Wi-Fi has become a necessity in today’s advanced world. We don’t need to explain the importance of a good internet connection. But you surely have been stuck in a situation where you have forgotten your Wi-Fi password.
This is very common as we don’t enter the password every time we use the internet. The moment the Wi-Fi is turned on, it automatically activates. But in case you change, reboot your device, or have to share the password with your friend, you need to find WiFi password on Android or another device.
While this is a simple process, it may become tedious at times. We will help you to overcome this issue, so if you are trying to find WiFi password on Android, you are in the right place. Let’s start without further ado.
Can You Show Wi-Fi Passwords On Android?
Before jumping to the ways to find Wi-Fi passwords on Android, most of you might wonder one thing. Is it even possible to show Wi-Fi on Android?
The answer to this is YES, you can.
To protect and increase the security level, your device won’t share your password on its own. But it does remember it indefinitely. In case you own a rooted device, you can display your Wi-Fi password using numerous ways. Also, with the help of the ADB command tool, you can have access to all your passwords.
How To Find WiFi Passwords On Android?
Every Android version has different features, and therefore, a different set of steps are required to find WiFi password on Android you own currently.
Following are all the steps required for a different version of Android devices for the purpose.
- On Android 10 & Up
- On Android 9 & Lower (Non-Rooted)
- On Android 9 & Lower (Rooted)
1. On Android 10 & Up
The following are the steps for Android 10 & Up devices to find your Wi-Fi password.
First of all, you need to search for Wi-Fi on your device. For this, the following are some of the options you can try.
- Open Settings. Go to Connections, and then Wi-Fi.
- Alternatively, you can long-press on the Wi-Fi option in the notifications panel to land on this screen.
- Give a voice command to Bixby (for Samsung Galaxy users) to Open the Wi-Fi Settings.
Once you open the Wi-Fi settings, follow these steps.
- Tap on the Cog. It should be next to your current network SSID.
- Tap on QR Code.
- Once the QR code page opens, tap on Save as Image option. This will add the code to your gallery. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of the QR code.
Remember, you can only have the QR Code of your connected network. And the password of the Wi-Fi won’t be visible as plain text.
After this, the next step is to use Google Lens to scan the saved QR code in your gallery.
For this, the following are some of the ways you can try.
- Open the Google Photo app, tap on the QR Code image, and tap on the lens button.
- Open the Google app’s widget. Tap on the lens button, and then select the QR code image.
- Open the Google lens application and tap on the QR Code image.
You might need to crop the image to focus on the QR Code’s perimeter. And as the lens scans the QR Code, all your credentials will appear on the screen, including the password of your Wi-Fi.
2. On Android 9 & Lower (Non-Rooted)
Like the above version of Android, the lower version or Android 9 cannot generate the QR Code independently. Surely there are applications available that will help you to create QR Codes for Wi-Fi. But these applications require a Wi-Fi password, which is impossible in this scenario.
Your credentials are saved in a protected directory if you’re rooted and have Android 9 or a lower version.
But if you have received the QR Code from some other device, Google Lens and Google Photos can be used to scan the QR Code for the password.
- Google Lens
- Either open the Google Lens app or tap on the Lens option in the Google app.
- Tap on Search with your Camera or tap on the image with the QR Code.
- If you have chosen the Search with your Camera option, tap on the QR code image and the Shutter button.
- Crop the image to focus on the QR Code’s perimeter.
- All your credentials will be shown in plain text.
- Google Photos
- Open the Google Photos application on your device.
- Open the image with QR Code.
- Tap on the Lens option on the image.
- Crop the image to focus on the QR Code’s perimeter.
- All your credentials will be shown in plain text.
3. On Android 9 & Lower (Rooted)
If your device runs on Android 9 or lower versions, finding a Wi-Fi password on Android is only possible with the rooted app. If you have already installed TWRP and further used it to install the Magisk for root, it will be best for you.
Numerous apps claim to show your Wi-Fi passwords, but the Wi-Fi Password Viewer by SimoneDev has been the best. Follow the steps below to carry on to find WiFi password on Android.
- Launch the Wi-Fi Password Viewer app.
- Tap on Grant to provide access to the app.
- Hence, the page will be opened with all the Wi-Fi connections you ever had and their passwords.
- You can search for WiFi in the search box in the top-right corner of the list is too long.
If you want to share the credentials, you can tap on the entry (Wi-Fi) in the list, and there’ll be a pop-up menu on the screen. Next, you can try any of the following ways.
- You can copy the password by tapping on the Copy password option. And paste it into the texting app of your choice and send it.
- You can share it directly by tapping on the share option and then selecting the texting app of your choice.
- You can generate the QR Code by tapping on the QR option. Then you should simply open the QR Code scanner or camera to scan the QR code. After this, the prompt will automatically connect the device to the Wi-Fi network.
How To Find The Wi-Fi Password On An Android Device Using IP Address?
