Joel Cornell has spent twelve years writing professionally, working on everything from technical documentation at PBS to video game content for GameSkinny. Joel covers a bit of everything technology-related, including gaming and esports. He’s honed his skills by writing for other industries, including in architecture, green energy, and education. Read more.
Having a complex Wi-Fi password increases your security, as well as your likelihood to forget a long chain of letters and numbers. Fortunately, there are two quick methods for retrieving your home Wi-Fi password quickly and securely.
Keychain Access
Your Mac saves Wi-Fi passwords to your keychain, and you can see them in the Keychain Access application on your Mac.
To launch it, open Spotlight Search by clicking the magnifying glass in the top-right menu bar (or pressing Command + Space Bar). Type “Keychain Access” into the new search bar, and press Enter/Return.
In the Keychain Access window that appears, click “Passwords.”
Double-click the name of the Wi-Fi network. In the pop-up window, check the “Show Password” box. You might have to enter your Mac’s admin username and password to reveal the password. Remember that Keychain access also stores passwords for various apps, websites, and more.
Terminal
You can also do this from the Terminal.
To launch a Terminal window on your Mac, open Spotlight Search by clicking the magnifying glass in the top-right menu bar (or pressing Command + Space Bar). Type “Terminal” and press Enter. You can also launch the Terminal by opening Finder and navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
In this new window, type the following command, replacing “WIFI NAME” for the name of the Wi-Fi network:
security find-generic-password -ga WIFI NAME | grep “password:”
You might have to type your Mac’s admin username and password to reveal the password. Your Mac will display the password in the terminal in plain text.
Maybe you just got a new Apple device, or maybe you have that one house guest who routinely asks for your Wi-Fi password before saying hello. Whatever the situation, Apple makes it easy to find saved Wi-Fi passwords.
Being able to look up Wi-Fi passwords is useful if you’re connected to a specific Wi-Fi network, but need the password to log into another device. On the other hand, it can help you log into previously connected networks a lot quicker. That coffee shop down the street? You won’t have to ask the barista for the Wi-Fi password again.
There are two ways you can find your Wi-Fi password on Mac. The first — through the Keychain Access app — is the easier route. The second way — by opening up the Terminal on Mac — is a little more advanced.
Either way, if you previously connected to Wi-Fi — your home network included — the process is simple and straightforward. Here’s how to get it done.
How to find a Wi-Fi password with Keychain Access
Keychain Access is a macOS app that stores your passwords, and it’s the easiest way to see a Wi-Fi password on Mac:
1. Press Command + Spacebar to open the Spotlight search bar, where you can type in “Keychain Access.”
2. Click to open Keychain Access. Here, you’ll be able to find saved passwords to applications as well as internet forms.
3. In the left toolbar, toggle down to the “Passwords” section.
4. In the search bar (located in the upper right corner of the window), type in your home Wi-Fi network name, or whatever Wi-Fi network you’re looking for.
5. Double-click on your network when it appears in the main section of the window – this will prompt another window to open.
6. Tick the box next to “Show Password” and, if necessary, enter your administrator password when prompted.
7. Your Wi-Fi password will then appear in the box next to “Show Password.”
How to find a Wi-Fi password with Terminal on Mac
The Mac Terminal is a command line system that gives you greater control of the operating system. It’s also the more advanced way to find a saved Wi-Fi password:
1. There are several ways to open the Terminal on Mac, but the easiest is through the Spotlight search bar. Press Command + Spacebar and type in “Terminal.” Click through to enter your Mac’s Terminal.
2. Once you enter the Terminal, type the command as outlined below, replacing “Wi-Fi name” with the exact name of your network:
security find-generic-password -ga “Wi-Fi name” | grep “password:”
Include the quotes around the Wi-Fi network name. Business Insider 3. An administrator login window will pop up. Enter your username and password.
4. Your password should appear below the command you previously entered.
We should also note that beyond Keychain Access and your Mac’s Terminal, Apple also makes it easy to share a Wi-Fi password with other Apple devices — as long as both devices are in range with each other.
Fix any Wi-Fi problem
If it’s been a while since you’ve set up a new WiFi network in your house and that yellow post-it with the password is probably long decomposing somewhere in a landfill (or, worse, at the back of your bottom drawer), you might find yourself in need of getting WiFi password from Mac. In this post, we will address how to view WiFi password on Mac and help you out in your little conundrum!
Learn how to get WiFi password through Keychain and using Terminal, as well as quick password reset, plus a simple router reset trick you might not be aware of to help you fix a lost WiFi password situation.
Method 1. Find your Wi-Fi password in Keychain
In this part of the article we will explain how to get your WiFi password out of your Mac’s built-in Keychain, as well as trying your network router’s default password, and resetting the login info altogether.
Check the default password first
If you are connected to a home network you don’t even remember setting a password to or using an open WiFi connection at your place of business like a cafe or a small store, chances are, nobody actually thought to create a strong and secure password for your network and just left the default password of your network router on.
The good news is, the question “What’s my WiFi password?” is pretty much answered at this point since it’s typed right on your network router as WiFi password/PIN next to the default SSID name of your router (that’s the default network name you see when your device scans the area for available WiFi networks, but you can customize it). The bad news, of course, is that default passwords are about as safe as “12345” or “password”. Meaning — change it, now!
Use Keychain
If you had no luck with using your router’s default password, it’s still easy to find your network’s WiFi password if your Mac has been connected to the network at one point (and nobody changed the password in the meantime, of course).
Here’s how to look up WiFi password on Mac in Keychain:
- Click the magnifying glass icon in your Menu bar at the top right of your screen.
- Type in Keychain into the search bar that appears and press Return.
- You’ll see the Keychain Access window open on All Items tab. Browse until you see the name of your WiFi network.
- Click on WiFi network name and then click on the i icon at the top of the window:
- Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities.
- Click on the Terminal icon to open the utility.
- Type in this command, replacing TypeInYourWiFiNameHere with the name of your WiFi network: security find-generic-password -ga TypeInYourWiFiNameHere | grep “password:”
- Hit Return.
- If prompted, type in your Mac login and password to confirm the action.
- Get your WiFi password:
- Open Keychain Access app. It is located in the Applications > Utilities folder.
- Select the System keychain in the left menu bar, and select Passwords from the category menu. This will filter the keychains to just your stored passwords.
- Double click on the name of the network for which you want to view the password.
- This will open a new window specific to that stored password. Click on the ‘Show password’ checkbox.
- You will be asked to authenticate with a username and password. This account must have administrator privileges on your Mac.
- After successfully authenticating, the wi-fi network password will be revealed in the previous window.
A new window with your WiFi info will open. Tick Show password to see your WiFi password:
Reset your network router
If you find yourself unable to see WiFi password on Mac because you haven’t connected to this network on that device, your next step is router reset.
This process will get router settings back to factory default and wipe everything you’ve set up as a user. Then, you will be able to log in with the router’s default password and set your WiFi password anew.
To reset your network router, locate the Reset button on your router. It’s actually typically embedded into the device, so you’ll need to grab a pin, a paperclip, or a SIM card extractor in a pinch, to reach and press the button. Press and hold the button for 15 seconds to activate the reset.
Once it’s done, connect to your WiFi using the default password. Remember to change the password to a new, safe one and record it for future reference.
And while you are at it, you can also scan your WiFi network for signal strength and create a cool map of your area, identifying the weaker and stronger spots in your WiFi coverage. Use NetSpot for that.
If some areas get poor signal, don’t fret, you can actually use tools like TripMode to limit internet consumption by background apps and save the limited speeds for your actual tasks on hand.
Get a trustworthy password manager
If you don’t want to keep in mind how to find WiFi password on Mac, you can just use a trusted password manager to store your passwords, including the one for your WiFi connection.
Our preference is digital password organizer Secrets. It allows you to store and manage passwords to various services, automatically fill passwords in your browser, and sync between your devices.
Private passwords storage
Access Secrets via Setapp. One easy tool that gives you the most secure way to store passwords.
Simply add your WiFi password to the mix and be sure it’s safely stored and won’t get scooped up from your table by a sudden draft, a prankster, or a corporate spy;)
Method 2. See your Wi-Fi password with Terminal
And here’s how to see WiFi password on Mac using Terminal:
Conclusion
As you can see, you can check WiFi password on Mac using Keychain or Terminal within seconds, as long as you know exactly where to look and what command to use. Bookmark this post to come back to it whenever you need, or save your password in a handy digital manager like Secrets, where you can always find it, stored securely, as opposed to staying vulnerable by keeping a physical record somewhere in your office or home.
