How to view your WiFi password on a Windows 10 computer

It's quite common to need to connect a new device to a wireless network but have hopelessly forgotten the password. Fortunately, the operating system Windows 10 Stores access keys to previously connected networks in encrypted form, allowing them to be restored without accessing the router. This is a built-in security feature that helps users maintain access to their resources.

There are several methods for extracting this information, from standard graphical interfaces to using console commands. Administrative rights They may not be required in all cases, but for some methods they are mandatory. In this article, we'll discuss the most reliable options.

Before we begin, it's worth noting that all the methods described work locally. You don't need internet access or your ISP login credentials. All you need is a computer that has successfully connected to the desired access point at least once.

Viewing the password through the settings graphical interface

The easiest and safest way to find a forgotten password is to use the standard operating system windows. This method doesn't require installing any additional software and is easy to use even for inexperienced users. It's ideal if you have network coverage right now.

To get started, open the Start menu and go to "Settings" by selecting the gear icon. In the window that opens, look for the "Network & Internet" section. This displays the current connection status and provides access to basic adapter settings.

The further algorithm of actions looks like this:

• 📡 In the right part of the window, find and click the link "Network and Sharing Center" (or simply "Properties" in newer versions of Windows 10).
• 🔗 In the list of active connections, click on the name of your Wi-Fi networks.
• 🔐 In the status window that opens, click the "Wireless Network Properties" button.
• 👁️ Go to the "Security" tab and check the box next to "Show entered characters".

After completing these steps, the required character string will appear in the "Network Security Key" field. You can copy or rewrite it. If the "Security" tab is grayed out or hidden, it may mean your account does not have administrator rights on this device.

⚠️ Note: If you are connected to a corporate network, your organization's security policies may hide access keys even for administrators. In this case, please contact your IT department.

The Settings interface may vary slightly across different Windows 10 builds. Microsoft periodically updates the menu's appearance, moving some items around. If you don't find the option you need right away, try searching for "WiFi" or "Wireless" in System Settings.

Using Command Prompt (CMD) to recover

For more advanced users and system administrators, the method using command lineIt not only allows you to view the current password but also displays a list of all networks the computer has ever connected to. This is especially useful if the network you need is currently inactive.

To launch the console with the required privileges, right-click the Start button and select "Windows PowerShell (Administrator)" or "Command Prompt (Administrator)." Without administrator privileges, the system will return an access denied error.

The first step is to get a list of saved profiles. Enter the following command and press Enter:

netsh wlan show profiles

Find the name of the desired network in the list. Then use the command to display profile details by adding the key key=clear, which makes the system show the key in clear text:

netsh wlan show profile name="Network_Name" key=clear

In the "Security settings" information block, find the "Key Content" line. Your password will be listed next to it. This method works reliably on all versions of Windows starting with XP and is not affected by graphical interface glitches.

It's worth remembering that network names with spaces or special characters are best enclosed in quotation marks, as shown in the example above. If the network name contains Cyrillic characters, make sure the console encoding supports Russian, although the command netsh Generally handles Unicode correctly.

Viewing the Keys of All Saved Networks in PowerShell

A powerful tool in the arsenal of a Windows 10 user is PowerShell. It's a more modern shell than the classic CMD and allows for process automation. It can be used to export passwords for all saved networks to a text file.

$profiles = netsh wlan show profiles | Select-String -Pattern"All Users Profile"

@echo off
setlocal
for /f"tokens=4 delims=:" %%a in ('netsh wlan show profiles ^| find"Profile"') do (
set"name=%%a"
for /f"tokens=4 delims=:" %%b in ('netsh wlan show profiles name="%%a" key=clear ^| find"Contents"') do set"pass=%%b"
echo Name: %%a - Password:!pass!
)
pause

• 🔑 WirelessKeyView — classic, shows HEX and ASCII keys, supports export to TXT/HTML.
• 📡 WiFi Password Decoder - simple interface, support for different types of encryption.
• 🛡️ Magical Jelly Bean WiFi Password Revealer not only displays but also generates QR codes for quickly connecting phones.