How to Find a Wi-Fi Password Using the Command Prompt: 3 Proven Methods

All instructions are tested on Windows 10 (versions 21H2, 22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2) If you are using an older OS (eg. Windows 7/8), some commands may not work - we will warn you about this in advance.

1. Basic method: command netsh wlan show profile

This is the simplest and fastest method that will work in 95% of cases. It shows all saved networks and their passwords in cleartext. You don't need administrator rights if you're already connected to the target network.

Open Command Prompt (CMD):

• 🔎 Click Win + R, enter cmd and press Enter.
• 🖱️ Or find it through search: type “Command Prompt” in the taskbar and select the classic application (not PowerShell!).

Enter the command to view all saved networks:

netsh wlan show profiles

You will see a list of network names (Profile name). Find the one you need (for example, my_wifi_5G) and copy its name exactly the same, including case and spaces. Then enter:

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

Replace NETWORK_NAME to the copied name (for example, netsh wlan show profile name="my_wifi_5G" key=clear).

In the execution results, find the block Security parameters. Lines Key content — this is your Wi-Fi password. If the password is blank, proceed to the following method.

Make sure the network name is entered correctly (case sensitive)|

Use quotes if there are spaces in the network name|

If the network name is in Cyrillic, enter it in the same encoding (do not switch the layout)|

Check that you are connected to this network (or have connected previously)

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2. Advanced Method: Export all passwords to a file

If the first method did not work (for example, the password is not displayed or you do not remember the exact network name), you can Export all saved Wi-Fi profiles into a text file. This is convenient when:

• 📡 You have dozens of saved networks and you don't remember the exact name.
• 🔒 The password is not displayed in the first method (happens on some versions) Windows 10 LTSC).
• 📑 You need to save all passwords for backup.

Run the command:

netsh wlan export profile folder="C:\WiFi_Passwords\" key=clear

This command will create a folder WiFi_Passwords on disk C: and save it there XML- files for each network. Each file will contain the following line:

<keyMaterial>YOUR_PASSWORD</keyMaterial>

🔹 Important: if folder C:\WiFi_Passwords\ already exists, the command will fail. In this case:

• Or delete the folder manually and repeat the command.
• Or specify another path, for example: folder="C:\Temp\WiFi_backup\".

3. Alternative method: through PowerShell (If CMD doesn't work)

In rare cases CMD may not display the password due to security policy restrictions (for example, on corporate PCs). Then it will help PowerShell - a more powerful tool Windows.

Open PowerShell as administrator:

• 🔎 Click Win + X and select "Windows PowerShell (Administrator)".
• 🖱️ Or find it in the search, right-click and select "Run as administrator".

Enter the command (replace NETWORK_NAME to the desired one):

(netsh wlan show profile name="NETWORK_NAME" key=clear) | Select-String "Key Contents"

If you need to see all networks and passwords at once, use:

netsh wlan show profiles | Select-String "\S+" | %{$name=$_.Matches.Value; $_=""; (netsh wlan show profile name=$name key=clear) | Select-String "SSID|Key Contents"}

🔹 This command will only display the network names (SSID) and their passwords, without any unnecessary information. - convenient for quick search.

4. When the password cannot be found through the command line

Despite the versatility of the method, there are situations when It is not possible to extract the passwordHere are the main reasons:

If none of the methods worked, there are alternative options:

• 📱 View the password on another device (phone, tablet) that is connected to this network.
• 🌐 Log into the router's web interface (usually at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).
• 📞 Contact your provider (the password may be specified in the contract or in an SMS when connecting).

5. How to protect your Wi-Fi from this type of hack

If you learned the password for someone else's network through the command line, then someone else can do the same with your Wi-FiTo protect yourself:

⚠️ Attention: Even if you change your password, an attacker can retrieve it again if they connect to your network even once. Therefore, it is important restrict access at the router level.

Here 5 effective ways:

To change router settings:

1. Open your browser and enter the address 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (check the router sticker).
2. Log in (the default login and password are often admin/admin).
3. Go to the section Wireless → Security (names may differ).
4. Select WPA3-Personal, create a complex password (at least 12 characters with numbers and special characters).
5. Save the settings and reboot the router.

6. Common mistakes and how to fix them

When working with the command line, users often encounter common problems. Here are the most common ones and their solutions:

Error 1: "The command failed to execute. netsh wlan"The system cannot find the file specified."

• 🔹 Cause: service WLAN AutoConfig disabled.
• 🔧 Solution:
  1. Click Win + R, enter services.msc.
  2. Find the "WLAN AutoConfig" service, right-click → "Start".
  3. Set the startup type to Automatic.

Error 2: "Access denied" when executing command.

• 🔹 Cause: insufficient rights (guest account or policy restrictions).
• 🔧 Solution:
  1. Launch CMD on behalf of the administrator.
  2. If it doesn't help, try PowerShell (section 3).

Error 3: Teams netsh don't work on Windows 7 or old builds Windows 10.

⚠️ Attention: V Windows 7 and earlier versions Windows 10 (before 1803) team netsh wlan show profile may not support the key key=clearIn this case, use third-party utilities like WirelessKeyView (but be careful - download only from the official website NirSoft).

Error 4: There is no "Security Options" block in the command output.

• 🔹 Cause: network connected via EAP (corporate authentication) or WPS.
• 🔧 Solution:
  1. Check the security type in the command output (look for the line Authentication type).
  2. If specified EAP, the password is stored in the domain settings (contact your system administrator).

FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions

@echo off
for /f "tokens=2 delims=:" %%a in ('netsh wlan show profiles ^| find "All user profiles"') do (
for /f "tokens=*" %%b in ('netsh wlan show profile name="%%a" key=clear ^| find "Key contents"') do (
echo Network: %%a
echo Password: %%b
echo.
)
)
pause