Using the IP Address is another way to find WiFi password on an Android device. This also requires only a few steps.
- Input either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 on your Android browser.
- There will be a pop-up on the screen. It will show fields requiring you to fill up the credentials of your Wi-Fi. It is found at the back of the router.
- To see the Wi-Fi password, tap on the Wireless Security option.
How To Find Wi-Fi Password On An Android Device Using Third-Party Apps?
You can use third-party applications to find Wi-Fi passwords on your Android phone. This will work on every Android device irrespective of its version. A few of these applications are:
- ES File Explorer
- Solid Explorer
1. ES File Explorer
For ES File Explorer or similar apps, follow the steps below:
- Grant root privileges to the application. Mostly the file manager won’t ask for root access if not required.
- Open your ES File Explorer and tap on the Root Explorer option.
- Next, tap on Allow to proceed on the prompt.
You need to look up the file with your Wi-Fi password.
- Go to the Device section.
- Tap on the Data folder.
- Open the misc folder.
- Click on the .conf file as it has your Wi-Fi password.
- Tap on HTML Viewer to view the content.
- Now you can see the SSID and Password of the Wi-Fi network.
- If you want, you can copy the password from here.
2. Solid Explorer
This third-party app is the best option to find the Wi-Fi password on Android. Follow the step below to proceed.
- Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
- Search for the Solid Explorer application.
- Tap on the app among the resulted option, then taps on the Install option.
- Open the App on your device.
- Open the menu by tapping on the stacked line in the top-left corner.
- Tap on Root in the Storage section.
- Tap on data in the root filesystem.
- Provide the app root permission by tapping on Grant.
- Tap on Misc
- Select Wi-Fi.
- Tap on wpa_supplicant.conf.
- Select a text editor from Solid Explorer.
- Find the network block and look for the psk entry. This is your Wi-Fi password.
Remember that you need to provide root access to the Android device to proceed with this method. And you should back up all your important data.
How To See Wi-Fi Passwords On Android Using A Terminal Emulator?
You can also use the Terminal Emulator if you don’t want to use a new file manager.
Termux is the best option for you as it brings command-line utilities to your device so you can use it as Linux Distribution.
To find WiFi password on Android with the help of termux, follow these steps:
- Install the app by searching for it on the Google Play Store.
- Open the Termux App.
- Enter the ‘
$ pkg install termux-tools
‘ text in the command line. - Enter the command to add root (superuser) permission. Command =
$ su
- Grant permission to the app.
- Enter the
# cat /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
text in the command line. - Find the entry for psk under the network block.
- Store the password in a secure and safe place.
If you have been connected to several Wi-Fi networks, there’ll be a separate network block for each. Check the SSID entry for the network name in each block.
How To Show Wi-Fi Passwords On Android Using ADB?
You can view your Wi-Fi on your computer directly using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to pull the Wi-Fi password from your phone. You need to install the Android Debug Bridge on your computer. This will work with Linux, Windows, and Mac.
- Linux
- Windows
- macOS
1. Linux
Write the command $ sudo
apt install Android-tools-adb Android-tools-fastboot after opening the terminal.
2. Windows
For this, Google installs the platform tools. Open the folder; once unzipping the compressed file is completed, then right-click on the inside of it. Open a terminal window by selecting the option.
3. macOS
Install the latest tool for MAC from Google. Open the MAC terminal app; once unzipping the compressed file is completed. Then, run this command – $ cd /path/to/Android/tools
- Use a USB cable to connect your phone to the computer. Select the MTP for file transfer connection option on your phone to copy the configuration file.
- Type the following text into a terminal window on your computer –
$ adb
devices - Allow USB debugging. To find the Android device’s serial number run the above command.
- From the terminal, run the command,
$ adb shell
$ su# cat /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
- To copy the configuration, run
# cp /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf /sdcard/
# exit
$ exit$ adb pull /sdcard/wpa_supplicant.conf ~/Downloads/
Access everything after opening the file on your computer.
- Look for the SSID in the network blocks. The password will be listed under the psk.
- Enter the following text to exit the shell:
- # exit$ exit
Now, you can disconnect the Android device.
Conclusion
So, here you go. These are the different ways to find Wi-Fi passwords on Android. We understand the urgency of knowing your Wi-Fi password at a particular moment. Therefore, we have tried our best to solve the issue for you so that you can easily have access to your password.
To avoid this situation at the very beginning, we advised you to write down the password in a safe and secure place. This way, you can take a look at it whenever required.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is rooting an Android phone?
Rooting is a process where you gain access privileges and control of the Android operating system over various Android subsystems.Â
Can I find my saved Wi-Fi password on Android?
Yes, you can find a Wi-Fi password on an Android phone; there are several ways to do that, such as with the help of a QR Code, IP address, or rooted app.Â
How can I see my Wi-Fi password on Android?
You can see the Wi-Fi password on Android, with the help of generated QR Codes, with the help of IP addresses, or with the help of an ADB third-party application.Â