Find Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11: 4 Ways That Still Work

You want to connect a phone, a smart TV or a visitor’s laptop, and nobody remembers the network key. If any Windows PC in the house is already connected, you can find the Wi-Fi password in Windows 11 in under a minute. Windows stores the key for every network it has joined, and there are four built-in ways to read it back: two in Settings, one in the old Control Panel and one at the command line.

These methods only reveal networks that your own PC has already saved. They are not a way into networks you do not have access to, and most of them need administrator rights.

Before you start: what Windows can and cannot show

Situation	Can Windows 11 show the key?
Home network this PC is connected to	Yes
Network this PC joined before but is not on now	Yes, from Manage known networks or netsh
Network this PC has never joined	No
Open network (no password)	Nothing to show
Work or school network with individual sign-ins (Enterprise)	No shared key is stored
Standard (non-admin) account	Only with administrator approval

If the network you need is not saved anywhere, skip to the last section.

Method 1: Settings > Manage known networks

This works for the current network and for any network saved in the past, so it is usually the best place to start.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet, then Wi-Fi.
3. Select Manage known networks.
4. Select the network you need from the list.
5. Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show. On some earlier Windows 11 builds the entry is labelled View Wi-Fi security key with a View button instead.
6. If Windows asks for administrator approval, confirm it. The password appears, and Microsoft notes that a QR code is shown too, so a phone or another device that supports it can scan the code to join without typing.

While you are on this page, you can also see the network’s other saved options, such as whether it is set as a metered connection. Our Wi-Fi settings guide explains those.

Method 2: properties of the network you are connected to

If the PC is on the network right now, there is a shorter path:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet.
2. Select Properties at the top of the page, next to the name of the network you are connected to. (You can also get there from Wi-Fi > your network’s properties.)
3. Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show.

You can also right-click the Wi-Fi icon in the system tray, choose Network and Internet settings, and continue from step 2.

Method 3: Network and Sharing Center (Control Panel)

The classic dialog is still in Windows 11 and is handy if you are used to it.

1. Press Win+R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open Network Connections. Alternatively, open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
2. In Network and Sharing Center, select the blue Wi-Fi link next to Connections. From Network Connections, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Status.
3. Select Wireless Properties.
4. Open the Security tab.
5. Tick Show characters. The password appears in the Network security key box.

This only works for the network you are currently connected to, and ticking the box requires administrator rights.

Method 4: the netsh command

The netsh wlan command is documented by Microsoft and is the fastest way to read keys for saved networks you are not connected to, or several at once.

1. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin), then approve the prompt. Command Prompt run as administrator works too.
2. List the saved networks:

netsh wlan show profiles

3. Show one profile with its key, replacing NetworkName with the exact name from the list:

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

4. Scroll to Security settings and read the Key Content line. That is the password.

According to Microsoft’s netsh reference, the plain-text key is only displayed when the profile contains a key and you have administrator privileges on the PC. If you see a message that the profile is not found, check the spelling and keep the quotes around names with spaces. Network names with unusual characters, such as an apostrophe in a phone hotspot name, can be awkward to type; copy the name from the list output.

Common problems

• No security key option at all. The network is open, or it is an Enterprise network where each person signs in with their own account. There is no single password to show.
• Asked for an administrator password. You are on a standard account. Ask whoever manages the PC to approve the prompt; there is no supported way around this.
• The network is missing from Manage known networks. It was forgotten, or this PC never joined it. Forgetting a network deletes its saved key, so read the key before you choose Forget when troubleshooting.
• The password works on the PC but not on another device. Check the case of each letter and look carefully at similar characters such as O and 0. If the other device still fails, see Windows 11 no internet for general connection fixes.

If no PC has the network saved

Windows cannot help with a network it has never joined. Instead:

• Look on the router itself. Many routers have the default network name and key printed on a label.
• Sign in to the router’s admin page or app, where you can view or change the Wi-Fi password.
• If someone else runs the network, ask them.

If you change the router’s password, every device, including this PC, will need the new one. Windows will prompt you when it next tries to connect.

Sharing the connection instead of the password

If you just need to get one more device online and the PC has a wired connection or another network, you can share its connection through a mobile hotspot with its own name and password, which keeps your main Wi-Fi key private. And if your Wi-Fi itself is unreliable, our guide to Wi-Fi that keeps disconnecting covers the usual causes.