You can find Secrets, as well as other apps we’ve mentioned in this post — NetSpot, for testing your WiFi signal and creating a map for signal strength around your space, and TripMode, for saving traffic in areas with bad signal or for times when you are on cellular, — in Setapp.
Our suite of apps will help you tackle everyday tasks in your workflow and solve issues in a snap. Not a Setapp subscriber yet? No problem! Try it out with a free 7-day trial and see how many apps can make your life a breeze.
Chances are that you never think of your wi-fi password after your set it up. So how can you recover a saved password from your Mac when you forget it? All you need is your administrator account password.
Method 1: Key chain Access App
If you are unsure what your username is, open up the Finder app and look for the home icon in the Favorites sidebar. Your home folder will called the same as your username.
Method 2: Terminal on Mac
Mac contains a built-in application that allows its users to control the device with the use of the command prompt. This method, however, is suitable for those who know the exact name of the WI-FI network that they want to retrieve the password for. It works best for those who prefer direct resolutions. To use the terminal, you have to follow a series of steps.
- Use the spotlight search to launch the terminal.
- Type in the command. security find-generic-password -ga WIFI NAME | grep “password:” ensure that the WIFI NAME section is replaced with the network in question. Once the command has correctly been entered, the system will automatically ask you to provide the Username and Password. If you are uncertain about your Apple username, navigate to the left corner of your screen and click on the Apple icon.
- Once the authentication is successful, your password will be displayed just below the previously entered command. As a result, your long walk to the router will be over.
However, if you always forget your network’s password, other options can still be of help to you. You can go for trustworthy third-party applications. These password managers will remember the passwords for you.
The apps function just like the keychain, but most of them have other features that may interest you. Some of these apps include 1Password and Secrets, among others. You only need a single master password, and the app will store the rest of the passwords for you.
With these options, you will not be needed to endure the dusty corners to access your router. Use any of these methods to retrieve your password manually. You can also outsource your forgotten WI-FI password using any third party software of your choice.
You can find a Wi-Fi password if you connected to that specific Wi-Fi network with your Mac in the past. This can come in handy when you want to connect more devices to that network but don’t remember the password. Or when you’re trying to share the password to that network with a friend. But even if you never connected to that network, we’ll show you there is still a way to view the password for that Wi-Fi network.
Dating back several macOS versions, all passwords are now stored in an application called Keychain Access. But that’s not the only way to recover a forgotten old Wi-Fi password. You can also do that using Terminal, and via your router. So if you’re looking for a saved Wi-Fi password that you simply can’t remember, you’re in luck because we are going to show you how to find a Wi-Fi password on Mac…
Why get your Wi-Fi password
The main reason why you’d want to get your Wi-Fi password is if you want to connect more devices to your network or if you want to share your password with a visiting friend or family member. Unless you are the one who chose the password to begin with, it was most likely automatically created by either your internet company, or the maker of your router. Either way, this is likely a complex multi-digit passphrase that you cannot possibly be asked to remember.
Find your Wi-Fi password on your computer
Use Keychain Access
Keychain Access in an Apple application that is installed on all Macs. You might not have ever seen it, but if you have a Mac, it is there. The good thing with this method is that it can help you find the passcode of any network you have connected to with your computer, whether it is your home network, or school, or work, etc.
1) Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac. The best way to do that is to use Spotlight search by pressing the Command + Space keys on your keyboard at the same time. In the window that appears, start typing “Keychain Access” and hit Enter to launch the application.
2) In the sidebar, make sure you click on Login, and click on the Password tab. Then search for the network you want the password for by typing parts of this network’s name. Double click on that network.
Note that depending on your Operating System version, this screenshot may look a little different. The most important is that you click on Login, then Password, then start searching the network’s name.
3) Click on Show Password. Type in your administrator user credentials to reveal the Wi-Fi password. Unfortunately, you cannot go through these steps without an admin password. If you are the only user of your Mac, then you are the admin, so simply enter the same passcode you use to login to your Mac.
4) You may be prompted to enter your administrator credentials again. Type in your full name as displayed on your Mac’s login screen and your password again.
5) The Wi-Fi password should appear in the text box next to Show Password.
Keychain Access isn’t only useful to show Wi-Fi passwords on your Mac. It can also store your applications, internet and web form passwords. If password management is something you are not great at, consider looking into 1Password on the Mac App Store. It’s a very useful app!
Use Terminal
Just like Keychain Access, Terminal is an app that comes pre-installed on all Macs, so even if you’ve never seen it before, it is on your computer. Although very powerful, Terminal is not as user-friendly as Keychain Access, and for this reason, we suggest going with the method above to retrieve a WiFi passcode. But just like Keychain Access, it will require you to provide your administrator credentials.
1) Open the Terminal app on your Mac.
2) Type in or copy/paste the following command, making sure you replace “YourWifiNetworkName” with the exact name of your network:
3) Hit Enter and then type in your admin credentials.
4) Terminal will display the password for your network.
Find your Wi-Fi password on your router
This last method will work for most routers, but they require that not only you have physical access to the router, and that the network name and password were not changed. This is most likely the case if your Wi-Fi network was setup by your cable company technician. Typically, the technician will leave the default network name and passcode as it is written behind the router.
So look for the router (not the modem!), and turn it over. You should see a label on the back with details about what your Wi-Fi network name is and what the password is.
Note that the shape and size of your router will vary depending on the manufacturer, but all newer routers have the network information on the back.
How to remember Wi-Fi passwords
The best way to never forget a Wi-Fi (or any other) password again is to use a password manager. Personally, I use 1Password, but there are multiple others that would work just as good for you. Keychain is also a great alternative for both Mac and iPhone.
Another alternative, although not as safe, is to use a password-protected note to save your password. You’ll still need to remember the password to that secured note, but you can set it to something you will remember for sure.
Finally, you could of course leave the passcode in a non-secured note or on a piece of paper in your desk drawer, but this is not a solution we feel comfortable recommending because it is not secured at all.
If you know of any other password tricks for macOS, let us know in the comments section down below. Moreover, if you are looking for other tutorials like this one, be sure to check out our quick tips section for other how-tos and helpful articles. Article suggestions are welcome!
Most people write the Wi-Fi password down somewhere. Sometimes, you may need to view your Wi-Fi password for various reasons. For example, you just bought a new iPad or PC and need your Wi-Fi password to log in on this new device. Another example is you may want to find your Wi-Fi password to give it to some else, like a friend.
This article explains how you can find and see the Wi-Fi password on your macOS machine. You can find a Wi-Fi password if you have previously connected to the WiFi network.
Your Mac can connect to open, secure or hidden Wi-Fi networks. Secure networks are password protected. Users will need to enter a password to connect these networks. You have probably connected to a lot of Wi-Fi networks. Your Mac automatically saves these passwords for easy access in the future.
View WiFi Password in macOS
There actually two ways (a) using the Keychain app and (b) using the Terminal app. Here is how:
A. Using Keychain to view saved Wi-Fi passwords
For the purpose of this part of the article, we will use the Keychain app. Keychain is a built-in app that can store all of your passwords (and other sensitive info) so that you can manage them easily. Please follow the steps below:
1. Open Keychain (Applications > Utilities) on your Mac. You can also use Spotlight to search and launch it.
2. Click Passwords (Under the Category section, sidebar).
3. Now, if know the network name, search for it:
4. You may see two different results for the same network (System and iCloud). This depends on how you set up your Mac. If iCloud Keychain is enabled, you will see two results. They probably both have the same passwords. But you may want to view both of their passwords, in case they are different. Double click the network name.
5. Check the “Show password” box. A new popup will appear saying “Keychain access wants to make changes. Enter your password to allow this”. You will be asked to enter your admin username and password. You need to enter it to see the password.
6. Once you enter your Mac’s admin password, you will see the Wi-Fi password.
B. Using Terminal to see your saved passwords
The Terminal app also lets you see your saved passwords. Like the Keychain app, Terminal is a built-in app. The Terminal app lets you access to macOS’s bash shell. Basically, Terminal lets you interact with your Mac through the command line. Here is how:
1. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities).
2. Enter the following command and then hit enter:
3. Make sure that you replace the WiFi-network-name with the actual Wi-Fi name. For our example this is:
4. Again, you will be asked to enter your admin username and password. Once you enter your username and password, the network password will be displayed.
Other notes:
- If you do not know the network name, you can search all saved Wi-Fi networks.
