How to See Saved Wi-Fi Passwords on Android

We’ve all been there. A friend asks for your home Wi-Fi password and you draw a complete blank — you typed it once two years ago and your phone has remembered it ever since. Or you bought a new laptop and it needs the password, but the router’s sticker with the default key is long gone (and you changed the password anyway). The good news: your Android phone is sitting on every Wi-Fi password you’ve ever saved, and it can show them to you in seconds. No root, no sketchy third-party apps, no hacking required.

This guide walks through the built-in ways to see saved Wi-Fi passwords on Android, for both the network you’re currently connected to and networks you joined in the past. Brand notes for Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, and Motorola are included, because the exact menu names move around a bit.

What Your Phone Knows (and the One Security Gate)

Every time you connect to a Wi-Fi network and tap “save,” Android stores the network name and password in a protected vault on your phone. That’s how your phone reconnects automatically at home, at work, at your favorite café.

Because these passwords are sensitive, Android puts one lock on the door: you have to authenticate with your screen lock — fingerprint, face, PIN, pattern, or password — before the phone reveals a password in plain text. That’s it. If your phone has no screen lock set up at all, some phones won’t show the password option until you add one. So the very first thing to check: Settings → Security → Screen lock (menu names vary slightly). Set up at least a PIN if you haven’t.

Method 1: The Share Method (Android 10 and Newer, Most Brands)

This is the main method, and it works on nearly every Android phone made since 2019 — Google Pixel, Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, Motorola, Nokia, Vivo, and most others. Android 10 introduced Wi-Fi sharing via QR code, and the plain-text password rides along with it.

For the network you’re currently connected to

Step 1. Open Settings (the gear icon).

Step 2. Tap Network & internet, then Internet. (On some phones the first screen just says Internet at the top, or the menu is called Connections → Wi-Fi — more on Samsung below.)

Step 3. Tap the gear/settings icon next to the network you’re currently connected to.

Step 4. Tap Share — it usually has a little QR code icon next to it.

Step 5. Authenticate with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or pattern when asked.

Step 6. A QR code appears on screen. Right underneath it, you’ll see the network name (SSID) and the password in plain text. That’s your password — read it, copy it, screenshot it, whatever you need.

The QR code itself is a shortcut for sharing: anyone who scans it with their phone camera connects instantly without typing anything. Handy when a guest asks for the Wi-Fi — just hold up your phone.

For a network you connected to before (but aren’t on now)

Your phone remembers old networks too — the office, your parents’ house, that hotel from last year’s trip. On stock Android and most brands:

Step 1. Go to Settings → Network & internet → Internet.

Step 2. Scroll down and tap Saved networks (on some phones it’s under the three-dot menu in the top corner, or called Saved Wi-Fi).

Step 3. Tap the network you want, then the gear icon.

Step 4. Tap Share, authenticate, and the QR code plus plain-text password appear — same as above.

This is genuinely useful. Moved house two years ago and need the old landlord’s password for some reason? Still there, as long as you never tapped “Forget” on it.

On Pixel: the path is Settings → Network & internet → Internet → tap the network → Share. Pixels show the password clearly under the QR code, no fuss.

On Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO (MIUI/HyperOS): Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the connected network (or Saved networks) → Tap to share password → authenticate. The wording says “tap to share password” and generates the QR code with the password below.

On Oppo/OnePlus/Realme (ColorOS/OxygenOS): Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the network or the small i icon next to it → Share (QR icon) → authenticate. Same result.

On Motorola: Settings → Network & internet → Internet → gear icon → Share. Stock-Android-style, same as Pixel.

Method 2: Samsung Galaxy Phones (One UI)

Samsung does this a little differently, and it’s the one brand where people get stuck, so let’s be precise.

Current network on recent One UI (One UI 5, 6, and 7 / Android 13–15)

Step 1. Open Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi.

Step 2. Tap the gear icon next to the network you’re currently connected to.

Step 3. At the bottom of the screen, tap the QR code button.

Step 4. Authenticate with your fingerprint, PIN, or pattern.

Step 5. The QR code appears. On the newest One UI versions, the password shows in plain text right below the QR code — sometimes behind a small eye icon you need to tap first (“Show password”). If you see the QR code but no text, look for that eye icon.

The older-Samsung workaround (when no plain text shows)

On some Samsung software versions, the QR screen shows only the QR code with no password text underneath. Annoying, but there’s a clean workaround using Google Lens, and it’s the same trick people use on older Android versions:

Step 1. On the QR code screen, tap Save as image (or take a screenshot).

Step 2. Open the image in Google Photos.

Step 3. Tap the Lens button under the image.

Step 4. Lens decodes the QR code and shows an info card with the network name and password in plain text.

Samsung and old saved networks — one honest limitation

Here’s the catch worth knowing: on Samsung phones, the Share/QR option is reliably available for the currently connected network, but for previously saved networks the option is often missing or limited. Samsung’s Wi-Fi settings don’t have the same “Saved networks → Share” flow that stock Android does. If you need an old network’s password on a Samsung and the QR button isn’t there, your options are: reconnect to that network first (if you’re in range), check the router, or look at another device that has the password saved (a laptop’s saved Wi-Fi passwords, for instance).

