).

❓ Do these methods work on Android 13 and 14?

Yes, but with some reservations:

• On Android 13+ standard viewing through Settings → Share works only on Google Pixel and some Samsung.
• The ADB method may require additional permissions (eg. adb root, but it's not the same as root-rights).
• Apps like WiFi Password Viewer are frequently updated to support new OS versions.

❓ Is it possible to find out the Wi-Fi password through Engineering Mode (engineering menu)?

Theoretically yes, but in practice it is doesn't work on modern devices. Previously, in the engineering menu (##4636##) there was a section with information about Wi-Fi, but with Android 9 Manufacturers have removed password information from there. Now this menu only displays technical network parameters (signal strength, channel, etc.).

❓ Is it legal to use these methods?

Yes, if you restore access to his own networks. Extracting passwords from other people's Wi-Fi networks without the owner's permission may be classified as unauthorized access to computer information (Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Always check with the network owner for permission to use a password.