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How to View Saved Wi-Fi Password on Android

by Milos Markovic
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Every time you connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network, the password you use is saved and stored for easy access later. Saved Wi-Fi passwords are a very handy feature, and Android phones boast simple ways to share them with others. Depending on your version of Android, however, knowing how to see saved passwords is a different matter entirely.

Simply looking at the saved Wi-Fi network won’t display the password you used to connect to it. At least not on unrooted devices, and definitely not in plain text. It’s a questionable security feature that has been around for years. 

Thankfully, Android versions 10 and up allow you to view saved Wi-Fi passwords without root. Older versions may require you to tamper with the phone’s bootloader. However, even older versions have a QR code sharing system that can be circumvented with a little know-how.

Table of Contents:

See Saved Wi-Fi Passwords on Android 10 & Up

Let’s start with the simplest way to view saved Wi-Fi passwords. While quick and easy, this method is not available on all versions of the Android OS. 

As far as we know, this method should be viable for newer LG, Nokia, Motorola, and Xiaomi devices. Even then, however, it may depend on the exact model and OS version. On the bright side, this method to see Wi-Fi passwords on phones is straightforward. Just follow the below steps to see if it works for you. If not, try the next method.

  • Open your phone’s Settings and tap on Wi-Fi.
1. Tap on Wi-Fi
  • Scroll down past the list of available networks and tap on Saved Networks, or just pick the one you are connected to with your smartphone.
  • Find the network for which you’re trying to see the password, and tap on Share. If you are using a Xiaomi smartphone. If you are using Xiaomi smartphone, tap on Tap to share password.
3. Tap to Share Password
  • You may have to perform authentication depending on your phone’s security settings. Simply provide the pattern, code, fingerprint, or facial recognition required. For most users, this will work the same way as unlocking your screen does.
  • You will see the QR code that can be used to share the Wi-Fi network with others. If you want to allow a friend to connect to the network, have them scan the QR code.
4. Scan QR Code
  • However, if you want to see the stored Wi-Fi password on Android in plain text, look below the QR code. If you have the correct version of Android, you’ll see the password displayed. 

If there’s nothing displayed below the QR code, don’t worry. There are still ways to see the password, though it might take a little more work. Try the method below instead.

How to View Saved WiFi Password on Android Without Root

As we noted above, not all phones will display the Wi-Fi password as soon as you tap to share. For example, Samsung Galaxy devices will simply provide the QR code. The same is true for some other manufacturers, even if they’re running Android 10 or higher. 

If a QR code is all you have to work with, follow these steps.

How to See Wi-Fi Password from QR Code in Plain Text

  • Open your phone’s Settings and tap on Wi-Fi. Note that some Android skins may have a different settings menu. For instance, you may have to go to Connections first and then find the entry for Wi-Fi. 
5. Tap on Wi-Fi
  • Find the network you want to see the password for and tap on Share. On Samsung devices, you may have to tap the cog icon first and then go to QR Code. On Xiaomi smartphones, just tap Tap to share password.
  • After any necessary authentication, you’ll see the QR code but no plain text password. Tap on Save as Image just below the QR code and save it to your gallery.
  • If there’s no Save as Image option available, simply take a screenshot of the QR code. On most phones, press the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time to take a screenshot.
  • Close the Wi-Fi window for now and open the Google Lens app. Google Lens is an app made for reading QR codes and comes pre-installed on almost all Android Devices. 
  • Open the image of your QR code and let the Lens app do its thing. If you took a screenshot of the code, you may have to crop the image to include just the code. Thankfully, you can do this in the app itself. Just drag the borders of the area the app is scanning to fit the QR code’s perimeter. If Lens has any issues, try widening the crop to just a bit wider than the QR code itself.
9. Open QR Code Image
  • Once Google Lens successfully reads the QR code, you’ll see the network’s information at the bottom of the screen. This will include the network’s name and password, as well as a handy button to instantly connect to it.
10. Network Name and Password

Alternative Methods

If you’re running a version of Android 9 or lower, you may not be able to generate QR codes to share passwords. This leaves you in a bit of a bind, and there may be no way to see Wi-Fi passwords on Android easily. In this case, passwords are stored in a heavily protected directory. Stock versions of Android have no way of accessing those without a full root.

Let’s discuss some options. Your best bet is to have someone else share the QR code with you. Even if your device can’t read QR codes, you can still download the Google Lens app. Use it to find out the saved Wi-Fi password without a root.

11. Download Google Lens

Of course, if you already have someone who is connected to the network, this may be a bit of a moot point. 

If none of the above options work for you, we’re sad to say your only choice is to root your phone. However, rooting your Android device is not that quick or easy. More importantly, it does a lot more than simply allowing you to view saved Wi-Fi passwords. That’s why the decision to root your phone shouldn’t be made for this one reason.

Viewing saved Wi-Fi on rooted phones is very simple, though. Just download the WiFi Key Recovery app. Install and launch it, and you’ll be asked to grant the app Superuser access. If you do so, you’ll be able to see the info and passwords for any Wi-Fi networks you connected to in the past.

12. Download WiFi Key Recovery

A few notes, though: this app only works on rooted devices and only for passwords you already provided at some point. It cannot hack Wi-Fi on Android or anything like that.

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