Method 3: Android 9 and Older (No Built-In Sharing)

If your phone runs Android 9 (Pie) or older — increasingly rare now, but some secondary phones and tablets still do — the Share/QR feature simply doesn’t exist in Settings. Your options:

• Check the router. Log into your router’s admin page (usually at an address like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser; the login is often on a sticker on the router itself) and look under wireless settings — the password is listed there. This works regardless of phone version and is the most reliable method for your home network.
• Use a file manager with root access — only if your phone is rooted, which most people’s aren’t. Saved passwords live in a protected system file, and rooting a phone just to read a password is overkill for nearly everyone.
• Check another device. A Windows laptop that has connected before can show saved passwords (Network settings → adapter properties → “Show characters”). A Mac shows them in Keychain Access.

For most people with an old phone, the router method is the answer.

The Fastest Way to Share Wi-Fi With a Guest

You don’t always need to read the password — sometimes you just want someone connected. Two fast options:

• Show them the QR code. Go through Method 1 to the Share screen and let them scan it with their camera app. Works for both Android and iPhone cameras — iPhones detect Wi-Fi QR codes natively and offer to join. No typing, no misheard characters.
• Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share). On the Share screen, some phones offer a Quick Share button that beams the network credentials directly to a nearby Android device. Both phones need Bluetooth and location on, and it only works Android-to-Android.

Pro tip: if guests ask often, screenshot the QR code once and keep it in a “household” album in Google Photos — or print it and stick it on the fridge. Nobody has to spell “X7$kQ9!” over the phone ever again.

Tips Worth Knowing

• Change the password, update everywhere. If you change your router’s Wi-Fi password, every saved device — including your phone — will fail to connect silently until you re-enter it. On your phone: tap the network, choose Forget, then reconnect fresh with the new password.
• “Forget” actually forgets. In the saved-networks list, Forget deletes the network and its password from your phone permanently. Don’t tap it if you’re trying to recover the password — tap Share first.
• Public networks usually have no password to find. Open café/hotel networks with captive portals (the login page that pops up) don’t store a Wi-Fi password at all — there’s nothing to reveal. This guide is for password-protected networks (WPA2/WPA3).
• Enterprise networks (work/school) are different. Networks using WPA-Enterprise with a username and password (common at offices and universities) store your login credentials, and the Share button often won’t show a plain-text password for these. Ask your IT department if you need them.
• Keep your screen lock on. The whole reveal flow depends on it. Beyond Wi-Fi passwords, a screen lock protects your banking apps, photos, and everything else — there’s no good reason to run without one.

Troubleshooting

There’s no Share button at all

First, check your Android version (Settings → About phone → Android version). If it’s 9 or older, Share doesn’t exist — use Method 3. If it’s 10 or newer and Share is missing, check whether you’re looking at the right screen: you need the gear icon next to a specific network, not the general Wi-Fi toggle screen. On some Xiaomi phones the button is labeled “Tap to share password” rather than “Share.”

It asks for a PIN I don’t remember

The authentication prompt uses your screen lock — the same PIN/pattern/password/fingerprint you use to unlock the phone. If you’ve forgotten it entirely, that’s a bigger problem (you’ll likely need a factory reset), but try your fingerprint or face unlock first — biometrics satisfy the prompt too.

The password shown doesn’t work on my new device

Two likely causes. One: the password was changed on the router after your phone saved it, and your phone hasn’t needed to re-authenticate (some devices stay connected on cached sessions). Fix: check the router or ask whoever manages it. Two: you’re reading the wrong network — double-check the SSID under the QR code matches the network you’re trying to join, especially if you have both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz versions with similar names.

I want to see the password on someone else’s phone

You can’t — and that’s by design. The reveal requires authenticating with that phone’s screen lock. This protects you as much as anyone: it means a stranger who picks up your unlocked-at-the-café-table phone for thirty seconds still can’t extract your home Wi-Fi password without your fingerprint. Don’t try to bypass this; there is no legitimate bypass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to view my saved Wi-Fi passwords?

Yes. The passwords are stored encrypted on your own device, and Android only shows them after you prove it’s really you with your screen lock. Just don’t screenshot them and send them somewhere careless.

Can I see Wi-Fi passwords without root?

Yes — on Android 10 and newer you don’t need root at all; the Share method is built in. Root was only ever needed on old Android versions, and it’s not worth rooting a modern phone for this.

Why doesn’t my Samsung show the password in plain text?

Some One UI versions show only the QR code. Use the Google Lens workaround above (save the QR as an image, scan it with Lens), or update your phone — newer One UI versions added the plain-text display with an eye icon.

Can I recover a password for a network I tapped “Forget” on?

No. Forgetting deletes the stored password from your phone. Check the router or another device that still has it saved.

Does this work for mobile hotspot passwords?

Your own hotspot password is even easier: Settings → Network & internet → Hotspot & tethering → Wi-Fi hotspot shows the hotspot name and password directly, with an option to change them. No QR gymnastics needed.

Will sharing the QR code reveal my password to the guest?

The QR code contains the password (that’s how their phone connects), so technically yes — anyone who scans it could decode it with a QR reader. In practice, guests just connect and never look. If that bothers you, set up a separate guest network on your router with its own password.

Bottom line

On any Android 10+ phone, the whole job is: Settings → Network & internet → Internet → tap the network → Share → authenticate — and there’s your password, plain as day, under the QR code. Samsung owners take a tiny detour through Connections → Wi-Fi → QR code, with a Google Lens trick in reserve for older One UI. The next time someone asks for your Wi-Fi password, skip the squinting at the router sticker — your phone already knows it.