Wondering how to see a Wi-Fi password on Android? Maybe you're connected to a network where yous forgot the countersign, or want to check the password for a friend's network so y'all can connect another device to it.

No matter the reason, we'll bear witness you how to notice saved Wi-Fi passwords on Android using a few different methods. Note that these simply let you see the password for networks y'all've already continued to in the past. You tin can't use them to find the Wi-Fi countersign for a network you lot've never joined; you lot'll demand to enquire someone who manages the network for the countersign.

How to See Wi-Fi Passwords on Android Without Root

Starting in Android 10, yous can now see the Wi-Fi passwords for your saved networks without a rooted device. Permit's look at how to do this using stock Android 11 on a Pixel device—the process may wait slightly different depending on your phone and Android version.

To view a Wi-Fi password on Android ten or later, open Settings and head to Network & internet. On Android 10 or eleven, tap Wi-Fi. On Android 12, y'all'll need to select Internet instead.

You'll then see your electric current Wi-Fi network at the meridian of the list. Select it to view options for the network. If you're not connected to the correct network, select another one from the list, or check the Saved networks entry at the lesser of the folio.

On the Wi-Fi network'due south overview page, select the Share button. Yous'll need to confirm your face/fingerprint, or enter your PIN lawmaking, to proceed. Once y'all do, you'll come across your network'south Wi-Fi countersign listed below a QR code.

Now you know your network's Wi-Fi password and can give it to someone else, or enter it on a unlike device.

The QR lawmaking displayed on this page makes the process even more convenient, as it lets another device bring together the network without needing to enter the password. This increases network security by concealing the actual password, as well as sidestepping the frustration of typing the countersign incorrectly.

If you're sharing the password with an Android device, tap the QR Code icon next to Add network beneath the list of Wi-Fi networks. If the other person has an iPhone, have them scan the lawmaking using the Camera app, then tap the prompt to join.

Starting with Android 12, yous'll also encounter a Nearby push button that lets y'all share the password with other Android devices around you. This uses the Nearby Share office, and saves the step of having to browse the QR code from your device'south screen.

For convenience, you lot may want to screenshot the QR code so you can send it to others without going through the above menus every time. Simply remember that anyone with that code can join your Wi-FI network.

How to See Wi-Fi Passwords on Android 9 and Older

If you're running Android nine or earlier, or your telephone doesn't feature the higher up option for some reason, you'll need to plough to other options to reveal your Wi-Fi countersign. Unfortunately, these methods all require a rooted Android device.

This is because the file that holds the Wi-Fi credentials for saved networks is in a protected directory of your phone's storage. Y'all don't accept permission to view the folder, or the file within it, unless you lot're rooted.

If you accept a rooted device and want to see your Wi-Fi password on Android, you lot can head to /information/misc/wifi using a file explorer app that supports root browsing. Open wpa_supplicant.conf and you lot should meet your network proper noun (ssid) and its password (psk).

In example this doesn't work, or you lot want to try another method, y'all tin can try using an Android Wi-Fi password viewer app like WiFi Password Viewer. These permit you select a saved network to view the password.

They require root, and have mixed reviews, then your mileage may vary. If your phone encrypts the file containing Wi-Fi passwords, there isn't much apps like this tin do.

Wi-Fi Password Viewer Android

View Wi-Fi Passwords on Some other Device

These are the two main methods to view saved Wi-Fi passwords on Android. If yous're not rooted and use Android nine or earlier, your best bet is to bank check the Wi-Fi countersign on a desktop device instead. These make it a lot easier—see how to observe Wi-Fi passwords in Windows ten or how to view Wi-Fi passwords on a Mac for assist.

In the future, yous might consider using a password manager so you have your own tape of of import Wi-Fi passwords and don't need to use these workaround methods. You should besides make sure your own Wi-Fi network is protected confronting set on.

How Hackers Steal Your Wi-Fi Password and How to Stop Information technology

Read Side by side

Well-nigh The Author

Ben Stegner (1805 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his Information technology job to write total-fourth dimension in 2016 and has never looked dorsum. He's been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more equally a professional writer for over eight years.

More From Ben Stegner