The Command Prompt on Windows is a really handy tool that can come in useful for all sorts of things, including finding your Wi-Fi password! If you’ve gone and forgotten your Wi-Fi password or need to give it to someone else, it’s a doddle to find it using the Command Prompt. This guide will show you how to find your wifi password using command prompt, the trusty built-in tool on Windows. If you’re not on a Windows PC, don’t worry – the basic principle is the same, and you’ll find similar functionality in the terminal on Mac OS, shell on Linux, console, or prompt on those operating systems.
Table of Contents
Note on Operating Systems
Whilst these instructions are written specifically for Windows, similar functionality is available on Mac OS and Linux. On Mac OS, you’d use Terminal and on Linux, it’s called a Shell or Console.
How to Find Your Wi-Fi Password Command Prompt
Tutorial on how to Find Your Wi-Fi Password Using Command Prompt:
Total Time: 1 minute
Open the Command Prompt
To get started, open the Command Prompt on your Windows computer. You can do this by opening the Start menu and searching for “cmd”.
Run the Command to View Your Wi-Fi Profile
Once Command Prompt is open, you’ll need to type the following command and hit Enter:
netsh wlan show profile
This will show you a list of all the Wi-Fi networks your PC has connected to in the past, along with some information about each network.
Find your Wi-Fi Network
Find the network you’re looking for in the list, it will be listed under ‘User profiles’>’All User Profile’ then copy the name
Run the Command to View the Wi-Fi Password
Now that you’ve got the name of the network you’re looking for, type the following command into Command Prompt and hit Enter:
netsh wlan show profile name=[network name] key=clear
Make sure to replace [network name] with the name of your network you copied in step 3.
You should now see your Wi-Fi password, as well as other information about the network.
Summary
Finding your Wi-Fi password using the Command Prompt on Windows is a piece of cake. By following these five steps, you’ll be able to find the password for your Wi-Fi network in no time. It certainly saves hunting for the label on the back of your router!