How to find Wi-Fi password on Mac
You can find a Wi-Fi password on Mac for any network it has joined before: macOS keeps those passwords and shows them after you enter your Mac password or use Touch ID. This guide shows where to see them on new and older macOS, how to share a password without reading it out and what to do with a network the Mac has never joined.
How to find Wi-Fi password in the Passwords app
The Passwords app comes with macOS Sequoia 15 and later.
- Open Passwords: press Command-Space, type Passwords and press Return. Unlock it with Touch ID or your Mac password if asked.
- Click Wi-Fi in the sidebar. If you don’t see the sidebar, click the Sidebar button in the toolbar.
- Select a network. The one you’re connected to is at the top, below it are the networks the Mac has joined before.
- Hold the pointer over the dots next to Password to show it. Click the dots to copy it.
Copy the password in Wi-Fi settings
This works on macOS Sonoma too, which has no Passwords app.
- Choose Apple menu › System Settings and click Wi-Fi in the sidebar.
- Under Known Networks, click the More button (…) next to the network and choose Copy Password. Enter your Mac password or use Touch ID if asked.
- Paste the password into Notes or a message to read it.
Known Networks shows only networks within reach. For one you’re away from, click Advanced at the bottom of the Wi-Fi settings, find the network in the list, click the More button (…) next to it and choose Copy Password.
Apple notes that Copy Password may not be available for some networks. Keychain Access keeps Wi-Fi passwords too: open it with Spotlight, search for the network’s name, double-click it, select Show password and enter your Mac password.
Share the password without reading it out
- To an iPhone, iPad or Mac nearby: keep your Mac unlocked and connected to the network. When the other person chooses the network on their device, click Share Password on your Mac. You need to be in each other’s contacts.
- To anyone: in Passwords, select the network and click Show Network QR Code. The other person scans it with their phone camera to join.
If the Mac has never joined the network
A Mac only knows the passwords of networks it has connected to. For a new network, look at the sticker on the router or ask whoever set it up. The router’s own settings page shows the password too, if you know the administrator password for it.
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Questions and answers
How do I find a Wi-Fi password on Mac?
Open the Passwords app, click Wi-Fi, select the network and hold the pointer over the dots next to Password. On macOS Sonoma, use Copy Password in System Settings › Wi-Fi.
Can I see the password of a network I’m not connected to?
Yes, if the Mac joined it before. It’s in the Passwords app and in the list under Advanced in Wi-Fi settings.
Is it safe to show Wi-Fi passwords?
macOS asks for your Mac password or Touch ID first, so only someone who can unlock your Mac can see them. Showing a password changes nothing on the network.