- Open Keychain.
- Click Password and this time type “airport” in the search field search. This will reveal all saved networks, including hotspots, etc.
- From the list, find the network that you want to see its password.
- Please note that there are also other ways to see your Wi-Fi password. For example, Wi-Fi passwords are usually printed on the side of your router.
Serhat Kurt
Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. Here is his LinkedIn profile.
Thank you for choosing to leave a comment.
Please note the following:
- All comments are moderated.
- Your email will NOT be published nor shared.
- All SPAM comments will be deleted.
- Please see our comment policy page for more info.
Apple recently made it much easier to find, change, and delete all of your saved passwords in one place. Plus, your Mac will now show you any weak or compromised passwords and urge you to change them. Here’s how to find any passwords on your Mac, whether you have upgraded to macOS Monterey or not.
How to Find Your Passwords on a Mac (macOS Monterey)
To find your passwords on a Mac running macOS Monterey, click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Preferences. Then click Passwords and enter your Mac password. Use the search bar to find a website and click Edit to see the password for that site.
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your Mac screen.
- Then select System Preferences.
- Next, click Passwords.
Note: If you don’t see this option in the System Preferences window, skip to the next section below.
From here, you can type a new password, but it will only change on your Mac and other iCloud devices. To change your actual password, you can click the Change Password on Website button. This will open your web browser to the login page for the site.
You can also click Delete Password, but it will only remove the password from your Mac and other iCloud devices.
How to Find Passwords on Your Mac (Old Way)
To find your saved passwords on a Mac, go to Applications > Utilities and open the Keychain Access app. Then
You can find your passwords and other information (like credit card numbers) stored in the Keychain Access app that comes pre-installed on all Macs. Here are the steps to retrieve your saved passwords using Keychain Access:
- Open your Applications folder. You can do this by opening a Finder window and selecting Applications in the left sidebar. Or you can also right-click on our desktop and press the Command + Shift + A keys on your keyboard at the same time.
- Then open the Utilities folder.
- Next, open Keychain Access.
- Then click Passwords. You will either see this at the top of the window with a newer Mac. If you have an older Mac, you might see this in the left sidebar under Category.
- Next, use the search bar to find a password and double-click to open it.
Note: If you want to find your WiFi password, you can search for your network name.
If you’re tired of remembering all your passwords, check out our list of the best password managers.
By: Waseem Patwegar
If you do not remember or know the password for your Office or Home WiFi Network, you will find below three different methods to View or Find WiFi Password on Mac.
View Your WiFi Password On Mac
Many users continue to use the same WiFi Password that was initially setup during installation of Router/Modem by the service provider.
If you are like most users, you may have lost or misplaced the paper or the file in which you had noted down the Password for your WiFi Network.
Luckily, Mac keeps WiFi Passwords stored in its memory and you will find below three easy methods to view the stored WiFi Password on Mac.
1. Find WiFi Password Using Keychain Access
If you remember the Admin User Name and Admin Password on your Mac, you can easily view the Password for your WiFi Network using Keychain.
1. Open the Launchpad on your Mac and click on Keychain Access Icon .
2. On the next screen, click on System > Passwords in the left-pane. In the right-pane, double-click on your WiFi Network Name .
3. On the pop-up, check the little box next to Show Password option.
4. On the pop-up, enter your Admin User Name , Password and click on Allow .
5. You will now see your WiFi Password next to Show Password entry.
Make sure that you uncheck Show Password option after you are done copying or noting down the Password of your WiFi Network.
2. Find WiFi Password Using Terminal
If you like using the Terminal, you can follow the steps below to view WiFi Password on the Terminal window.
1. Open Launchpad > click on the Terminal Icon.
2. On the terminal screen, type security find-generic-password -ga WiFi Name | grep “password:” and press the enter key.
Note: Replace WiFi Name in above command with the actual name of your WiFi Network.
3. On the pop-up, enter your Admin User Name , Password and click on Allow .
Once, you authorize the action by entering your Admin User Name and Password, you will be able to see your WiFi Password on the command prompt window (See above image).
3. Find WiFi Password on Mac Without Admin Password
You can find your WiFi Password on Mac, even if you have forgotten or do not know the Admin Password.
1. Open the Launchpad on your Mac and click on Keychain Access Icon.
2. On the next screen, click on Local Items > Passwords in the left-pane. In the right-pane, double-click on your WiFi Network Name .
3. On the pop-up window, click in the little box next to Show Password option.
4. On the pop-up, enter your Local User Account Password and click on OK .
5. You will now see your WiFi Network password next to Show Password entry.
Make sure that you uncheck Show Password option after you are done copying or noting down your WiFi Network Password.
LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 6, 2021
Many of us won’t recall our home Wifi password when asked for, because we don’t have to enter it into our devices every day. When you set up a new Wifi, you provide the password and then every device remembers the authentication password and generally connects to the Wifi network, whenever it is available.
So if you have also forgotten your Wifi password, but your Macbook is still connecting with it automatically, then you can find and view your saved wifi password from your Macbook, using the Keychain Access app in macOS.
View Saved Wifi Password in Mac:
Follow the steps mentioned below to see the saved Wifi password in your Macbook Air or PRO or just Macbook.
Step 1: Open the Keychain Access App
Start with opening the Keychain Access application. In Mac, you can click Command + Space to search for anything. So type in “keychain access” and you should be able to get to this application.
Step 2: Find the Wifi Network
Use the search bar to find the Wifi network for which you want to see the password.
You will see two entries for all the networks, one would be System, and the other is Local items, we will use the Local items keychain to see the password.
Step 3: Show Password
Double click on the network name and a window will open, click on Show Password check in the window to see the password.
You may be prompted to enter your System password, using which you log in to your Mac account.
And you get to see the password.
Conclusion:
Well we hope you were able to see the password of the Wifi network because I was able to check my office Wifi password using this step by step uide, so it must work for you too. But if you face any issue, let us know in the comment section below.
Find, change, or delete saved passwords on your Mac, and keep your passwords updated across all of your devices.
View saved passwords in System Preferences in macOS Monterey or later
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
- Click Passwords. Don’t see Passwords in System Preferences?
- Sign in with Touch ID, or enter your user account password. You can also authenticate your password with your Apple Watch running watchOS 6 or later.
- Select a website, then click Edit.
- To delete a password, click Delete Password. To update a password, change the password and then click Save.
View saved passwords in Safari
- Open Safari.
- From the Safari menu, choose Preferences, then click Passwords.
- Sign in with Touch ID, or enter your user account password. You can also authenticate your password with your Apple Watch running watchOS 6 or later.
- Select a website, then click Edit.
- To delete a password, click Delete Password. To update a password, change the password and then click Save.
You can also use Siri to view your passwords by saying something like “Hey Siri, show my passwords.”
Save your passwords across your devices with iCloud Keychain
Autofill your Safari user names and passwords, credit cards, and more on any device that you approve. iCloud Keychain keeps your passwords and other secure information updated across your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.
Use AutoFill to store credit card information
AutoFill automatically enters things like your previously saved credit card details, contact information from the Contacts app, and more.
Follow MUO
Can’t remember a Wi-Fi password you need on another device? We’ll show you how to see the saved Wi-Fi passwords on macOS.
Are you having trouble recalling your Wi-Fi password? If you’re using it on your Mac, there is no need to worry. macOS actually saves passwords for all of the Wi-Fi networks that you connect it to, and it’s fairly easy to retrieve your saved Wi-Fi passwords.
This guide covers how to see your Wi-Fi password on your Mac using both Keychain Access and the Terminal.
1. How to See Wi-Fi Passwords on Your Mac Using Keychain Access
If you don’t already know, Keychain Access is a built-in utility on your Mac that saves your personal information, like your credit card details, username and passwords for websites, and your Wi-Fi passwords.
For any Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to with your Mac, Keychain Access should have that network’s password saved in it. This is why you don’t need to enter the password every time you connect to the same wireless network.
You can access that saved password by following these steps:
- Search for Keychain Access using Launchpad or Spotlight and launch the utility.
- Select All Items from the Category sidebar on the left.
- Put your cursor in the search box at the top, type the name of your Wi-Fi network, and hit Enter.
- Double-click your Wi-Fi network in the list and a dialog box will open.
If Keychain Access doesn’t open or has other issues, you’ll need to fix those issues first before you try and find your Wi-Fi passwords.
