How to Find Your Saved Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can view a saved Wi-Fi password without resetting your router. For a network your computer already knows, open Windows Settings, go to Network & internet, choose the relevant Wi-Fi network or Manage known networks, and use the Show control next to the Wi-Fi network password when it is available. Recent Windows 11 versions can also display a QR code you can scan from another device.

This guide follows Microsoft’s current Wi-Fi instructions. Use these steps only for a network you own or are authorized to access. The password shown is a sensitive credential: do not post it publicly or share a screenshot that exposes it.

Quick guide: find the Wi-Fi password in Windows 11

1. Open Settings with Windows key + I.
2. Select Network & internet.
3. Open the properties of your current Wi-Fi connection, or select Wi-Fi > Manage known networks to find a saved network.
4. Look for Wi-Fi network password, then select Show.
5. Record the password privately or let an authorized device scan the QR code if that option appears.

Microsoft’s interface labels can vary by Windows release and whether you are looking at a connected network or a previously saved one. If the Show button is not available, check that you selected an actual saved Wi-Fi profile rather than Ethernet settings or a nearby network you have never joined.

Which method should you use?

Find a password for a previously connected Wi-Fi network

The Manage known networks area lists profiles Windows remembers from earlier connections. It may include your home Wi-Fi, a trusted office network, and public hotspots you once joined. Select the exact network name, also called SSID. Where supported, Windows provides a Show option for the saved network password.

Do not assume two networks with similar names share the same password. A guest SSID and a main home SSID can be separate networks. If you have several profiles with the same broad name, confirm the exact spelling and whether Windows currently uses the one you expect.

How to share a Windows 11 Wi-Fi password by QR code

Some current Windows 11 builds expose a QR code along with Wi-Fi network details. A compatible phone or computer camera can read the code and prepare a join request without manually typing the entire password. This is convenient for a household device, but treat the QR code as a password-equivalent access token.

1. Display the code only while the intended recipient is present.
2. Ask them to open their device’s camera or network-scanner feature.
3. Let them review the network name before they accept the connection.
4. Close the QR code view afterward and avoid including it in a livestream or public photo.

Microsoft also documents scanning a Wi-Fi QR code with the Windows Camera app in barcode mode on devices with a supported camera. Whether the option appears depends on the device and installed Windows experience.

What if Show password is missing?

The PC has never connected to this network

Windows cannot reveal credentials it never stored. If a nearby network appears in your Wi-Fi list but you have never joined it, request the password from its owner. The network’s advertisement is not permission to connect.

The computer is on Ethernet, not Wi-Fi

An Ethernet connection provides internet through a cable and generally does not give Windows a saved password for the wireless access point. A router may broadcast Wi-Fi and also have Ethernet ports, but those are separate access methods.

Your employer manages network settings

Work and school devices may use enterprise authentication, certificates or centrally managed policies rather than an ordinary shared home password. Ask IT to authorize another device rather than trying to export managed credentials.

Windows is using a different Settings layout

Search Windows Settings for known networks or Wi-Fi. Microsoft regularly moves controls between network-property pages. Use Microsoft Support as the authoritative reference instead of following a video recorded for a substantially older build.

Is the router password the same as the Wi-Fi password?

Not necessarily. The Wi-Fi password is the credential devices use to join the wireless network. The router administration password protects the router’s configuration interface. Many routers also use an ISP account or management app. Never assume a sticker showing a default Wi-Fi key grants permission to log into the administration interface, or that resetting the router is an appropriate way to retrieve one credential.

Router photo by Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, unchanged. The router shown is an illustrative example, not a required model.

What if the saved password doesn’t work on a new device?

First verify the capitalization and symbols. Wireless passwords are case-sensitive. Check whether you copied an extra space, chose the guest network by mistake, or have a saved credential from before the router password changed.

If your existing PC still connects, it may be using a profile with updated settings while your note is outdated. Confirm the currently connected SSID and recheck its password. If no device can connect and the network owner recently changed the router settings, request the new credential. Do not perform a factory reset without the owner’s approval: it can erase important connection, security and ISP configuration.

Can you see the Wi-Fi password using Command Prompt?

Older guides show commands that extract a saved wireless profile and display a key, subject to local permissions and Windows behavior. These methods may still be available in some configurations, but for typical home users Windows Settings is clearer and avoids typing commands that can be copied into terminal history or shared accidentally.

Be wary of instructions that tell you to run scripts from unknown websites or to disable device security to reveal a password. A documented system setting is preferable to downloading a ‘Wi-Fi key recovery tool.’ Such utilities may access more sensitive local credentials than the user intended.

How to improve Wi-Fi security after sharing a password

Use a strong passphrase and modern wireless security supported by your router and devices. If you regularly invite visitors, consider a guest Wi-Fi network with appropriate isolation rather than handing out your main household password. Remove devices you do not recognize through the router’s authorized management interface after checking they are not family devices with randomized hardware addresses.

A shared QR code can travel much farther than you expect if photographed. Avoid printing it where casual passersby can scan it, unless the network is deliberately intended as a public guest network. Change credentials through the router’s authorized management workflow when someone who should no longer connect has the key.

Wi-Fi password FAQ

Can I find a Wi-Fi password on Windows 11 when I’m disconnected?

Yes, if the computer still has the profile in Manage known networks and the relevant Show option is available. Windows cannot disclose a password that was never saved.

Does showing the Wi-Fi password change it?

No. Viewing a saved password does not update the router or rotate the network credential.

Can I share Wi-Fi without typing the password?

Often yes, with a compatible QR code workflow. Verify the intended network and share only with authorized people.

Why does my saved password fail after changing the router?

The wireless credentials may have changed. Ask the network owner for the new password or update the saved profile with their permission.

Does a router’s admin password give me the Wi-Fi password?

They are different credentials. An authorized administrator can typically review or change wireless settings, but knowing one password does not automatically reveal the other.

What if my laptop belongs to my school or employer?

Follow the organization’s access policy. Managed enterprise Wi-Fi may use certificates or user-specific authentication instead of a shareable passphrase.

Reference: Microsoft Support: Connect to a Wi-Fi network in Windows, including the current saved-network-password and QR-code instructions. Steps were documented from official guidance, not represented as hands-on testing of every Windows build.

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