How to Find the Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11

Forgetting your Wi-Fi password can be a major nuisance. For instance, you may have guests visiting and they need to connect their devices to your network, but you can’t remember the password. Fortunately, Windows 11 has a solution.

This article will show you how to retrieve your Wi-Fi password in Windows 11. With this knowledge, you’ll no longer be locked out of your network should you forget your password.

How to Find the Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11

The most common method of finding Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 11 is through the Control Panel. Here’s what it involves:

1. Press the “Start” button and open “Control Panel.”
   
2. Click the first result and go to the “Network and Internet” section.
   
3. Head to the “Network & Sharing Center” option. For less confusion and easier visibility, change your view from “Category” to “Large icons.”
   
4. Select “Connections” and find the name of your Wi-Fi network.
   
5. Browse “Wi-Fi” status and hit “Wireless Properties.”
   
6. Pick “Security” and press “Show characters.” This should display the password of your network in one of the boxes.
   

Another way to find your Wi-Fi password is to use “Settings,” but this one is a bit more complicated:

1. Press the “Start” button and go to “Settings.” Another way to access this window is to use the “Windows Key + I” combination.
   
2. Go to your left sidebar and click “Network and Internet.”
   
3. Head to the lower part of your screen and choose advanced settings.
   
4. Press the prompt to expand more adapter options in the “Related Settings” section. You should now reach network options in your Control Panel.
   
5. Press “Wi-fi” and navigate to “Connections.”
   
6. Click “Wireless Properties,” followed by “Security,” and “Show characters.” Check the boxes for your password and write it down.
   

How to Find Wi-Fi Password in Windows With Command Prompt

Windows 11 retains most features of the older versions, including the command prompt. This tool lets you discover your current password as well as passwords from previous connections. Take the following steps to use your command prompt:

1. Hit “Start” and type in “command prompt.”
   
2. Choose the option to run the tool as the administrator.
   
3. Enter “netsh wlan show profiles” to find your Wi-Fi connection. Press the “Enter” button. This should show you the names of all your networks.
   
4. If you’re looking for a specific password, type in “netsh wlan show profile name=yourwificonnectionname=clear.” Replace the “yourwificonnectionname” with the name of your network. Hit “Enter.”
   
5. The value near “Key Content” is the password you’re looking for.

How to Find Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11 With WirelessKeyView

If you want to avoid fiddling with various system settings, you can use third-party apps to retrieve your Wi-Fi password. One of your best options is WirelessKeyView. It features an intuitive interface and lets you find your password with just a few clicks. Here’s how you can use the program:

1. Download WirelessKeyView from this page.
   
2. Install and launch the program.
3. Run the software to see your networks and passwords.
4. To save passwords, press “File” and choose “Export All Items.”
5. All your passwords should now be stored in a text file.

How to Change Wi-Fi Password in Windows 11

Once you’ve retrieved your Wi-Fi password, it might be a good idea to change it and minimize the risk of data theft or of you forgetting it again. This requires you to log in to your router from your Windows 11 computer:

1. Identify the router’s IP address. Most devices have a default value, such as 192.168.1.100 or 192.168.2.1.
2. Open your web browser and connect to the router. To do so, type in the IP address in the address bar.
   
3. Enter your login information to reach the administrative settings.
   
4. Locate the Wi-Fi password section.
   
5. Enter your new password and save your changes.
   

How to Set Up a Wi-Fi Hotspot in Windows 11

Like other versions, Windows 11 allows you to share your internet connection through a Wi-Fi network. You’ll need one functional network adapter that serves as access for other devices to connect. Once you’ve obtained the necessary hardware, you can create and share your Wi-Fi hotspot:

1. Launch “Settings” and press the “Network and Internet” option.
   
2. Go to the right section of the window and select “Mobile hotspot.”
   
3. Navigate to the “Share my connection from” tab and choose the adapter with an internet connection. In this case, pick Wi-Fi.
   
4. Find “Properties” and press “Edit.”
   
5. Name your mobile hotspot and create a strong password.
   
6. Hit “Save” and turn on the hotspot to share the internet connection. You should also consider turning off “Power saving” to maintain the network even if no devices are connected. Otherwise, you’ll need to turn the feature back on again to enable computers or cellphones to establish a link.
   

Once you’ve created a Wi-Fi hotspot, you also need to know how to enable it after the next reboot:

1. Go to the system tray in your Taskbar by pressing the “Windows” and “A” key combination.
   
2. Click “Network” and pick “Mobile Hotspot.”
   
3. Activate the feature by pressing the appropriate button.

Another way to enable your hotspot is to use “Settings.”

1. Launch “Settings.”
   
2. Press “Network and Internet.”
   
3. Turn on your Wi-Fi hotspot using the toggle switch.
   

How to Reset Network Settings in Windows 11

Rebooting network settings is an effective way to deal with Wi-Fi connectivity issues in Windows 11. It reinstalls adapters and reconfigures other components to factory settings to address certain problems. Before doing this, keep in mind that it erases all settings for your adapters. Therefore, use it only if you’ve exhausted all your options.

Resetting your network looks like this:

1. Press “Start” and type in “Settings.”
   
2. Open the first result and hit the “Network and Internet” button in the left part of your display.
   
3. Choose the advanced settings option and click “Network reset.” This window should explain in-depth what rebooting your network entails. Read it, and if all looks good, pick “Reset now.”
   
4. Confirm your decision by hitting the “Yes” button.
   
5. Wait for the system to reset your adapters to factory settings. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

After resetting your network, you should configure your Windows 11 PC to automatically establish an internet connection. TCP/IP options are generally automatic, and there’s no need to make any tweaks in most cases. If your PC doesn’t reconnect, take the following steps to solve the issues:

1. Open “Settings” and jump to “Network and Internet.”
   
2. Choose the “Ethernet” option.
   
3. Find your network and click the drop-down symbol to reveal your TCP/IP.
   
4. Keep scrolling until you reach your IP assignment. Verify it says “Automatic.”
   
5. If the assignment is different, click the “Edit” button in the right section of the display.
   
6. Expand the menu in the new window and alter the settings to “Automatic.” Your PC should now automatically identify and link to your network after a reset.
   

Surf the Internet Seamlessly

Forgetting your Wi-Fi password can be a massive risk, but Windows 11 lets you mitigate it quickly. We’ve listed several ways to recover your password and stay on top of your network settings. Next time you can’t remember your combination, choose the method that suits you best, let your friends log on to your Wi-Fi, and get your internet party underway.

How often do you forget your Wi-Fi password? Have you ever rebooted your Wi-Fi settings? What issues did you encounter? Tell us in the comments section below.