2. How to Find Your Wi-Fi Password on a Mac Using the Terminal
The Terminal on your Mac lets you perform many tasks; one of these is to help you retrieve your Wi-Fi passwords. There’s a command that lets you do this, and all you need to know is the name of your Wi-Fi network.
Keep the details for your macOS admin account ready, as you will need to enter those before accessing your saved Wi-Fi password.
Follow these steps to use the Terminal to see Wi-Fi passwords on a Mac:
- Open the Terminal on your Mac.
- Type the following command, replace MYNETWORK with the name of your Wi-Fi network, and hit Enter.
If you have an iPhone connected to your Wi-Fi network, and you want to connect another iPhone to the same network, you can actually share Wi-Fi passwords between two iPhones without having to reveal the Wi-Fi password.
Getting Your Mac to Reveal All Your Wi-Fi Passwords
No matter the Wi-Fi network, if you’ve ever connected your Mac to it, you have that network’s password saved on your machine. You can use either the Terminal or Keychain Access to get access to all your saved Wi-Fi passwords.
If you know the Wi-Fi network name, use the Terminal method and it will instantly display the password. If you aren’t sure what the network name is, use Keychain Access and it’ll list out all your saved Wi-Fi networks.
Sometimes, your Mac won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network despite entering the correct password. This can happen due to a variety of reasons. If this happens to you, you’ll need to investigate and find out if the problem is with your Mac, your network, or both.
If your Mac won’t connect to Wi-Fi, don’t fret. Here’s a troubleshooting guide to fix internet connection problems on macOS.
Mahesh is a tech writer at MakeUseOf. He’s been writing tech how-to guides for about 8 years now and has covered many topics. He loves to teach people how they can get the most out of their devices.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals!
Access any account fast
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SamCostello-d7fcf106ec2048ccb06d1e2190b3396d.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GlamProfile-7bfa34647d8e4c8e82097cc1daf8f5ec.jpeg)
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
- Tweet
- Share
What to Know
- iCloud Keychain: Go to Applications >Utilities >Keychain Access > search for password > double click it.
- Check the Show Password box > enter your computer password > click OK (or Allow or Always Allow).
- In Chrome: Chrome menu >Preferences >Autofill >Passwords > click the eye icon > enter your computer password >OK.
This article explains how to find passwords saved on a Mac. Saving passwords is useful, especially if you use very long, very safe passwords, but sometimes you’ll forget them. In that case, follow these instructions to view saved passwords on your Mac.
How Do I View Saved Passwords on My Mac?
Keychain Access comes pre-installed on all Macs and is Apple’s tool to save passwords. It saves usernames and passwords for Safari, Wi-Fi networks, and apps. It’s Keychain Access that auto-fills your account info when you need to log in.
Because Keychain Access stores all of your passwords, it’s also the place where you view saved passwords on your Mac. We’ll assume you have some passwords in Keychain Access already, so follow these steps to look them up.
Open a new Finder window and go to Applications > Utilities.
Open Keychain Access.
In the search bar in the top right corner, search for the password you’re looking for. It’s best to search for the name of the website or app whose password you want to see.
When you find the password, view it with a double-click.
Check the box next to Show Password.
In the pop-up window, enter the password you use when logging onto your computer and click Allow for one-time access (or Always Allow for longer-term access).
For some passwords, just click OK instead.
The password appears in the Password field at the bottom of the pop-up window.
Keychain Access isn’t the only password manager out there. Others (1Password is may be the most well-known) work in basically the same way. The exact steps differ based on the program you use, but you can look up passwords in those programs, too.
How to Sync Saved Passwords With iCloud Keychain
Like the idea of saving your passwords and having them autofill when you need them? Not only can you do so on a Mac, but it works on iPhone and iPad, too. That feature is called iCloud Keychain and it works just like other parts of iCloud: content is synced to all devices logged into the same iCloud account. So, if you set up iCloud Keychain on all your devices, they’ll all have the same passwords. To do so, follow these steps.
- On Mac: Go to Apple menu >System Preferences >Apple ID >iCloud > check the box next to Keychain.
- On iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > [your name] >iCloud >Keychain > move the iCloud Keychain slider to on/green.
How Do I View Saved Passwords in Chrome?
Chrome is many people’s preferred browser, but it doesn’t work with Keychain (by default, at least; there’s a browser extension to make Keychain compatible with Chrome). Instead, Chrome saves passwords itself. Here’s how to look up passwords in Chrome on a Mac.
Open Chrome > Chrome menu > Preferences > Autofill > Passwords.
Scroll down to the Saved Passwords section.
Click the eye icon next to the account whose password you want to view.
In the pop-up window, enter the password you use to log onto the computer and click OK.
The password appears in the Password column.
To hide the password again, click the eye icon.
If you forgot your Mac username and need it to log in, restart your Mac while pressing the power button + Command + S. When you see the command prompt, enter ls /Users into the box. You’ll see a list of active usernames on the Mac. If you forgot your Mac login password and need to reset it, restart your Mac, then select your user account. Select the question mark in the password box, then select the arrow next to Reset it using your Apple ID. Enter your Apple ID and password, then follow the prompts to set a new login password.
You can find your saved Wi-Fi password on your Mac through Keychain. Launch Keychain Access, then go to System > Passwords. Locate your network name, click Show Password, then follow the authentication prompts. You can also find your Wi-Fi password using Terminal. Launch Terminal, then type security find-generic-password -ga WIFI NAME | grep “password:” into the box. Follow the authentication prompts and then you’ll see your password.
WiFi Password we occasionally need any time to use existing WiFi (Our home or Office) on a new device or reset the device. Without any internet connection, we can’t manage or handle some vital job that on LAN sharing or remote data access, Browsing, and more. Are you the owner of your Mac then you having rights to mining saved WiFi password from your Mac System using the steps given below.
we are happy to help you, submit this Form, if your solution is not covered in this article.
Here are the steps to get the current saved WiFi password from your Mac running on macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, macOS Mojave, macOS High Sierra, macOS Sierra, EI Capita, Mavericks, EI Capitan, and Yosemite.
Steps for Show Saved WiFi Password on Mac: All MacOS
Method 1: Know Saved System WiFi Password on Mac Using Keychain
- 1: Go to the Spotlight and Search Finder or Keychain Access on your Mac.
- 2: If you are on finder, Go to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
keychain-access-in-mac-application-folder
- 3: On Keychain pane, Tap on “Passwords” under the Category and “System” under the Keychains from the side panel.
- 4: Here you will see the list of the password file, Find your WiFi Network name. Use the Search box at the top right corner of the screen.
- 5. Here my WiFi network name is “TP-Link….”
double-click-on-wifi-network-name
- 6: Double-click on the WiFi file name to access it. Verify your identity with the admin login credential. [Username will appear at the top right of the Mac menu bar, or Under Apple Logo from top Menu >Log Out “See Username” of your Mac or Type “Ly /Users” in terminal] Here’s Full guide to know your Mac Username .
- Enter Username and Password, Next Enable Show Password checkbox.
see-wifi-password-in-mac-keychain-access
- Here’s the password.
- That’s it.
view-saved-wifi-password-on-mac-under-keychain-access-on-mac
Method 2: Find Current Wi-Fi password using Router IP address
Step 1: Find Router IP address on your Mac,
Go to the Apple Logo Menu > System Preference > Internet & Wireless > Network Preference.
Next, Click on Advanced Button > TCP/IP.
Get the Router IP address, Should be different depends on your Router company.
Step 2: Open Router login on Mac or PC using Browser
- Copy IP address and Enter in your Browser address bar (Use Safari, Chrome, or any other).
- Enter username and Password Same: admin.
- After login successfully, from right side pane, Tap on Wireless > Wireless Security
- See the Wireless Password field and copy the password.
- Now you can use this password to login to another device.
If you like this and helpful, don’t miss to share and join us more updates on Facebook, and Twitter.
jaysukh patel
Jaysukh Patel is the founder of howtoisolve. Also self Professional Developer, Techno lover mainly for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and iOS, Jaysukh is one of responsible person in his family. Contact On: [email protected] [OR] [email protected]
- 4.8
- 969 User reviews
Today, passwords are a vital means of accessing and protecting our digital assets and online presence. Most of us have a lot more passwords that we would like, and we are told they should all be different. Good luck with that.
There are many aspects of passwords that are critically important to our everyday use of WiFi networks. The most obvious use is the password that we employ in order to log into a WiFi network that we have not accessed previously. Less evident, but equally vital, are the passwords that protect the network’s infrastructure. We are talking about the password that is used to gain access to a WiFi router.
