Author of the article
Maxim aka WisH
Higher education with a degree in Information Systems. Experience as a system administrator - 5 years.
Wi-Fi is a good example of “set it and forget it” technology. Sometimes, after setting it up, they don’t change anything for several years, and then they forget the password for the wireless network or router. Fortunately, on smartphones you can view previously entered data. Here I will talk about how to find out the wifi password on an android phone. This will come in handy if you want to connect some device to Wi-Fi, and you already have a phone connected to the network.
What if I have an iPhone? We recommend that you read the detailed instructions: how to view the Wi-Fi password on an iPhone.
File manager
You can find out the password for your Wi-Fi on your phone through applications or using standard tools. Android, like other UNIX-like systems, saves data about entered passwords in one of the system files. So if you previously connected to a wireless network or router, you can find out all the data from here.
The problem is that to read system files you need to have root rights on your smartphone. If they are not there, then you will not be able to view the information. With each version of the operating system, obtaining root becomes more difficult, so if you have not obtained it before, then you should try other methods first.
If they are, then follow the following instructions:
- Open Explorer or any other file manager you use.
- Next, go to the internal memory of the smartphone, and not to the external card. There follow the path: data/misc/wifi/. Here is the password file in which our keys are stored.
- The required file is in this directory, find conf and open it. In other versions he may have different names. You may have to click on several files in this directory, select those with the “conf” extension.
- Open the file, it will run in the console. Here, look in the ssid field for the name of your wireless network. When you find it, look in the PSK field, there will be a password for it.
This is the easiest way to find the Wi-Fi password on your phone. Other applications usually access the same file and pull data from it. However, if you don’t have root rights, then you won’t be able to view the file, so you’ll have to use another method.
Use of third party software
If none of the previously proposed methods helped you find out your password, then you can only rely on third-party software. Next, we'll look at the best apps you can use.
Important. To obtain the necessary information, your device must be rooted.
Wi-Fi passwords
The application with a self-explanatory name is available for download through the Google Play Store. After installing the program, you will be asked to activate root access, without which you will not be able to view information. Once all the formalities have been settled, all you have to do is select the network you are interested in, and also study the symbols presented in the “PSK” tab.
WiFi key recovery
This program works on a similar principle, so you shouldn't have any problems getting your password. As with the previous application, superuser rights are required to access information. If they are activated, then you will only have to select the network and copy the characters presented in the “PSK” item.
Through the router settings
If you have forgotten your Internet password, but remember the password for your Wi-Fi router, you can find out the necessary information in its settings. You can access them through the browser of your mobile phone or any other device connected to a wireless network. In the address bar, enter the address of the router; the standard version is written on a sticker at the bottom of the device (most often 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, the default login and password is admin).
A new page will open on which you enter your login and password. Next, a menu with network settings will appear. For each manufacturer, everything looks different here. The necessary menu items are located in the sections “Wi-Fi”, “Wireless network”, “Wireless protection” or in some with similar names.
Here you can find out or change your current password. This is an easy way if you have access to all devices. If you don’t remember how to enter the router settings, you will have to reset the settings and do everything again. In this case, leave this method as a last resort.
QR code
For Xiaomi smartphones there is another way to recover the password, but for other manufacturers, for example, Samsung, it will not work.
Open settings, click on the Wi-Fi section and select Home WiFI. A code will be sent to your smartphone; if you scan it, you can connect to the wireless network. Here you won’t be able to view the Wi-Fi password on an Android smartphone, but you will be able to connect something else.
Password check on Android
Owners of Samsung smartphones and other similar companies often learn how to view the Wi-Fi password on an Android phone. There are 2 universal methods that every user can do. They are simple and go through successive stages.
To check the password, first open your access point. This is the simplest method, which is performed sequentially:
- Go to the “Settings” folder.
- Connecting to a Wi-Fi network for which you need to find out the password.
- Go to the “Wi-Fi access point” section, where select “Configure a Wi-Fi point”.
- The access point menu will open, where various fields will be displayed, from them you need to select “Password”, click on the eye icon indicating “Display symbols” (the password saved on the smartphone will appear in the field instead of asterisks).
The recognition method only works in cases where the person has already been connected to the network. If this has not been done, it is impossible to determine the symbols; they are not stored in this field.
