In a perfect world, your Wifi router would never forget who you are, and you would always remember your password. But this is reality, and either scenario above is liable to happen. Those among the one percent who have an organized record of all your passwords, congratulations! For the rest of us, we better know how to recover a forgotten Wifi password.
You don’t? Keep reading.
Recovering Your Forgotten Wifi Password From Your Device
Let’s jump into the nitty-gritty. Forgot your Wifi password? We won’t ask how or why. Please review the following steps to recover it on a Mac or Windows system.
How to Recover Your Wifi Password on a Mac
• Got to the Applications/Utility dropdown menu
• Click on Keychain Access
• Choose your preferred Wifi network from the list
• Double-click on your Wifi network
• Select “Show Password”
How to Recover Your Wifi Password on Windows
• Go to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center
• (Shortcut) Click the Windows key + C, then search for Network and Sharing Center
• Go to Change Adapter Settings in the left sidebar
• Right-click on your Wifi network in use
• Right-click on “Status”
• Click on “Wireless Properties”
• Click on “Security”
• Click “Show Characters” to view your saved password
Recovering Your Wifi Password from Your Internet Router
The router is that mysterious box with twinkling lights you received from your internet provider. Most of the time, it doesn’t matter that you don’t understand the first thing about how it works. The bottom line is that you need a password to access the magic within. We’ve already covered how to reveal your password using either a Windows or Mac system.
You can also find the internet through the router itself. No magic is needed. Here’s how.
Check the Sticker on the Router
• Test the password listed on the sticker - if that doesn’t work, go to the next step
• Press the “WPS” button on the router to let you find the password easily in the future
Log into the Router Page on Your Web Browser
• Connect the router to your computer with an ethernet cable
• Then, find your router’s IP address
• Go to your router’s IP address in a web browser
• Find the section called “Wireless” or “Wifi”
• Find the WPA/WPA2 Password listed there
How to Reset Your Internet Router to Recover Your Old Password
Things to be Aware of Before You Reset Your Router
As you might be aware, resetting your router comes with consequences. Resetting takes it back to the factory settings. It WON’T reveal your current Wifi network password but WILL disconnect all your connected devices. You’ll have to reset them all.
How to Set a New Password if You Forgot Your Wifi Password
• Find the router reset button, usually on the back of the router
• Press and hold the reset button for at least 30 seconds
• Find your router’s default login: Network Name or SSID and Password or Key
• Connect to your network by logging into the default login
• Once you have reconnected with the default login info, you can change the password
Use a Password Manager
What your brain and human inclination resist, a password manager can do. This bit of software generates, stores, and manages all your online passwords. You only have to remember one password (to get into the password manager) rather than dozens. If this sounds like a pretty good deal, it is. No worries when you run up against a Wi-Fi router password that stubbornly refuses to be retrieved from your brain. Check the password manager.
Password managers have shown themselves to be quite adept at generating complex passwords on the fly and storing them with military-level encryption - safe against the average hacker - until you need them.
Follow Cybersecurity Protocols
When setting a new password, there are generally accepted protocols to follow to have the least possible chance of getting hacked. Cybersecurity experts call this “good password hygiene,” While they might differ in some details, here are five tips that would land high on anyone’s list.
1. Pass phrases are no longer off limits: The recommendation used to be to string together a bunch of nonsense letters, numbers, and characters. More experts are suggesting a series of actual words these days.
2. Unique passwords: It’s a hassle, but use a different password for every place you login
3. Password managers: We’ve mentioned this already. Get a password manager. Use it.
4. Use MFA: MFA (multi-factor authentication) is when you login through your device (laptop, smartphone, etc.) and receive a second code via email or text to complete the login. This simple additional step increases account security immensely.
5. Change passwords frequently: Various recommendations are floating around regarding the best time frame to change your password. 90 days is a good rule of thumb unless you work with highly sensitive material. Some companies dial that down to 30 days or even 15, but three months is fine for most environments.
The Bottom Line
If you don’t know how to recover or reset your forgotten Wi-fi password on your home network, your entire online life can come to a screeching halt. You can’t work. You can’t play. You can’t do anything. At that point, nothing is more important than regaining access, not even that dinner date with your mother-in-law.
Luckily, all is not lost. We’ve just reviewed how to recover or reset a Wifi password using either a Mac or Windows system or from the router itself. Additionally, we discussed why you should consider using a password manager and how to create strong passwords.
Ultimately, don’t be too hard on yourself. As long as humans are involved, passwords will get lost now and then. The first thing to remember is not to panic. Nothing is forever except taxes and death. The rest of it, including lost passwords, can be overcome.
FAQ
How do I recover my Wifi password on Android?
The following steps apply to users of Android 10 or later.
STEP 1: Open settings on your Android phone.
STEP 2: Tap on the Wi-Fi tab.
STEP 3: Select the option of the Wi-Fi network that the user is connected to or a network that has been saved in the device.
STEP 4: Proceed with tapping on the Wi-Fi QR code.
STEP 5: To get to the password, the screen must be opened using the phone’s unlock PIN, fingerprint, or face unlock.
STEP 6: After unlocking the phone, the QR code and Wi-Fi password are displayed on a new screen.
Note: You can also check the password of the Wi-Fi they are connected to using these steps.
How do I Come Up with a Good Wifi Password?
While probably too much of the internet has been devoted to educating the masses on the finer points of creating a good password, it never hurts to revisit the topic - sometimes, the details change. Here it is in a nutshell.
- Make it longer - Go for at least eight characters, and don’t be afraid to use a lot more.
- The more random, the better. Auto-hacking software is getting good these days.
- If you’re using mnemonic phrases, don’t be afraid to misspell them.
- Avoid dead giveaways like “admin,” “123456,” “password,” and others. You see where we’re headed. Password cracking software will be inside your network in about five seconds if you use these.
How do I Find My Wifi Password?
Follow the process just shown to access your router’s settings online. You can view the current password in the “Wifi Settings” section.
How Can I Find my Wifi Password on a Router?
Your Wifi router comes from the factory with a sticker attached containing various useful information, including the factory password. Most people don’t change these, so there’s a good chance the current password is the one it left the factory with. Look for the password to be listed as “passphrase,” “network key,” or “wireless PIN.
Where Do I Find my Wifi Password on Windows 10?
As your computer administrator with no restrictions, here is the simplest way to find your Wifi password.
From the Start menu, click Settings and then Network & Internet. Highlight Status in the left pane and scroll in the right pane to Network and Sharing Center. Click the Wifi name listed in the View Your Active Networks section. Click on Wireless Properties. Highlight the Security tab to view your password.