This article will take a look at how to find WiFi passwords on a variety of devices. You may need to obtain the passcode to give to another user so they can access the network. In the case of a WiFi router, the password is the key to administering the wireless network. We will look at:
WiFi Router Passwords
All WiFi routers require you to enter a password if you want to gain access to their administrative functions. The password is designed to protect your router from unauthorized access by intruders who could potentially disrupt or compromise your network. Most WiFi routers on the market come ready to use with a default password in place and do not force you to change it.
This is not a good way to keep your network secure. A list of the default passwords for most routers can be obtained from any number of online WiFi password finders such as You will find that most of the manufacturers do not attempt to secure their routers, as the default passwords are often “admin” or “password”.
If you have not done so already, we strongly suggest that you log into your router with its default password and replace it with a strong password that will keep your network secure. It is an essential step in maintaining the security and privacy of your network and its users. While we are on the subject of strong passwords, another recommendation is to make all of your passwords as strong as you can. Stop using your dog’s name spelled backward for everything!
How to Find the WiFi Passwords on Different Platforms
You can find the WiFi password of the network you are currently connected to on all computing platforms. We will take a look at the steps you need to follow to retrieve the WiFi password using the popular OS of your choice.
How to Find WiFi Passwords on macOS
Follow these steps to view WiFi passwords on a Mac or MacBook running the macOS operating system. To accomplish this feat, you will use the Mac’s Keychain.
– Aug. 6th 2018 12:00 am PT
Have you ever needed to pull up a password for a Wi-Fi network you’ve previously connected to? Luckily your Mac probably has it saved, here’s how to look it up.
If you use iCloud Keychain, you should also be able to look up the passwords for the Wi-Fi networks that you’ve connected to with your iPhone and iPad in addition to your Mac.
Mac: How to see Wi-Fi passwords for networks you’ve connected to
- Open Spotlight search (keyboard shortcut command + space bar or by clicking the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of your Mac’s menu bar)
- Search for and open Keychain Access
- Click on Passwords in the bottom left corner and use the search box in the top right corner of the app’s window to look up a specific Wi-Fi network
- Double-click on the Wi-Fi network you’d like to see the password for
- Click the checkbox next to Show Password(you may need to enter your Mac’s user name and password)
Check out the images below for a more detailed walkthrough:
You’ll likely have quite a few items show up, make sure to narrow your results by clicking Passwords in the bottom left corner and the search box in the top right corner as shown below.
After you find the Wi-Fi network you’re looking for, double-click it.
The last step is to click the show password check box (enter your Mac’s username and password if prompted).
For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
In this article, I am going to show you that how to find saved wifi password on Mac operating system. You might have faced thousands of times and tried to know the password of those WiFi which you have connected your Mac laptop or Desktop on that Wireless access point. This really works and is a good way to get information about the connected Wireless access point password. For instance; You might have gone to your friends home and your friend connected your device to the WAP and now you don’t know what is the password. If you want to know and find saved WiFi password so let’s get started.
Find Saved WiFi Password on Mac
For this demonstration, I’m going to use the KeyChain built-in software which is already installed on the Mac operating system and you don’t need any third-party software to do this task.
Step #1. Search for the KeyChain by tapping on the search icon at the upper right-hand side of the screen. Type the KeyChain then hit enter.
Search KeyChain Access
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” data-wpfc-original-src=” alt=”Search KeyChain Access” width=”718″ height=”465″ data-wpfc-original-srcset=” 718w, 300w, 84w” data-wpfc-original-sizes=”(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px”/>
Search KeyChain Access
Step #2. KeyChain Window will pop up for you and you have to click on the System from the left-hand side then Choose Passwords from the Category. Double click on the network that your computer has been connected to that network. Here want to know the password of Shabbir network.
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” src=” alt=”KeyChain Access” width=”687″ height=”412″ srcset=” 687w, 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px”/>
Step #3. In this step, in attributes tab click on Show password.
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” data-wpfc-original-src=” alt=”Attributes” width=”564″ height=”376″ data-wpfc-original-srcset=” 564w, 300w, 84w” data-wpfc-original-sizes=”(max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px”/>
Step #4. You will be asked to enter your username plus password.
Enter Username & Password
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” src=” alt=”Enter Username & Password” width=”505″ height=”277″ srcset=” 505w, 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 505px) 100vw, 505px”/>
Enter Username & Password
OS X wants to make changes so type an administrator’s name and password to allow demonstration. Hit allow continuing this process.
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” src=” alt=”Credintial” width=”491″ height=”259″ srcset=” 491w, 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px”/>
Step #5. Now you can see the saved WiFi password.
Show Saved WiFi Password
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” data-wpfc-original-src=” alt=”Show Saved WiFi Password” width=”576″ height=”373″ data-wpfc-original-srcset=” 576w, 300w, 84w” data-wpfc-original-sizes=”(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px”/>
Show Saved WiFi Password
We all recommend you to see this article as well.
If you have any question regarding this article so we are here to answer your questions. Thanks for being with us.
When you go to a coffee shop or your friend’s house, is the first thing you do is to ask for the WiFi password? Unless you have superordinary memory, it is not easy to store so many passwords in your mind.
One way to find the password is to look at the router. But do you need to crawl under your desk to find the router in the dark, dusty place? No. There are some other easier ways to find the WiFi password for the previously connected network. Your Mac has saved it all for you. So, here is how to see WiFi password on Mac you need to know.
- Method 1: Using Keychain Access
- Method 2: Using Terminal
- Method 3: Using a password management app
- Conclusion
How To See WiFi Password on Mac
Method 1: Using Keychain Access
Keychain Access is an app that stores your applications, account information, and passwords, so there is no need to worry if you forget one of those things.
If you know your administrator password, it will be easy to view your WiFi password – it is automatically stored in Keychain.
Step 1: Open the Spotlight search. You can press the keyboard shortcut: Command – Space bar or click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the menu bar.
The magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the menu bar
Step 2: Enter Keychain Access.
Open Keychain Access
Step 3: On the sidebar, click on “System,” then “Passwords” under “Categories” in the bottom left corner. Then locate the network you are looking for and double click it.
Double click the network you want to see its password
Then, click on the “Show Password” checkbox.
Step 4: You may be prompted for authentication again. Just fill in your username and password. And click on “Allow.”
If you do not remember your username, you can easily find it by clicking on the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen. Your username is in the bottom line, next to “Log Out.”
Finding your username
Now, the WiFi password will appear in the “Show Password” textbox like this:
Now, you can see the WiFi password
Method 2: Using Terminal
“Terminal” is a built-in app that allows you to control your Mac by command prompts. If you already know exactly the name of the WiFi network, you can try this direct solution.
Step 1 : Open Spotlight Search.
Step 2: Type in “Terminal” and open it. The Terminal display will look like this.
Step 3: Type this command:
Remember to replace the “your-wifi-name” with the specific WiFi network name you want the password for.
Step 4: Like the KeyChain Access method, you will be prompted to enter your administrative username and password after you have entered the command.
Not remember what your username is? We have already pointed out how to find it! After you have done with the authentication, you will see the password displayed below the previously entered command.
Method 3: Using a password management app
If you always forget your WiFi password, using a secure and simple password manager is also another excellent idea. You can try “Secrets,” a user-friendly and efficient system that stores all your vital information, including passwords, bank details, credit cards, and other confidential information.
The interface of Secrets
Besides, it can automatically fill out your login information on Safari or Chrome so that you do not need to struggle to remember the password you used for each website.
All your secret information is stored in the OpenPGP format, and it is also used in most big business databases. And because there are no helper programs or browser extensions, your data is absolutely secured from third-party access.
If you lost your device, it also automatically keeps your information safe. Best of all, Secrets is available for you to use via Setapp, it has over 120 other great apps for your Mac as well.
Another password management app for your consideration is 1Password. It works like Keychain but comes with many other features that do not exist in Keychain.
If you use this app, you need only one master password. It stores all other passwords inside.
The 1Password interface
Besides, it has some exciting and useful features, like Vaults, Sidebar or 1Password mini.
Conclusion
Losing WiFi passwords seems to be more familiar to Mac users, and they will end up regretting not having taken note of these passwords. But now, that problem will disappear because you have already known how to see WiFi password on Mac.
We hope our articles will make your Mac experience better. And if you know any other tricks to find out WiFi passwords on Mac, do not hesitate to share with us. Thank you for reading.
If you use a Mac, you’ve probably used the built-in password management feature known as Keychain.
