How-toWi-Fi and Internet

How to find or change your Wi-Fi password

Find a saved Wi-Fi password on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android, or change it in your router, and learn what to do on your devices afterwards.

  • Updated
  • 12 min
  • Beginner
Applies to
  • Any device

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If you need to connect a new device and cannot remember the Wi-Fi password, you can often read it from a device that is already connected. If that is not possible, or you want a new password, you can change it in your router.

Before you start

Your home has two different passwords, and people often mix them up:

  • The Wi-Fi password (also called the network key or passphrase) lets devices join your wireless network.
  • The router admin password lets you change the router's settings. The US Federal Trade Commission advises changing both from their defaults.

Only do this on your own network, or one you manage with the owner's permission.

Where to look for the passwordA top-to-bottom flow chart with 6 boxes. Work through them in order and stop when the problem is fixed. The full text follows the picture.Where to look for the passwordNoNo1Read it from a devicealready connected2Did you find it?Yes: Use it to join your newdevice3Look at the router label orsetup sheet4Does the password still work?Yes: Use it to join your newdevice5Sign in to the router andset a new passwordCannot sign in? Askwhoever set up the routeror your provider.
Start at the top. Each step needs more effort than the one before.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Step 1: Read it from a device already connected
  2. Question 2: Did you find it? If yes: Use it to join your new device. If no, go on to the next item.
  3. Step 3: Look at the router label or setup sheet
  4. Question 4: Does the password still work? If yes: Use it to join your new device. If no, go on to the next item.
  5. Step 5: Sign in to the router and set a new password
  6. If nothing worked: Cannot sign in? Ask whoever set up the router or your provider.

Find a saved password on a connected device

A device that is already on your network has stored the password. Use one of these routes. Each asks you to confirm your identity first.

Windows 11

  1. Open Settings then Network & internet then Wi-Fi.
  2. Select Manage known networks and choose your network. On many versions you can instead open the properties of the connected network.
  3. Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show.

Microsoft's page describes both routes. If you cannot see the Show button, run Windows Update and look again.

Windows 10

  1. Open Settings then Network & Internet then Status then Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Under Connections, select the name of your Wi-Fi network.
  3. In the Wi-Fi Status window, select Wireless Properties.
  4. Open the Security tab and tick Show characters. The password appears in the Network security key box.

Windows 10 no longer gets security updates

Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Keep banking and email to a device that still receives updates, and plan to move on. See the password safety guide for good habits.

Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings (macOS Ventura and later).
  2. Select Network, then Wi-Fi.
  3. Scroll down and select Advanced to see your known networks.
  4. Select the More button next to your network, then Copy Password.
  5. Paste it into a note to read it. On macOS Sequoia and later, the Passwords app also lists Wi-Fi passwords under Wi-Fi.

Apple gives these steps for macOS 13 and later. Apple's Mac page does not describe earlier versions.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings then Wi-Fi (iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.1 and later).
  2. Tap the info button (i) beside your current network.
  3. Tap the Password field.
  4. Confirm with your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID. The password appears.

For a network you joined before but are not on now, tap Edit at the top right of the Wi-Fi screen, confirm your identity, then tap the info button beside the network. In iOS 18, the Passwords app also lists Wi-Fi networks.

Android

Menu names vary by maker. On Google Pixel phones:

  1. Open Settings then Network & internet then Internet.
  2. Next to your network, tap the settings (gear) icon, then Share.
  3. Confirm it is you if asked. A QR code appears, which another phone can scan to join.

Google's page describes the QR code, not a way to read the password as text. Some phones also print the password under the code. On other makers' phones, search Settings for "Wi-Fi", open your network and look for Share or QR code.

Change the password in your router

Change it if you do not recognize the current one, if someone you no longer trust knows it, or if it is still the default printed on the router. Router screens differ by maker, so these steps are general.

  1. Connect a phone or computer to your network, or plug a computer into the router with a network cable.
  2. Find the router's address. On Windows, open Command Prompt, type ipconfig, press Enter, and look for Default Gateway. On an iPhone, it is the Router line under the info button in the Wi-Fi settings. Common addresses are 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 and 10.0.0.1.
  3. Type that address into the address bar of a web browser. Or open the maker's or provider's app, if your router uses one.
  4. Sign in with the router admin details. These are often on a label on the router or in the setup sheet from whoever installed it. Apple notes the label may still list default details.
  5. Look for a section called Wireless, Wi-Fi or WLAN. Menu names vary by maker.
  6. Check the security setting. The FTC advises WPA3 Personal, or WPA2 Personal if WPA3 is not offered. Avoid WEP and WPA, which are outdated.
  7. Enter your new Wi-Fi password and save the change. Choose a long, unique phrase that you do not use elsewhere, and avoid anything linked to your name or address.
Changing the password at the router4 numbered steps, one under the other. The full text follows the picture.Changing the password at therouter1Sign inOpen the router address andenter the admin login2Find Wi-Fi settingsLook for Wireless or Wi-Fi3Set the passwordUse WPA3 or WPA2 and along phrase4Save and rejoinConnect each device with thenew password
The router drops every device when you save, so expect to rejoin each one.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Sign in: Open the router address and enter the admin login
  2. Find Wi-Fi settings: Look for Wireless or Wi-Fi
  3. Set the password: Use WPA3 or WPA2 and a long phrase
  4. Save and rejoin: Connect each device with the new password

Do not reset the router only to get in

If you cannot sign in, do not hold the Reset button unless you have no other choice. A reset erases all router settings, and your internet provider's connection details may be lost. Ask whoever set up your router, or use the support page on your provider's website.

After you change it

Every device saved the old password, so each one will fail to connect. On each device, forget the network and join again with the new password. Apple says to do exactly this on a Mac. Printers, smart speakers, cameras and TVs also need the new password. For printers, see connecting a printer to Wi-Fi.

If a device still will not join, see can't connect to this network. After you finish, sign out of the router's admin page. The FTC advises this.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the password if no device is connected?

Only if a device saved it earlier, or if the router label still shows the original password. Otherwise sign in to the router and set a new one.

Is the password on the router label safe to keep?

It is a starting point. The FTC advises replacing default names and passwords. Do not post a photo of the label online.

Should I give visitors my main password?

You do not have to. Many routers offer a guest network, which keeps visitors off your main network. The FTC advises setting one up.

Does changing the password stop strangers using my Wi-Fi?

It stops anyone who only knows the old password. Pair it with the WPA3 or WPA2 setting and keep the router's software updated.

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