Almost every person has had a situation when he forgot the password for Wi-Fi. There are several ways to restore access to wireless network... Actions may differ depending on the situation.
If you have forgotten the password for wi-fi, first try to find a contract for the provision of services from the provider, very often there you can find a login / password to connect to a wireless network. Also look at the back of the router, in most cases you will find a password sticker.
If, nevertheless, you cannot find the paper with the password or it is not written on the back of the router, you will have to spend a little time and effort to restore it.
If there is a device connected to Wi-Fi
If the router is used at home, it usually automatically connects to the wireless network, and a password is required if a new device is connected. In this case, to restore access, you will need a computer that was previously connected to wi-fi.
First you need to go to the network settings. To do this, you can right-click on the network icon, which is located in the lower right corner of the taskbar and select "Network Control Center and general access". And you can get into these settings through the computer control panel.
In the window that opens, you need to click on the image of your network, a small window will appear. Next, we find the "Wireless Network Properties" button and switch to the "Security" tab.
In the "Network Security Key" field, the password for wi-fi is written, but it is hidden behind the dots. To see it, you need to check the box next to "Display input icons".
Using a router
If there is no device already connected to the Internet via wi-fi and it is impossible to see the password, you can try to restore it using the router's control panel. To do this, connect it to your computer using a cable (it comes with the router), then you need to open any Internet browser and type a combination of numbers in the address bar: 192.168.1.1.
By the way, this works on all devices that can connect to wireless networks and where a browser is installed, so you can open the router's control panel not only on a PC, but also on a tablet or phone. It's easy to do it on a computer.
After you go to the router's management page, the first thing you need is your login and password to log in. This is usually admin / admin, unless you have previously changed this data yourself.
Next, you need to go to the Wireless and Wireless Security tabs. This section contains the password for the wireless network. Most likely it will be displayed in the PSK Password line.
If you can't get in, look for instructions from your router. It will tell you exactly how to do this. Or look at the sticker on the bottom of your router. It may contain the address of the admin panel.
Special programs
There are many programs that scan the system and show all the passwords stored on the computer. Most likely, among them there will be a password from wi-fi.
For example, you can use WirelessKeyView, Dialupass, Remote Desktop PassView, RouterPassView, Wireless Password recovery... They are very easy to use. Just download any utility, run as administrator. If you download the program from unverified sources, do not forget to turn on the antivirus.
The program displays a list of passwords in a text document and can be printed out so that information is not lost.
How to find out the password on an Android tablet
If you have forgotten your password, but it has not been saved on your computer, you can try to find it out using your tablet. To do this, you must be rooted. Next you will need Root program Browser. It can be downloaded from Google Play.
After running the program, you need to go to the root of the folder and open data - misc - wifi one by one. In the wifi folder, find the wpa_supplicant.conf file and open it with any text editor such as notepad. It is in this file that information about wireless connections, including passwords.
This is the most radical way, and it is better not to use it unnecessarily and resort to it only if you are an advanced user and can restore all settings.
Each router has a "Reset" on the back. This button is cleverly hidden from users. In order to restart the router and return it to the factory settings, you need to press the button with a toothpick, knitting needle, paper clip or other thin object. 
After resetting the settings, you need to go to the control panel of the router and re-set their values, including the password. Despite the forgetfulness, try to come up with a complex password so that cunning neighbors cannot connect to your distribution. Avoid common and commonplace combinations like 12345, qwerty, admin and the like.
In the future, in order not to look for a password, write it down on a piece of paper and stick it on the back of the router with tape. This will eliminate the need to climb in the settings of a computer or router and will significantly save time. You can also save data in a text file on your computer, but this is not very reliable, because you can accidentally erase information or break your computer.
Or at home it automatically connects to the wireless network, then there is a good chance that you have forgotten your password long ago. This can cause known issues when a new device, such as a tablet, needs to be connected to the internet. The simplest thing is to contact your network provider, but what if his phone number is not at hand, and you need to find out the password for Wi-Fi right now? The following are two easy ways to do this: how to get the saved password out of the system yourself and using free software to view Wi-Fi passwords WirelessKeyView.
How to view Wi-Fi password in Windows
To visualize and, after copying, transfer passwords to any text file in Windows 10/8/7:
- on the taskbar, right-click on the icon of an active Internet connection and select " Network and Sharing Center";
- in the left part of the window that opens, click on the link " Change adapter settings";
- select the wireless network with the mouse and find in the settings panel " View connection status";
- in the network status window, click the " Wireless network properties"→ in the next window switch to the" Security"and activate the option" Display entered characters"(screenshot below);
- the set of characters in the "Network Security Key" field will be the desired Wi-Fi password.
How to find out the Wi-Fi password using the WirelessKeyView software
To find and view those saved on your computer Wi-Fi passwords, follow the link at the end of the article to download and unzip required archive... Judging by the description, the application supports current versions of Windows from XP to "dozens" and is represented by one executable file of 100 KB (32-bit version) or 136 KB (x64). WirelessKeyView is free, has a crack and does not require installation, but requires administrator rights.