Keychain enables you to store usernames and passwords for websites, apps, and WiFi networks. Saving passwords in Keychain is super simple – as is retrieving them when macOS automatically prompts you during the login process.
But what if you need to retrieve a password that’s stored in macOS keychain manually? You may not know where to turn.
Thankfully, it’s straightforward.
A quick note on passwords
Passwords are the foundation of safe web browsing and ensure your personal and business-critical data is as secure as possible.
When you create a username and password for a service, website, or app, you’re encouraged (quite rightly) to use something strong, unique, and as un-guessable as possible.
But what if you need to make changes to your passwords in the future? Or, as noted previously, have the sudden urge to retrieve a password manually?
On macOS, passwords aren’t always easy to find (reassuring, right?!) – unless you read this guide.
How does macOS keychain work?
So, where does macOS hide your usernames and passwords?
It’s within something called Keychain access, which is pre-installed on every Mac. It remembers your login information and password for whenever you need to access a service, app, or website.
Keychain Access also facilitates the syncing of your passwords across all of your Mac and iOS devices (by relying on iCloud), thus making it simple to log in to websites no matter which device you happen to be using.
When you need to find passwords on your Mac, Keychain Access is always your best bet. The app is simple to find when you know where it is, but keep in mind that it stores confidential login information for apps that you may not want to lose. You also won’t want them to get into the wrong hands, therefore it’s important to only undertake the following steps when it feels safe and private enough to do so.
Here’s how to use Keychain Access to find passwords you’ve saved on your Mac.
Step 1: Open Keychain Access on your Mac. It can be found in the Applications folder under Utilities. Alternatively, hit command+space on your keyboard and search for it via Spotlight.
Step 2: Click Passwords from the horizontal menu at the top of Keychain Access. You’ll then be taken to a list of all your saved passwords – albeit hidden from view. To find a specific password, simply type the name of the website, or app to which it relates into the search bar at the top-right.
Step 3: Double-click on the password you want to retrieve or edit. This will display a dialogue box like the one below.
Step 4: At the bottom of the dialogue box, check the box labelled ‘Show Password’. You will be requested to enter your system password, after which you’ll be presented with the full, unmasked password. That’s it! From here, you can either copy the password for use elsewhere, edit it, or change any other details in the fields provided. (Just be sure to click ‘Save Changes’ when done.)
Why use Keychain?
When set correctly, passwords should be difficult to remember. This is why Keychain is so useful. It’s built directly into both macOS and iOS, and enables you to retrieve any password super fast, without ever having to remember the unique combinations.
With our tips above, you can easily find passwords on your Mac by using Keychain Access. You can use the same tool to recover the WiFi passwords you’ve used on both your Macs or iOS devices.
If we’ve raised any questions, or if you have questions related to password management in general, please do get in touch with the friendly Moof IT team.
Wi-Fi networks are the best way to access the internet on any device. However, most of the Wi-Fi networks are secured and you need to know the password in order to use that network. A Wi-Fi password is generally complicated which is hard to remember. So what will you do when you need to find the password of a network you recently used? Well, this can be done very easily as your Mac saves all the Wi-Fi passwords securely in the keychain. So here is how you can find a Wi-Fi password using the keychain app.
Steps to Find Saved Wifi Passwords on Mac OS
Go to the Keychain app. You can find it in the utility folder in applications.
Now click on the System access option which is located on the left-hand side menu.
On the next window click on the password tab. This will filter the result and will show you all the saved passwords.
Now from the list of networks click on the network of your choice.
This will open a new window. Click on the checkbox next to the show password option.
Now you will be asked to authenticate with the administrator’s user ID and password.
After that, the password for that particular network will be displayed. Save this password.
This way you can view saved password of wifi networks on Mac which you have accessed in the past. The process is very simple and it will hardly take two minutes.
Are you at your usual cafe but feel too awkward to ask the barista for the WiFi password again? Or maybe you have a friend over at your place who is asking for the WiFi password?
Fortunately for you, Apple devices tend to save WiFi passwords and allow you to look at the password.
How to find a WiFi password on Mac?
There are two ways through which you can find out the WiFi password on your Mac. In this post, we’ll go through each method in detail. We’ll take you to step by step to simplify the process for you.
Once you’re done reading this post, you’ll have no trouble finding the WiFi password on your Mac.
Let’s not waste any more time and get right into it.
Table of Contents
How to Find WiFi Password on Mac
As mentioned earlier, there are two ways through which you can find the WiFi password on your Mac. The first method, which involves the Keychain Access app, is more straightforward. The other process, which requires you to open up the Terminal on Mac, is a bit more complicated.
Don’t worry, though. We’ll walk you through both methods step by step.
If you’ve connected to the WiFi network before, you can use either of these methods to help you figure out the WiFi password.
Method One – Using Keychain Access App on Mac
Keychain Access is an in-built app in all macOS. It stores all your account and WiFi passwords. This is a super simple method that you can use to figure out a WiFi password on your Mac.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Begin by pressing the Command and Spacebar button on your keyboard. This will open the Spotlight search bar.
- Next, you need to type in “Keychain Access.”
- Click on “Keychain Access” when it pops up in the suggestions. Here you’ll find the password to various applications, internet sites, and WiFi connections.
- You’ll see all the categories on the left side in the toolbar. Click to toggle down the “Passwords” category.
- On the upper right side of the window, you’ll find a search bar—type in the name of the WiFi network.
- Next, you’ll need to double-click on the network when you see it in the main list on the window.
- A pop-up window will appear on your screen. Near the bottom of the pop-up window, you’ll see a checkbox for “Show password.” Check the box. You may be required to enter your Apple ID and password to proceed further.
- Once you’ve entered the WiFi password, your WiFi password will become visible.
Be sure to note down the password in a notebook or on your phone, so you can easily find it if needed.
Method Two – Using Terminal on Mac
Now, this method is a bit more tricky, but it also provides you with greater control. Pay close attention to all the steps we mention, and you’ll be able to find your WiFi password on Mac in no time.
Before we get into finding your password, you need to learn how to open the Terminal on Mac. There are two ways you can go about this task. Here’s the first:
- You can open the Terminal using the Finder. On the bottom of your screen, you’ll find the toolbar. Click on the “Finder” logo (it’s a blue and white square with a smiley face).
- Once the window opens, on the left toolbar, click on “Applications.”
- Scroll down until you find the “Utilities” folder. Open it.
- When you see “Terminal,” double click to open it.
The second method is a lot easier:
- Press “Command” and Spacebar on your keyboard to open Spotlight.
- In the Spotlight search bar, type “Terminal.”
- When Terminal appears in the recommendation list, click on it to launch it.
To make things easier for yourself, you can also pin Terminal to the dock on your Mac. Right-click on the Terminal logo, hover your pointer over “Options,” and then click on “Keep in Dock.”
Now that you’ve learned how to launch Terminal on Mac, it’s time to learn how to use it to find your WiFi password:
- Once Terminal is launched, type out the following command, only replace “WiFi name” with the name of your WiFi network:
- Security find-generic-password -ga “WiFi name” | grep “password:”
- A pop-up window will appear, your macOS will ask you to enter your username and password. Once you’ve entered the correct information, press “Allow.”
- Below the command you type earlier, you’ll see the password to your WiFi network.
How to Share WiFi Password with Mac
Do you wish there was an easy way to share your WiFi password from your Mac with your friend?
Fortunately, you’ve connected to the WiFi network. You can use your Mac to share the WiFi password with any person with an Apple device.
Before you try sharing the password, you need to ensure you’re following these steps:
- Both devices–the one you’re sharing from and the one you’re transferring to–should have WiFi and Bluetooth enabled.
- It would be best if you closed Hotspot on both devices.
- Both devices should be within WiFi or Bluetooth range of each other.
- In your Contacts, the other person’s Apple ID should be saved.
- Also, keep in mind that the password sharing feature is only available on macOS High Sierra or later and on iOS11 or later.
Here’s how to share WiFi password from your Mac to another Apple device:
- Start by unlocking your Mac, make sure your device is connected to the WiFi network and that you’ve logged into your Apple account.
- You also need to ensure that the person you’re sending the password is added to your Contacts.
- Make sure the other person’s device is within the range of your device.
- Ask the other person to select the same WiFi network on their device.
- On your device, select the “Share Password” option.
- To confirm the process, press “Done.”
What to Do if WiFi Password Sharing is Not Working?
If you’re unable to share the WiFi password on the first attempt, we suggest trying to restart both devices.
