If you’ve ever forgotten your WiFi password but still happen to be connected on a Windows 11 machine, there’s a decent chance you can find your password pretty easily—without resetting your router or digging through old notes. It’s kinda weird, but Windows stores all this info, and with some command magic in Command Prompt, you can get the password for any network you’ve connected to before. Just gotta run some commands with admin rights and it spills the secrets.
How to See WiFi Password on Windows 11 CMD
This method is useful when you need to reconnect a device, share it with someone, or just refresh your memory—because Windows keeps the password saved, but it’s not exactly visible on the network settings UI anymore. Expect that you’ll see the password right in your command output once you do it right, but on some setups, it might be a bit temperamental — on one machine it worked on the first try, on another… not so much. Rebooting sometimes helps or running as admin does the trick better.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt
First, hit the Windows key, type cmd in the search bar, then right-click and choose Run as administrator. Yeah, some commands need those admin privileges to do their thing, and Windows can be a pain about that. So don’t skip the admin step or you’ll just get permission errors.
Step 2: Access Network Profiles
In the command window, type netsh wlan show profiles and hit Enter. This will spit out a list of all WiFi networks your machine has connected to before.
Take a quick note of the *exact* name of your network—spelling, spaces, everything matters here. Because if you mess this up, nothing will show up or you’ll get the wrong password, which is super frustrating.
Step 3: Find the WiFi Password
Next, run netsh wlan show profile name="YOUR_NETWORK_NAME" key=clear, replacing YOUR_NETWORK_NAME with the actual name you noted. It’s best to surround it with quotes if there’s spaces. On some Windows setups, including the quotes works better, but if it doesn’t, try without them. Just be precise.
This command will show detailed info about the network. Look for a line called Key Content under the Security settings; that’s the password. Sometimes it’s hiding, sometimes not displaying properly, so patience might be needed. If you don’t see it, double-check the spelling or try rebooting and rerunning.
Step 4: Record the Password
Just jot down whatever’s next to Key Content—that’s your WiFi password. Make sure to be accurate because a typo here means another round of confusion when trying to connect later. Remember, Windows is sometimes weird with spaces or special characters in passwords, so double-check what you see.
Step 5: Close Command Prompt
Type exit and hit Enter to close the Command Prompt window. Done! Now you’ve got the password saved somewhere you can reference later, or just copy it to share with the folks in the house.
On some setups, you might need to run CMD as administrator again if it doesn’t show the info the first time, or if it throws permission errors. Also, remember: this method works only if your PC has connected to that WiFi in the past — it’s not magic, it’s stored data you’re unearthing.
Tips for Using Windows 11 CMD
- Always run Command Prompt as admin to avoid permission headaches.
- Triple-check the network name before pasting in the command — typos are your enemy here.
- Protect your WiFi password; it’s not a secret to share with just anyone.
- Update your passwords regularly for better security, especially if you share your setup a lot.
- If commands don’t work, retype carefully—Windows doesn’t forgive typos or missing quotes.
FAQs
Can I see the WiFi password if I’m not connected to the network?
Nope, if you’ve never connected or Windows never stored the password somehow, this method won’t help. It only works if Windows already has the info saved.
What if “Key Content” doesn’t show a password?
If that line’s empty or just says blank, it might mean either the network is open (no password) or Windows can’t retrieve the info. Sometimes security policies block it, or it’s an open network.
Can I use this for any WiFi network?
Only networks you’ve previously connected to, and Windows stored the credentials for. If it’s a new network, forget about this method.
Is it safe to do this?
Legit, but only on your own computer. Just follow the steps and don’t go poking around networks you don’t own or have permission for.
What if I get an error about “Permission Denied”?
That means you didn’t run Command Prompt as administrator. Make sure to right-click and choose Run as administrator. Sometimes a reboot helps, too.
Summary
- Open Command Prompt as admin.
- Type
netsh wlan show profiles. - Use
netsh wlan show profile name="network" key=clearwith the right name. - Find the Key Content line—there’s your password.
- Close CMD when done.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Properly, it’s a solid trick—kind of weird Windows keeps the info but doesn’t just show it in your network settings. Maybe it’s security, maybe just Windows being Windows. Either way, on one setup it worked pretty smoothly, on another, it took some fiddling. Worth a shot if you’re stuck.