After starting the utility, you will see a list of all available passwords for wireless networks: the network name and network key will be displayed in hexadecimal and decimal (normal) form. For convenience, by clicking on the floppy disk icon on the settings panel, the presented information is copied to a TXT / HTML / XML / CSV file (last screenshot). What is recommended to be done immediately, so as not to re-read this review again.
Free download from the official website WirelessKeyView .
Wire-free network connections are now the norm. Changes in the once debugged configuration of a Wi-Fi router and connected clients are rare; passwords are forgotten. A new gadget appears, but you don't know what to do in this kind of situation. No problem if you forgot your password. Let's take a little time to learn and regain it and regain control over the Wi-Fi network.
Do not be very upset if the network access password is lost
The device will always remember the once specified password, even if the person setting up has forgotten it. The statement is true for the router, as well as for the rest of the network participants in the case when the configuration has not been changed in any way. All you need to know is where the Wi-Fi connection information is stored.
Find out the network key saved in Windows
The described methods are feasible provided that the computer is included in the Wi-Fi network of interest at least once.
- If using Windows 7 or older.
- It is easier to achieve the desired goal using password viewers. Start Wireless Key View and there is no more need to do anything, it will immediately display a list of all currently saved information. Two fields are significant: Network Name and Key (ASCII). The first contains the name of the network, and the second contains the password to it.
- In the tray (bottom right, next to the clock) there is an icon network connections... Select "Network and Sharing Center" by right-clicking on this icon. In the list of connections, if there is more than one, click "Wireless network". Then click on "Wireless network properties" - "Security" - "Display entered characters". Actually, that's all - instead of dots, the password is displayed.
- If you are armed with Windows XP, then you should do otherwise. Click "Start", open "Control Panel" and launch the "Wireless Network Wizard". Select "Next" - "Add new computers or devices" - "Next" - "Set the network manually" - "Next" - "Print network parameters". A text file will open, find the line "Network key (WEP \ WPA key)", it will display required password... There are no situations when the computer itself “forgot” something.
For smartphone owners
On a smartphone, you can find out the Wi-Fi connection parameters only if you have root rights in Android or by jailbreaking your iPhone. With other rights of options, something will not be restored, since the system will not give permission to read the necessary configuration files.
- If the smartphone is based on Android, open the file /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf, for which any text editor... It contains the names of the networks (SSID) and the corresponding passwords (PSK). Recovery utilities also allow you to find out the information you need, presenting it in a more convenient form. One example is WiFi Key Recovery.
- IPhone owners need to install the WiFi Passwords tweak distributed through the Cydia app store. After restarting Springboard and running the utility, you will receive the Wi-Fi keys of interest.
We look at the settings of the router
You will have to look into the configuration of the router if you want to find out the password, but nothing is saved on the computer. Would need network cable if not, buy it at any store. Insert one end of the wire into network card PC, the second - into any free port of the router, then in any browser enter the IP address of the router in the same place where you enter the site addresses. You can find out the IP by looking at the connection properties. To do this, you need to do this: on the keyboard, simultaneously press Windows + R, the "Run" window will open, enter ncpa.cpl and click OK, network connections will be displayed. Right-click on the required "Connection by local network”, Click“ Status ”, then“ Details ”. The strings "DHCP server IPv4" and "DHCP server IPv4" contain the IP of interest.
You entered the address in the browser, in the request that appears, specify the credentials for the router. Appearance and the layout of control panels differ depending on the manufacturer, the general recommendation for what to do is this: look for the sections responsible for configuring the wireless network. The most commonly used name is Wireless, with a Security subsection. You should be interested in strings containing the words Password or Key, and this will be the information you are looking for. If you see several asterisks instead of symbols, you will most likely find a Show password button next to this line. As a last resort, come up with a new one.
When everything is bad and "the password from the router is also forgotten", refer to the documentation of the router, if it is absent, try to enter admin in both fields. If no options work at all, weigh the pros and cons and get ready to reset the router settings. The final will be the reconfiguration of the entire LAN completely from scratch.
Conclusion
As you can see, if you or someone has forgotten the Wi-Fi password, you do not need to do anything complicated to find it out. Situations are different, it would be more correct to come up with such keys that you will never forget or keep them written down somewhere. And there are also original techniques for memorization.
Once, when you connect a new device to your wireless network, the understanding comes that you do not remember the wifi password... The situation is aggravated by the fact that the coveted combination from the router or Wi-Fi access point is forgotten in the same way, and the piece of paper where they are reliably captured in uneven handwriting has disappeared somewhere. If you are confident in your knowledge, then you can hardware reset ALL access point settings and configure everything again, but ... There is a less radical method see password Wi-Fi networks !
Instructions will be useful if you have a computer (or laptop) that already has a configured wireless connection with a router to which you need to connect a new device via Wi-Fi. Since the most popular operating system to this day is Windows, then the proposed instruction should be executed in this OS. How to view Wi-Fi password networks on an Android device - read after the instructions for Win.