Also, try to reconnect to the WiFi on your device. Ensure you’re selecting the same WiFi network on both devices.
If you’re still having trouble connecting, we suggest contacting Apple Support for further assistance. It might also help to try contacting your WiFi network provider as well.
Conclusion
Thanks to the macOS updates, you can now easily find the password to a WiFi network you’ve connected to before.
As we mentioned earlier, there are two main ways through which you can find out your WiFi password. The Keychain Access app is the more straightforward method, while using Terminal is a more advanced method.
If your device has a macOS Sierra or later, you can also directly share WiFi passwords with other Apple devices that have iOS 11 or later.
We hope this post helped you learn more about finding a WiFi password on Mac and sharing it with other Apple devices.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to check the WiFi password on Android, iOS, Windows and macOS platforms
Forgetting your WiFi password is more common than you think. Many users tend to connect their smartphone and laptop to their home WiFi network and then forget the password, which is a problem when you need to connect a new device or share the password with visiting friends and family. In case you haven’t saved the WiFi password somewhere easily accessible, the good news is that there are several ways to find out what it is. There are different ways to know the WiFi password of any saved network or router on different platforms. In this article, we are going to take you through a step-by-step guide on how to check the WiFi password on Android, iOS, Windows and macOS platforms. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
How to Find WiFi Password on Windows PC or Laptop
There are different ways to know a WiFi password on a Windows-powered laptop or desktop. You can easily know the password of the WiFi network or router that you are currently connected to. In order to do that, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start Menu and search for Network Status. Alternatively, Right Click on the WiFi symbol at the bottom right corner of the screen and click on Open Network & Internet Settings.
- Now click on the Change Adapter Options. A new window will pop-up that will show you the Wi-Fi connection.
- Double Click on the Wi-Fi and then click on Wireless Properties.
Once you do that, you will see two options – Connection and Security. Go to Security and check the Show Characters box. With this, you will be able to see the password of the WiFi network or modem you are currently connected to.
Interestingly, there is also a way to know the password of the other saved networks on your Windows-powered device. All you need to do is follow these steps:
- Open the Start Menu and type Command Prompt
- Run the following command: netsh wlan show profile
- You will see the list of all saved WiFi networks. Pick the network you want to know the password and then run the following command: netsh wlan show profile **** key=clear. (Replace *** with network name you found in the list).
- Once done, you will see the WiFi password of that particular network or modem under the Security Settings.
How to Check WiFi Password on macOS Laptops
There is also a way to find the password of the WiFi networks on macOS. The operating system has an application known as Keychain Access. The app keeps a track of all the passwords you have stored on your macOS. Using the application, you can easily know the WiFi password of any WiFi network that was connected to your MacBook or Mac. Here’s a step-by-step guide to check for WiFi password on macOS:
- Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
- You will find an option on the top toolbar called Passwords. Click on it.
- In the search bar, enter the name of the network for which you want to know the password. Once done, double click on the network name.
- A pop-up window will appear showing you the details of the network. Click on Show Password. The system will ask for your administrator user credentials.
- Once you enter your system password, you will be able to see the password of the WiFi network.
How to Get WiFi Password on Android Mobile
Android offers a hidden way to know saved WiFi passwords easily. If you are running on Android 10 or later, you might be able to view the WiFi password of the saved networks on your smartphone. In order to that, you need to follow these steps:
- Go to the Settings app and head to WiFi & Network.
- Click on either the gear or lock icon next to your connected or saved network which you need the password for.
- Click on Share Password. You might need to use your fingerprint or pin to unlock this screen.
- You will now see a QR code on the screen, with the password written below it.
- You can choose to either share the password directly, or if it’s a complicated one, ask the person you want to share it with to scan the QR code using their phone.
How to Know WiFi Password on iOS Mobiles
Finding the WiFi password on an iOS device is complicated. Apple is quite strict with privacy and security, which is why it is next to impossible to know the WiFi password of the saved networks on your iPhone. However, there is one workaround. But for that, you will need a macOS machine. The guide does not work on any Windows laptop or PC. So, if you have a macOS system and you want to know the check WiFi password on iOS, you need to follow these steps:
- On your iPhone, to go Settings and go to the iCloud option. There you will find the Keychain option. Toggle it on.
- Next, go back to Settings and turn on Personal Hotspot.
- Now, on your Mac, connect to your iPhone’s personal hotspot. Once the hotspot is connected to your Mac, you can open Spotlight search (CMD+Space) and type Keychain Access.
- Press enter and you can search for a WiFi network for which you want to know the password.
- There will be a pop-up window that will show you the details of the network. Click on Show Password. The system will ask for your administrator user credentials.
- Once done, you will be able to see the password of the WiFi network.
Thanks for reading till the end of this article. For more such informative and exclusive tech content, like our Facebook page
Set a complicated Wi-Fi password but now you forgot it? How can you find out your Wi-Fi password from computer? As is known to all, there are 4 Methods to Find and View Saved Wi-Fi Password in Windows 10. When it comes to Mac users, are there useful methods to find and see the password of Wi-Fi on MacBook? Don’t worry; you can check your Wi-Fi password on Mac easily. In this article, you will learn two simple methods to find Wi-Fi password on Mac.
Method 1: Find the saved Wi-Fi password with Keychain
It is intelligent for Mac to record your wireless network password. Its Keychain Access application helps to store your account and passwords if you connected the Mac to Wi-Fi network before.
Step 1: Press Command + Space to launch Spotlight on your Mac. Then, enter Keychain in the search box. After that, double click the Keychain Access option.
Step 2: In the Keychain Access window, click the System option.
Step 3: After that, you should find out your Wi-Fi and double-click the Wi-Fi to see its password. Of course, you need to enter the administrator’s name and password to allow this change.
Step 4: Tick the Show password option and you will see the entire password of Wi-Fi.
Method 2: Find Wi-Fi Password on Mac Using Terminal
Is it possible to find Wi-Fi password on mac without keychain? Yes, you can also check your Wi-Fi password using Terminal. Terminal is also a built-in application on Mac that allows you to execute command lines to make changes. You can quickly look up the Wi-Fi network password by using this method.
Step 1: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight and enter Terminal to start Terminal application.
Step 2: Type the below commands: security find-generic-password -ga WIFI NAME |grep “password:” . The WIFI NAME means the name of your wifi network.
Step 3: Type your Username and Password to allow this operation. Then, click the Allow button to continue.
Step 4: Get the saved wifi password on your Mac.
How easy it is! It is no need to reset the router password when you forgot the Wi-Fi password now.
Heading back to the office? Here’s how to find that Wi-Fi password you inevitably forgot.
It’s the most important question: what’s the Wi-Fi password?
Your new coworker needs to know; you can’t remember. You know that Sheryl in marketing wrote it down somewhere, but she’s out of office this week. Should you really start digging through all the papers on her desk? Probably not (and now that you did look, you can’t find it). Does that mean your new coworker needs to plug into the network using ethernet, like some kind of medieval peasant?
No. You can retrieve the password from your computer or phone. To summarize:
On Windows, you can see the current network’s password in the Control Panel. For other networks, you can use the command prompt or download a third-party program.
On Android, you can view all your passwords in the Wi-Fi settings and share passwords using a QR code.
On iPhone or iPad, it’s not possible to view saved passwords, but you can easily share the passwords for your currently connected network with any other iPhone or iPad. Also, all saved passwords will sync to your Mac, so you can view them there.
On a Mac, simply open Keychain Access to view all saved passwords.
That’s the overview, but keep reading if you get stuck or just want more detail. I’m going to walk you through everything.
Here’s how to force a public Wi-Fi network to open, which is another problem entirely.
How to find your Wi-Fi password on Windows
Windows doesn’t have any kind of Wi-Fi sharing feature, which is disappointing, but it is easy to see the password for whatever network you’re currently attached to.
1. Open the Control Panel, then head to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click the name of the network you’re connected to, then click Wireless Properties.
3. Go to the Security tab, and you can see the Network security key (that’s your password) if you check the Show characters option.
As I said before, this only works for the network you’re currently attached to. If you want to see the passwords for other networks, you’ve got two options.
Use the command prompt. The command netsh wlan show profile NetworkName key=clear will show you the password for any Wi-Fi network, if you replace “NetworkName” with the name of the network you want the password for. The command netsh wlan show profile can show you a list of networks, if you can’t recall the exact name of the network you want the password for.
Download a third-party app. Magical Jellybean WiFi Revealer and WirelessKeyView can both show all of your saved Wi-Fi passwords.
