How to find your Wi-Fi password
Short answer
If nobody has changed it, your Wi-Fi password is printed on a sticker or pull-out card on your router. If it has been changed, you can usually see it on a phone or computer that is already connected, or in your broadband provider's app or online account. You don't need to reset the router.
Before you start
0 of 4 done. Ticking just helps you keep track; nothing is saved or sent.
Steps
Start with the first option and work down. Menu names vary between versions and makers, so if you can't see an option, use the search box in Settings.
Check the router
Look at the back or underneath of the router
Look for a sticker, or a card that slides out. The password may be called the wireless key, Wi-Fi key, network key or password.
Try it on your device
If it doesn't work, someone has probably changed it since the router was installed. Try the options below.
Check your broadband provider's app or account
Open your provider's app, or log in on their website
Many providers let you see or change your Wi-Fi password there, often in a section about your hub, router or Wi-Fi.
On an iPhone or iPad that's already connected
Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi
Tap the small i button next to your network
Tap Password
Use Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and the password appears. You can tap Copy to paste it somewhere else.
On recent versions of iOS, the Passwords app also lists saved networks under Wi-Fi.
On an Android phone that's already connected
Open Settings and go to your Wi-Fi networks
On many phones this is Network & internet, then Internet. On Samsung phones it is Connections, then Wi-Fi.
Tap the settings (gear) icon next to your network
Tap Share or QR code
After you confirm it's you, a QR code appears. Many phones also show the password in writing underneath. Another phone can scan the code to join without typing.
On a Windows 11 PC that's already connected
Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Wi-Fi
Select Manage known networks, then your network
Find View Wi-Fi security key and select View
The password appears in a small window.
If you don't see that option, your version of Windows may be older. Search the Start menu for Control Panel, open Network and Sharing Center, select your Wi-Fi name next to Connections, then Wireless Properties. On the Security tab, tick Show characters.
On a Mac that's already connected
Open the Passwords app
It is on macOS Sequoia and later. Press Command and Space, type Passwords and press Return.
Choose Wi-Fi in the sidebar
Enter your Mac password or use Touch ID if asked.
Select your network
Click or hover over the hidden password to show it.
On older Macs, open System Settings, then Wi-Fi, and click Advanced. Click the button with three dots next to your network, choose Copy Password, then paste it into a note to read it.
Share it with a new device instead
If the new device is an iPhone, iPad or Mac and you have an iPhone already connected, keep them close together and unlocked, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. Choose your network on the new device, and a Share Password message should appear on the iPhone. Tap it. This usually needs each person saved in the other's contacts. On Android, use the QR code from the steps above.
If this happens
The sticker password doesn't work and nobody knows the new one
Log in to your provider's app or account to see or change it, or call your provider. If you change it, every device will need the new password.
Your device asks for a password you don't know
It probably wants your phone passcode or your computer's login password, not the Wi-Fi password.
Windows won't show the password
You may need to be signed in with an administrator account. Try another connected device instead.
No device is connected and the sticker doesn't work
Your provider can help you get back in, usually without a reset.
Things to be careful about
Don't factory reset the router to get the password back. It is a last resort, and only when your provider asks you to do it.
Keep the password private. Don't post photos of the router sticker or your screen online.
Never give it to unexpected callers. Nobody genuine needs your Wi-Fi password over the phone.
Write it down somewhere safe. A note kept at home is fine. Don't keep it on a sticky note on the router if visitors can see it.
A factory reset puts the router back to the sticker password but also wipes its other settings. Every device in your home, including smart speakers, printers and TVs, will need reconnecting.
Still stuck?
If you still can't find it, the team at SmarterBox Limited, which runs SmarterBoxDIY, can talk you through it. Tell them your broadband provider and which devices are already connected.
Get expert helpSmarterBoxDIY is operated by SmarterBox Limited (company no. 16160532). This guide is general information; menus and options vary by manufacturer and software version.