View WiFi passwords from the router
One of the easiest ways to view a WiFi network password is to log into modem / router from which it originates. If you have access to the router from which your wireless network starts, then, access its management panel and look for the section dedicated to the Wi-Fi network. In this way you will be able to discover the access key to the network and, if necessary, modify it.
To access the router's management panel, you must open the browser you usually use to surf the Internet (eg. Chrome, Firefox o Safari) and you have to type in it theIP address of the device, which usually is 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. If none of these addresses are correct, you can find the true IP of the router by looking at the back of the device (where there should be a label with the address written on it) or in the user manual of the device.
If following my instructions you have not yet been able to find the IP address of the router, try to put into practice the advice you find in the tutorial on how to find the router IP address: there you will find a series of further "tips" that should help you bring upon completion of the operation.
Once you have found and entered the correct IP address to access the modem control panel you will be asked to type in a username and password. Usually the combination to use is admin / admin o admin / password but sometimes you have to use other settings. If so, you can take a further look at the modem user manual to find out the right combination to use.
After logging in to the modem configuration panel, in order to view the WiFi password, go to the section of the same dedicated to wireless network configuration and try to locate the key field WEP / WPA. In some cases the access key to the wireless network is indicated directly next to the name of the network itself (the SSID), in other cases it is necessary to select the item to access the Advanced settings of the network.
If you have a router that supports 5GHz (dual-band) networks, you may have different passwords for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz network. This means that, once you have entered the device management panel, you must access both the menu with the settings of the 2.4GHz wireless network and the one with the settings of the 5GHz wireless network.
Keep in mind that each brand of router has a configuration panel structured in a different way, so I'm sorry but I can't be extremely precise in my indications. If you want more detailed instructions, you must consult my thematic tutorials dedicated to the various brands of modem / router on the market.
- Configure Netgear routers
- Configure D-Link router
- Configure TP-Link router
- Configure TIM router
- Configure Infostrada router
- Configure Fastweb router
View WiFi passwords from your computer
If you have used your computer, at least once, to connect to the WiFi network whose password you want to find out, I have excellent news for you: the operating system has almost certainly memorized the password and therefore you have a way to trace this. last quite simply.
Windows
If you have a PC equipped with a recent version of Windows, for example Windows 10 o Windows 8.x, you can view the password of a WiFi network by right-clicking on thenetwork icon placed next to the Windows clock (the cleats) and selecting the item Open Network and Sharing Center present in the menu that is shown to you.
In the new window that will open at this point, presses on the name of the wireless network under the item Internet then press the button Details and then click on the tab Safety. Once this is done you will be able to view the password of the WiFi connection in question next to the item Network security key. If the password is not visible, put a checkmark next to the item Show characters.
If you have a PC with on installed Windows 7 o Vista, instead, to view the password of the WiFi network you have to click on the network icon located next to the Windows clock (the WiFi cleats), then you have to right-click on the connection name whose password you want to know and select the entry Property give the menu check if you press.
In the window that will now be shown to you, select the tab Safety, put the check mark next to the item Show characters and in the field Network security key you will finally be able to view WiFi passwords.
If the procedure I have just shown you seems a bit too cumbersome, you can view WiFi passwords using WirelessKeyView: it is a free program that does not require installation and, once started, allows you to view all passwords referring to the wireless networks to which the computer is connected. It is compatible with all versions of the Microsoft operating system and does not require any special configuration.
To find out the WiFi passwords stored on your PC, download WirelessKeyView by connecting to its official website and clicking on the item 32-bit WirelessKeyView download (if you are using a 32-bit operating system) or on voice Download WirelessKeyView for x64 (if you are using a 64-bit operating system). When the download is complete, open theZIP archive which contains WirelessKeyView, extract the contents into any folder and run the executable WirelessKeyView.exe.
A window will automatically open with the list of all wireless networks stored on your PC and the relative access passwords.
Mac
If you use a Mac and it is your intention to display WiFi passwords you just log in to Access Keychains, the app present "standard" on macOS that allows you to view all the access data that have been saved on the Apple computer.
To be able to immediately access Keychain, log in to Launchpad, presses on the folder Other and then click Access Keychains. Alternatively you can quickly access Keychain Access also call back Spotlight by clicking on the magnifying glass located in the upper right part of the menu bar, by typing keychain in the displayed search field and then double clicking on the first result that is shown to you.
In the window that will open at this point, click on the item Systemplaced in the left sidebar and then presses on the item Password always attached in the left sidebar in the section Category.
At this point, in order to view the WiFi password, double-click on the name of the connection for which you want to discover the protection key, select the tab Attributes and apponi il segno di spunta accanto alla voce Show the password. Finally type the password of your user account on OS X and then click on the button OK. Once this is done, the password of the selected network will be displayed in clear text in the field Show the password.
Ubuntu
It was used Linux, and more specifically Ubuntu (which is one of the most popular distros in the world), you can find the password of a WiFi network by simply clicking on thenetwork icon located at the top right (in the menu bar) and selecting the item Edit connections give the menu to compare.
In the window that opens, select the name of the wireless connection whose password you want to know, press the button Modification, select the scheda Wi-Fi security and metti il segno di spunta accanto alla voce Show the password. The network access key will “magically” appear in the field Password.
View WiFi passwords from smartphones and tablets
If you don't have a computer at hand or, in any case, you want to recover the password of a WiFi network from a portable device, here are some apps that could be for you.
Android
A smartphone or tablet is available Android and you want to view WiFi passwords you can trace the now keys to the wireless network that have been stored on your device after you have rooted it. For more information about it, see my guide on how to root Android.
After unlocking your Android device, you can then view WiFi passwords by installing the WiFi Key Recovery application. If you have never heard of it, know that it is completely free and does not require any configuration to be used. The app, in fact, is installed, started and, once root permissions are granted, shows the list of wireless keys stored on the device. It doesn't get simpler than that.
iOS
If you own a iPhone or iPad and it is your intention to view WiFi passwords, know that this can only be done after unlocking the device. In this regard, I invite you to read my guides on how to jailbreak iPhone and how to jailbreak iPad.
After unlocking your iPhone or iPad, you can then use a tweak such as Wifi Passwords which, like other tweaks available on Cydia, allows you to view the passwords of the WiFi networks stored on the device. To use it, just start it and consult the list of networks stored on the iPhone or iPad.
View other people's WiFi passwords
Viewing the passwords of other people's Wi-Fi networks is a serious breach of privacy and, in some cases, even a crime. However, it must be said that this is a feasible operation and that, precisely for this reason, it is necessary to learn about the phenomenon in order to protect oneself adequately.
If you have a few minutes of free time, take a look at my post on how to crack WiFi passwords in which I showed you some of the techniques that attackers put into practice to access other people's wireless networks and - more importantly - I gave you some tips on securing your WiFi networks. It may come in handy to understand a little more about the subject and increase your defenses in the area of wireless connections.
How to view WiFi passwords