Setting up a hotspot for Android
In addition to using the hotspot, you can recover your password through Android system files.
This is feasible, since all devices running the Android operating system store data and passwords in service folders, which are responsible for security.
On a mobile phone, the action is carried out in stages:
- In the search or independently through the settings, find the wpa_supplicant.conf file.
- Select a folder called data/misc/wifi.
- If the action is not feasible, then there are no root rights.
- Go to a previously downloaded program with superuser rights (for example, Root Browser).
- Go to the “Data” folder, then to “Misc”.
- Click on the “Wi-Fi” folder, where they launch the “wpa_supplicant.conf” file.
- In the open field, look for the line “psk=PASSWORD”.
This code can be remembered, written down, saved. It is sent to another user who needs to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
Search wpa_supplicant.conf
Applications for viewing passwords
If using the previous methods it was not possible to view the wifi password on the Android phone to which it is connected, then use third-party applications. In this case, it may be possible to extract data from all networks. You can copy them to yourself on a piece of paper or in a separate file, so that next time you don’t have to search and carry out all the manipulations again.
Wi-Fi passwords
One of the most famous programs, however, requires root access. It won't work without them. The application is downloaded directly from the Google store, enter the name to search. After installation, it shows all the wireless networks you have connected to, as well as the saved passwords for them.
When you click on the network name, the code is automatically copied to the clipboard. After double-clicking, a menu will open through which you can transfer information to other devices.
WiFi key recovery
Installed from Google Store. After launching, recovery wifi finds all wifi access points that are nearby.
In this menu you can see the password immediately below the network name. When you click on one of the items, an additional menu will pop up. Using the top button, you can copy only the necessary information and move it to the desired location.
Key recovery will also require root access to display the saved passwords. This is necessary for all programs; their advantage is that they sort through all the files for you, and also display the information in the best possible way.
Wi-Fi map
Collects information about public networks and how to log into them. A useful utility for those who often move from place to place, but it is unlikely to help in this case. Unless you or one of your guests once shared the password for your Wi-Fi. You can install and look, but you are unlikely to find your device there.
You can not only find out, but also change your Wi-Fi password via your phone. Read the link on how to do this.
View saved Wi-Fi passwords if you have root access
If you have root access on your Android phone, then in the Play Store you will find many applications that make it easy to view passwords for all saved Wi-Fi networks, not just the one you are currently connected to.
Such applications include WiFi Password Recovery (in the screenshot), WiFi Password Key Show and many others, available for free on the Play Store. The reason these apps don't have the highest ratings is because many people didn't read that root rights are required, and some users expect them to show passwords from other networks, which these utilities don't do.
If it didn't work out
If you cannot get root access and other methods did not help, then you can use alternative methods. They both involve a lot of time and a lot of action, so save them for last. Although if you are well versed in the router settings and can do everything quickly, then this option can be put at the top of the list.
We use the computer
There are several ways here. The simplest thing is if you connected to Wi-Fi from a laptop and are logging in from it now.
Left-click on the Wi-Fi icon and select “Network and Internet settings.” In the new window, go to Network and Sharing Center. Click on the name of the wireless network, you will be taken to the settings menu. Next, you need to click on the “Wireless Network Properties” button and select the “Security” tab. Here, check the symbol display box and your password will appear instead of dots.
To avoid fiddling with settings, you can download the WirelessKeyView program. It will show a list of networks, with login information displayed under the name. If this does not help, then all that remains is to reconfigure the router.
Resetting the router
If you have forgotten your router login and password, try entering the standard ones. We look at them on the bottom of the router. The sticker says those that are installed by the manufacturer; they are often not changed during setup.
Try entering them. If the settings menu does not open, you will have to reset the router to factory settings. To do this, use the Reset button, which is located on the back panel, usually next to the power button. Press it with a thin, but not sharp, object and hold for 5-10 seconds.
That's it, now the router has returned to factory settings. Now you can enter the data from the sticker, after which you will be taken to the settings. Further steps depend on your ISP and router model. You need to find the appropriate instructions, which are usually available on the provider’s website, and configure the router. If it’s not on the official website, you can find it here or on the Internet.
After you recover your password or reconfigure Wi-Fi, I advise you to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a separate place, or stick it on or next to the router. The recovery and configuration process is not quick, so it is better to be safe in advance in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.
