Finding the Wi-Fi Security Key on Windows 11

This article describes how to view the wi-fi security key in Windows 11

When you connect to a wi-fi network, you are prompted to enter the security key or password. Windows will save the password, so you don’t always have to type it when you want to connect.

There might be times when you’ll want to find out the wi-fi password saved in Windows 11. If you have forgotten your wi-fi password, use the steps below to get it, use it on another device, or share it with others.

Many Wi-Fi devices issued by service providers have the Wi-Fi password written on the back of the device. If you haven’t changed the default password given to you, look at the back of the modem to get the password. If you have changed it, use the steps below to get it.

There are multiple ways to find the Wi-Fi security key in Windows. The most common way is to open the Settings app and view the Wi-Fi connection properties.

Display Wi-Fi Security key (password)

As mentioned above, Windows saves the Wi-fi security key you are connected to so you can reconnect without typing a password.

If you have forgotten the password or want to share it with others, use the steps below to find the security key for the Wi-Fi in Windows.

First, open the Wi-Fi connection properties panel. You can do that by clicking on the Start menu and selecting Settings.

In the Settings app, select Network & internet button on the left. Then select the Wi-Fi tile to expand it.

Alternatively, expand the Wi-Fi connection button on the Quick Settings menu. Then select Properties.

When the Wi-Fi Properties panel opens, scroll down and select the View Wi-Fi security key (View) tile.

On the pop-up window, you should see the Wi-Fi security key displayed.

When you are done, close the Settings app.

View the Wi-Fi security key via the Command Prompt

You can also view your Wi-Fi password or security key from the command prompt in Windows 11. It takes a single command with options to see it.

Open the command prompt, the run the commands below to view the password of the Wi-Fi you’re connected to in Windows 11.

netsh wlan show profile “Wi-Fi NAME” key=clear

Replace WI-FI NAME with the correct wi-fi network name you’re connected to. In my case, my wi-fi name is Penguin. To view my password, I ran the commands below:

netsh wlan show profile "Penguin" key=clear

The command will display information about the wi-fi you’re connected to and the password used to connect.

Profile Penguin on interface Wi-Fi:
=======================================================================

Applied: All User Profile

Profile information
-------------------
    Version                : 1
    Type                   : Wireless LAN
    Name                   : Penguin
    Control options        :
        Connection mode    : Connect automatically
        Network broadcast  : Connect only if this network is broadcasting
        AutoSwitch         : Do not switch to other networks
        MAC Randomization  : Disabled

Connectivity settings
---------------------
    Number of SSIDs        : 1
    SSID name              : "Penguin"
    Network type           : Infrastructure
    Radio type             : [ Any Radio Type ]
    Vendor extension          : Not present

Security settings
-----------------
    Authentication         : WPA2-Personal
    Cipher                 : CCMP
    Authentication         : WPA2-Personal
    Cipher                 : GCMP
    Security key           : Present
    Key Content            : connect5

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to view your security key or password for Windows 11. If you find any errors above or have something to add, please use the comment form below to report.