You are at a friend’s house, and you need to use their Wi-Fi network. After asking, they responded that they would be happy to let you use their Internet connection, but unfortunately, they no longer remember the network key. Determined to find a remedy for this problem, you consulted Google in search of a system to connect to Wi-Fi without knowing the password, to avoid retrieving it through overly complex methods, and this is exactly why you find yourself here, on my website.
How did I identify the exact situation you are in? If that’s the case, know that you’ve arrived at the right place at the right moment! Below, I will illustrate a series of methods that you can use in cases like this, leveraging some peculiarities, often little known, of common devices.
So, without further ado, make yourself comfortable and read carefully everything I have to explain on the subject: I assure you that, in a few minutes, you will have acquired the necessary skills to achieve the desired result. You might even become an instructor for your friend!
Table of Contents
How to Recover the Wi-Fi Password for Connection
Despite what you might believe, if you are in the company of someone who is connected (or has been connected in the past) to the network of interest, you can retrieve the password with disarming simplicity: below I illustrate how to accomplish this on various operating systems.
From Windows
For example, if you have a Windows PC running Windows 11, you can view the saved passwords on the operating system directly from the settings: to do this, press the key combination Win+I on the keyboard (or click on the gear icon in the Start menu), click on Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, and then on Manage Known Networks. After that, click on the name of the network of interest and then on the View button in the View Wi-Fi Security Key box to obtain the information you seek.
On earlier editions of Windows, you can use WirelessKeyView, a small program that allows you to view the passwords associated with saved networks on your computer: to download the program, official site, locate the Download section, and click on the Download WirelessKeyView for [architecture] link related to the Windows architecture that best suits your case.
Once downloaded, extract the obtained archive into a folder of your choice, run the WirelessKeyView.exe program within it, and click the Yes button: within seconds, you should see a list of the networks saved on the computer along with their respective passwords in plain text format (Key Ascii) and hexadecimal format (Key Hex).
From macOS
If you have the opportunity to use a Mac updated to macOS Sequoia 15 or later, you can use the Password application, available by default in the operating system. To proceed, you must open the utility from the Launchpad or from the Go > Applications menu of the computer and, to start, unlock the application by entering the password of the Mac or using Touch ID.
At this point, click on the Wi-Fi box on the left, click on the name of the wireless network you are interested in, and finally click on the Password field to view the network key in plain text.
If you have an edition of macOS older than 15, you can achieve the same result using the Keychain Access utility, available in the Other folder of the Launchpad or in the Go > Utilities menu of macOS: after opening the application, click on the System option on the left, open the Password tab, and double-click on the name of the Wi-Fi network you are interested in.
Once you do this, check the box next to Show Password and verify your identity using the password of the Mac or Touch ID to obtain the information in plain text.
From Android
If you are with someone who has an Android smartphone or tablet, with a little luck, you might be able to obtain the desired information within seconds. To start, access the Settings of the device, pressing the gear icon on the Home screen (or in the drawer), tap on Wi-Fi (or Wireless and Networks or, again, Networks > Wi-Fi) and then on the name of the wireless network to which the device is connected.
After a few moments, a QR code should be visible on the device’s screen containing the sought-after network key, often accompanied by the clear network key: if the latter is absent, scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet using one of the dedicated apps to read the password contained within.
On the most recent editions of Android, you might also be able to obtain the passwords for previously saved networks by going to the Settings > Network & Internet > Internet/Wi-Fi menu, opening the saved networks section, and selecting the name of the network of interest. Finally, just press the Share button to receive, within seconds, both the QR code containing the password and the password itself in plain text.
If the above feature is not available on your device, you can use a third-party app called WiFi Password, available for free on Google Play Store and alternative Android markets; however, to use it, you must have previously unlocked root permissions on the device.
If this is your case, after downloading the app, run it and press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right; then press the Search passwords in system button, authorize root access by pressing the dedicated button, and wait a few seconds for the list of saved networks, along with their respective passwords, to appear on the screen.
From iPhone/iPad
If the second device is an iPhone or iPad updated to iOS/iPadOS 18 or later, you can easily recover the network key to which it is connected using the built-in Password app: after opening it, you must authenticate via Face ID, Touch ID, or device password, tap on the Wi-Fi box, and then on the name of the Wi-Fi network for which you want to know the access key. Finally, just tap on the Password field to see the information in plain text.
On earlier editions of iOS and iPadOS, you can retrieve the passwords of the networks stored in the system through the system settings: just go to the Settings > Wi-Fi menu on iPhone/iPad, press the (i) icon corresponding to the network of interest, and then on the Password field to view the information in plain text.
Alternatively, if you also have an Apple device, you can use the Continuity system to obtain the network key directly from the iPhone or iPad already connected to the Wi-Fi: for this to happen, however, it is essential that the devices in question are both updated to iOS 11, iPadOS, macOS 10.12, or later, that both devices have Bluetooth enabled and that they “know” each other in some way (e.g., they are in each other’s contact lists or are paired to the same Apple Account).