How to find and share your Wi-Fi password on Android
Sharing passwords from an Android device is straightforward—there’s support for browsing every network you’ve ever connected to, and you can see the password or quickly share it using a QR code.
1. Open the settings on your device, then head to Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
2. Scroll past the current networks to Saved networks, then tap the network you’d like to share.
3. Tap the Share button and you’ll see a QR code, which you can use to share the password. You’ll also see the password, in plaintext, below the QR code.
How to share your Wi-Fi password on iPhone and iPad
There’s no way to browse all of your Wi-Fi passwords on an iPhone or iPad, but it is easy to share the password for the currently connected network with other iPhone and iPad users.
If someone physically near you tries to connect to a network you’re connected to, you’ll see a pop-up like this:
If you recognize the name, tap Share Password, and their device will connect. It’s really slick. Note that both devices need Bluetooth enabled for this feature to work.
This only works for the network you’re currently connected to. There’s no way to browse other passwords or share them with other users. But there’s a workaround, if you also own a Mac: all passwords saved on an iPhone or iPad are synced to macOS devices using iCloud, and that platform supports browsing saved passwords.
How to find a Wi-Fi password on a Mac
Your Mac stores all Wi-Fi passwords in Keychain Access.
1. Open the Finder, and head to Applications > Utilities. Alternatively, you can open Spotlight by hitting command+space , then type “Keychain Access.” Either way, you’ll find all of your Wi-Fi passwords in the System section.
2. Search for any network, open it, and check the Show password button. Note that you’ll be asked for an administrator password, which is the password for your user account on most devices.
Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox
We’ll email you 1/wk, and never share your information.
Justin Pot is a writer and journalist based in Hillsboro, Oregon. He loves technology, people, and nature, not necessarily in that order. Learn more: justinpot.com
How to force a public Wi-Fi network login page to open
You open your laptop in an airport, at a coffee shop, or perhaps in your hotel or conference room. You sit down to work, select the correct Wi-Fi network, and . nothing.
Geekflare is supported by our audience. We may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this site.
Have you ever faced a situation where you have been using a Wi-Fi network for many months and suddenly realized that you don’t remember its password?
Our systems remember every Wi-Fi password we’ve ever connected to.
That’s how it re-establishes connections with those networks without entering the password again.
Here’s a tutorial on how you can explore the saved password of any network you’ve ever connected to on your Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Let’s get started.
Windows
In Windows, you can easily find the Wi-Fi passwords by using the command prompt.
For opening the command prompt, you can go to the search bar and then search for CMD. Don’t forget to run it as an administrator.
Once the command prompt is open, Just run the following command.
This command will display all the Wi-Fi network interfaces you’ve ever connected to previously. For example, you can see below these are the Wi-Fi networks I’ve ever connected to.
And next step is to explore the password of a particular interface. Just use the below command.
Here you should provide the interface name for the password to be revealed.
In the security settings details, you can see the password (Key Content) for the interface I provided.
This is how you can easily find a Wi-Fi password for any interface using the command prompt in windows.
Linux
In all Linux distributions, information of all wireless networks is being stored in the Network manager directory.
To find the saved Wi-Fi passwords using a command line, enter these commands.
After that, use the list command to show the files in the folder.
Network config files will be displayed on the screen after using the command. These config files contain information about each network, including the Wi-Fi SSID, UUID, and Wi-Fi password. Use Cat command or some text editor to open the file and see the password for a specific interface.
This command will show all the information about the Wi-Fi network you have chosen.
In the above output, the PSK (pre-shared key) value is the password for the given Wi-Fi network.
macOS
In the macOS also, you can easily find the password for any Wi-Fi interface using the command line. You can launch the terminal by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Here, you need to replace the interface name with the Wi-Fi network name you choose. This command reveals the password for the Wi-Fi network you provide.
Conclusion 👩💻
If you’ve ever joined a Wi-Fi network, you have that network’s password saved on your system. It doesn’t matter whichever operating system it is. You can use the terminal to access all your saved Wi-Fi passwords.
I hope you found this article very useful in finding the Wi-Fi passwords in different operating systems.
You may also be interested in knowing about the various best Wi-Fi routers for personal and office use.
Table of Contents
- Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
- In the sidebar, make sure you click on Login, and click on the Password tab.
- Click on Show Password.
- You may be prompted to enter your administrator credentials again.
- The Wi-Fi password should appear in the text box next to Show Password.
Also, how do I check the password for my WiFi Mac? Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, search for “keychain access,” and open the app. Then, use the search bar in the Keychain Access app to search for the name of any Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to in the past. When you see the network in the list, double-click on it to see its password entry.
Quick Answer, how do I retrieve my WiFi password on macbook air?
- Click on the Wi-Fi icon at the top right of your top menu bar.
- Click “Open Network Preferences…”
- Click “Advanced…”
- Find the Wi-Fi network that you’d like to forget and click on it.
- Click the minus “—” sign.
- Click “Ok.”
- Click “Apply.”
Best answer for this question, how do I see WiFi password on Mac or Iphone? On the wireless settings page, tap on the option that says Wireless Security. On this page, you’ll find an entry saying Security Key. It’s the password for your WiFi network. Tapping on this field should reveal the password to you.
Frequent question, how do I look up Passwords on Macbook Air? From the Safari menu, choose Preferences, then click Passwords. Sign in with Touch ID, or enter your user account password. You can also authenticate your password with your Apple Watch running watchOS 6 or later. To see a password, select a website.
- Go to the Settings app and head towards Wi-Fi.
- You will see all the saved WiFi networks.
- There you will see an option of QR Code or Tap to Share Password.
- You can take a screenshot of the QR Code.
- Open the QR scanner app and scan the generated QR Code.
How do I find my passwords on Mac?
- Open a new Finder window and go to Applications > Utilities.
- Open Keychain Access.
- In the search bar in the top right corner, search for the password you’re looking for.
- When you find the password, view it with a double-click.
- Check the box next to Show Password.
What is a WPA2 password on a Mac?
WPA2 is currently the recommended password type for Wi-Fi routers, and lets you secure your network with a custom password. You can find and change your WPA2 password by logging into the router’s settings page in a web browser.
What do you do if your Mac won’t connect to Wi-Fi?
- Verify that the Wi-Fi connection is the one you want. Turn your Wi-Fi off and on, and make sure you’re attempting to connect to the right network.
- Check Wireless Diagnostics.
- Check your System Updates.
- Check your physical hardware.
- Change your DNS settings.
- Reset NVRAM/PRAM and the SMC.
- Restart your Mac.
Why won’t my Mac connect to my Wi-Fi?
Make sure your Mac is within range of the wireless network. The Wi-Fi service may not be available in Network preferences. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network. … After the network is available, try connecting again.
How can I share my Internet password?
- Make sure your device is connected to the Wi-Fi network you want to share and go to Settings, Network and Internet (it might be called Connections depending on your device), then Wi-Fi.
- Tap on the cog next to your Wi-Fi network.
- Tap the Share icon on the right and you should see a QR code on the screen.
How do I change my wireless network password on a Mac?
Answer: A: click on your wifi icon – top right – open network prefernces – advance – wifi – look under preferred networks – highlight the network name you want to edit and hit the minus sign. after you’ve done that, hit the plus sign search the network you want then fill in the password.
How do I show passwords on iPhone?
- Start the Settings app.
- Tap “Passwords & Accounts.”
- Tap “Website & App Passwords.” You might be asked to enter your passcode or log in with Touch ID or Face ID.
- Your iPhone will now display your complete list of saved passwords.
Where are my passwords stored in Safari?
Open Safari and click Preferences. Select Passwords from the tab at the top. You’ll need to enter your Mac password or use touch ID to access your passwords. You can now click on any website on the list to show its stored password.
Where are my passwords stored in Chrome Mac?
- After you’ve signed in select the three little dots icon in the right corner.
- Now select “Settings” in this menu.
- Go down these options and press “Advanced”.
- You’re looking for “Passwords and forms” in this list.
- Once you find it click “Manage passwords”.
How do I find my username and password on my Mac?
If you can’t remember your account name, open a Finder window, then choose Go > Home. Your account name appears next to the house icon at the top of the Finder window.
Which app can show connected Wi-Fi password?
WiFi Password Show is an app that displays all the passwords for all the WiFi networks you’ve ever connected to. You do need to have root privileges on your Android smartphone to use it, though. It’s important to understand that this app is NOT for hacking WiFi networks or anything like that.