How to find out the password for a Wi-Fi network on a computer in Windows.
Probably just in case you forget your password Windows developers provided in their OS such a function as an open output stored in the computer Wi Fi network password. Look it can be done without any "dirty hacks" and tricks. It turns out that passwords are stored in clear text without using irreversible hashing (as for accounts, for example). So, the instructions for the most popular at the moment are presented below. Windows 7.
- 1. Click on the wireless network connection icon in the notification area.
- 2. Go to the Network and Sharing Center.
- 3. In the left column, select "Manage wireless networks".
- 4. In the context menu of the Wi-Fi network you are interested in, select "Properties".
- 5. On the "Security" tab, enable "Display entered characters".
- 6. on a new device.
So it is possible see Wi-Fi passwords from all networks that have ever been connected to from this computer. By the way, if you do not want your passwords to wireless hotspots to "float away", then when transferring your computer or laptop into the wrong hands, we recommend delete all saved passwords... To do this, in the context menu (item 4.) select " Delete network».
If you cannot find the corresponding icon in the notification area, then you can go the other way: open the "Start" menu and in the "Find programs and files" field write " wireless". The list of search results will contain and " Wireless network management"- after clicking on it, follow steps 4 and 5 of the instructions above.
By the way, according to the instructions above, you can to introduce New Password to connect. This is useful if the network administrator (it is quite possible - you yourself) changed Wai Fai's password on a router or access point. These actions apply to the currently current versions of the operating system. Windows systems 7 and 8 (8.1), but reluctantly disappearing into oblivion Windows XP things are a little different.
Find out the saved WiFi password in Windows XP.
- 1. Open the "control panel".
- 2. Launch the "Wireless Network Wizard".
- 3. Select "Add new computers or devices to the WiFi network" and click "Continue".
- 4. Select "Install manually" and click "Next".
- 5. In the window that appears, click the "Print network parameters" button.
As a result of completing the steps of the instruction, a document will open in which in the line "Network key (WPA / WEP key)" and contains Wi-FI password saved in Windows XP... As you noticed, only WEP and WPA keys are supported, which currently do not meet security standards. Only WPA2 keys can seriously resist malicious threats.
How to view Wi-Fi passwords in Android.
Android stores passwords for Wi-Fi networks as well as Windows - in cleartext. However, to view the required information on the mobile platform, you must have Root rights- and this is “ pretty evil witchcraft", Unlike Windows. So, on a device with Android 4.2.1 see passwords you can in the file " wpa_supplicant.conf"Located along the path" \ data \ misc \ fiwi \". To access it you will need root rights and some file manager, for example " Root Explorer».
Personally, for some reason I was not able to read its contents directly on the smartphone, but when copying the file to the computer, I was able to see Wi-Fi passwords networks that have ever been connected to from this device. In fact, it is a regular text file that can be opened even with Notepad in Windows. However, it is much more convenient to use file manager « Far Manager"- it was the built-in file viewer / editor of which the list of passwords was opened. The "ssid" parameter contains the name of the wireless network, and the "psk" contains the coveted combination requested upon connection.
If this instructions the key to your own wireless network has been restored, then there is nothing illegal here. However, in the event that the manual was used to gain access to someone else's "local", then illegal access to information is already clearly visible. In the same way, you can absolutely legally on your computer, but on someone else's - this is punishable by the law on the protection of information.
A new device, such as a smartphone or laptop, but I can't remember the WiFi password. In this article, we will tell you what to do if you forgot your WiFi password.
What to do if I forgot my WiFi password
Forgot your WiFi password? Don't worry, it will take you just a minute to find out your password. If you have connected to WiFi device, then you can view the password saved on it at any time. Even if you have no devices connected, you can always find out the password by connecting to the web interface of your router.
Method # 1. Viewing the saved password using Windows
Open the Network and Sharing Center.
After that, the "Wireless Network Properties" window will open in front of you.
Here you need to check the box next to the item "Display entered characters". After that, in the "Network Security Key" field, you will see the WiFi password.
Method # 2. View the saved password using WirelessKeyView.
In addition, you can use the WirelessKeyView () program. I discovered this little program when I myself once forgot my WiFi password.
This program is distributed absolutely free of charge, has a small size and does not require installation. All it does is output all the operating system WiFi passwords in a handy list. All you need to do in order to view saved passwords is download this program and run it with administrator rights.
Method number 3. Viewing the password using the web interface of the router.
If you have forgotten the WiFi password, and you do not have a single device connected to this access point, then you need to connect to the web interface. To do this, in your browser, enter network address your router and log into the web interface using your username and password. Typically, the router is available at "http://192.168.0.1" or "http://192.168.1.1".
In the web interface of the router, you need to find the section responsible for the security of your WiFi networks... Typically, this section is called “Wireless Security”.
Here you need to find the text field in which the WiFi password is entered and check the box that removes the protection from viewing the password. In my case, this checkbox is called "Unmask".