If these conditions are met, then proceed as follows: recall the Wi-Fi network password entry screen on your device and ask your friend to bring their unlocked iPhone/iPad close and respond affirmatively to the password sharing request message. If everything goes smoothly, after a few seconds, your device should be able to connect to the Internet.
From the Router
Moreover, you could attempt to recover the Wi-Fi password from the router itself! If you have access to the device, you can take a look at the adhesive label usually stuck on the back of the device or the back of it: usually, the default network key is specified there. If the legitimate owner of the router has never changed it, with a bit of luck, you might be able to achieve the expected result.
If the above method fails, you can try to recover the password of interest from the router’s administrative panel: however, to do this, you must have another device already connected to the network device, either via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, it does not matter.
In practice, what you need to do is access the router using a browser or the official app provided by the manufacturer (or the phone operator), go to the section dedicated to Wi-Fi settings, and read, once there, the network key/PSK key to use for establishing the connection. If this is hidden behind a series of dots, press the eye icon or the show option to make it visible.
Other Useful Solutions
Can’t rely on any of the solutions seen so far because there’s no one with you who can share the network key you’re interested in? With a bit of luck, you might still succeed, employing a series of alternative strategies, equally valid. Here are the most effective ones.
WPS System
One of the most convenient systems for connecting to a Wi-Fi network without knowing the password involves using the WPS, or wired protected setup technology. In practice, it is a system that allows two devices to communicate via Wi-Fi simply by pressing two buttons, and without manually entering the network key: the latter is automatically exchanged between the devices involved, on a presumably secure channel.
Practically, you need to select the Wi-Fi network to connect to on the guest device, get physically close to the router that manages the connection, and press the physical WPS button on it: this button usually has the WPS label, or the symbol of two circular arrows facing opposite directions.
After this step, within a few seconds, the network key is automatically sent to the requesting device, and the connection to the router is established without the need for further steps.
However, this approach presents a significant security problem, as the WPS technology has been breached multiple times and is consequently currently insecure and discouraged. Therefore, compatibility with WPS has been removed from Windows 11, as well as from Android 9 and later; iPhone, iPad, and Mac, however, have never supported this connection system.
Guest Mode
Moreover, if the owner of the connection is inclined to let you use the Internet but does not want to share their network key with you for security reasons, you could suggest they enable the router’s guest mode, if available.
In practice, this feature allows the creation of a second wireless network with a different name and network key from the original. In some cases, it is possible to apply specific restrictions to guest networks, such as allowing devices to stay connected only for a certain period, limiting access to certain Internet protocols (e.g., only web browsing), imposing restrictions on the sites that can be visited, and so on.
In any case, to enable guest mode, you must access the router management panel, go to the section dedicated to Wi-Fi, and enable the guest network by toggling the appropriate switch, or checking the box next to the dedicated option. Usually, you can define various settings using the menus and text fields found just below.
For example, on the router I possess (an AVM FRITZ!Box 7530), the steps to follow are as follows: after logging in, you need to press the WiFi option in the left sidebar, then the Guest Access option that appears immediately below and check the box next to Guest Access Active.
Then you must choose whether to create a private wireless access point, i.e., a network protected by a different password from the main one, or a public wireless hotspot that, instead, is not protected by any password (and on which, of course, data is transmitted in an unencrypted mode). After that, simply specify the name of the guest network, the optional access password, and, if necessary, the restrictions concerning permitted sites or the connection timer, and then apply the changes by pressing the dedicated button.
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide you with additional details on the steps to follow, as I am not familiar with the model of the router you are using, and each device has different access systems and structured menus. However, if you need more information about network devices from Netgear, D-Link, or TP-Link, or about those supplied with subscriptions from TIM, Fastweb, WINDTRE, or Vodafone, feel free to read the thematic tutorials available on my site.
Security Analysis
Finally, if none of the previous methods has led you to the desired result, you can try to recover the network key you seek by performing a security analysis on the router, i.e., attempting to “force” access to the network key using dedicated tools.
Among the most well-known suites dedicated to security analysis and, in general, to so-called penetration testing, there is certainly Kali Linux: a Linux distribution that can be installed on disk, run from a virtual machine, or from a USB stick, which has many tools dedicated to forensic analysis that, among other things, allow testing the security of the router and Wi-Fi networks.
However, I want to point out that the use of such systems can represent an illegal act, as unauthorized access to protected wireless networks is equivalent to committing a serious violation of privacy. Therefore, use the information I have provided only in extreme emergencies and, above all, after receiving authorization from the legitimate owner of the Wi-Fi network: I will not be responsible in any way for the use you may make of what I have said.