The short answer
Do not factory reset the router — that wipes every setting and disconnects every device in the house. Any computer already connected stores the password and can show it to you in about thirty seconds.
Resetting the router is the reflex and almost always the wrong first move. It disconnects every smart device you own and, on some providers, wipes the connection credentials too. Try these first.
1. On the router itself
Check the sticker on the underside or back. If nobody has changed it, the default network name and password are printed there. This solves it more often than people expect, because plenty of routers are never reconfigured.
2. On Windows
For the network you are currently connected to: open Control Panel, Network and Sharing Center, click the Wi-Fi name, then Wireless Properties, Security tab, and tick Show characters.
For any network the machine has ever joined, open a Command Prompt and run:
netsh wlan show profile name="YourNetworkName" key=clear
The password appears as Key Content. To list every saved network first, run netsh wlan show profiles.
3. On a Mac
Open Keychain Access from Applications, Utilities. Search for the network name, double-click it, tick Show password, and authenticate with your Mac login. On recent macOS versions you can also go to System Settings, Wi-Fi, Advanced, then use the info button beside a saved network.
4. On a phone
- Android 10 and newer: Settings, Network and internet, Wi-Fi, tap the network, then Share. It shows a QR code and, on most versions, the password in plain text underneath. Another phone can simply scan the code.
- iPhone on iOS 16 and newer: Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the i beside the network, tap the Password field and authenticate to reveal it.
Or log into the router
Find the router's address
Usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, printed on the sticker. On Windows, run ipconfig and use the Default Gateway address.
Log in
The admin username and password are also on the sticker, and are different from the Wi-Fi password. If someone changed them and nobody remembers, that is the one case where a reset becomes necessary.
Open the wireless settings
Look for Wireless, Wi-Fi or WLAN. The password is labelled Password, Pre-Shared Key, PSK or Security Key, and is often hidden behind a Show button.
Write it down somewhere sensible
A password manager, or a note inside a kitchen cupboard. The point is that you never have to do this again.
A factory reset restores the default Wi-Fi name and password from the sticker, and disconnects every phone, laptop, TV, console, plug, bulb and camera in the house. On some providers it also clears the broadband credentials, so have your account details to hand before pressing anything.
While you are in there
Two things worth doing once you have access: set a guest network for visitors so you never hand out the main password again, and check the security mode is WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3 mixed rather than the older WEP or WPA, which are no longer safe.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wi-Fi password the same as the router admin password?
No, and confusing the two causes a lot of frustration. The Wi-Fi password joins devices to the network; the admin password logs into the router’s settings. Both are usually on the sticker but they are different values.
Can I see the Wi-Fi password on an old iPhone?
Only on iOS 16 and later directly. On older versions you can view it via iCloud Keychain on a Mac signed into the same Apple account, or read it from the router.
Does changing the Wi-Fi password disconnect everything?
Yes. Every device needs the new password entered again, including smart plugs, bulbs, cameras and printers. Change it when you have time to reconnect them all.
What makes a good Wi-Fi password?
Length matters more than complexity. Three or four unrelated words is both stronger and far easier to read out than a short string of symbols, and it survives being typed on a TV remote.
Check a connected computer before touching the router. The password is already stored on every device in your house that works.
