1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,840 I think we've all been in the situation where we need to connect a new phone or PC 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,480 to our Wi-Fi network and we forgot the password. Sometimes it's because you're using an ISP 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:14,480 provided router that has a complicated default security key and you lost the piece of paper it 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:20,160 was on. While other times we just can't remember the custom password we set ourselves. So is there 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:26,000 a way to look it up? Let's start with what's probably the easiest way. Using an Android device 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:30,240 that's already connected to the same network. Android 10 and newer actually make it quite 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,480 straightforward. Open up your Wi-Fi settings and tap on the network you're currently connected to 8 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:38,960 or a previous one that's already saved. Then you should see an option that says share. Go ahead 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:44,080 and tap that and you'll see a QR code that another device can scan to connect. But you'll also get 10 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,680 the password you need in plain text right below it. It's just that easy. But what if you're more of 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:56,800 an iPhone household? Well iOS has lagged behind Android in this department. Imagine that. But 12 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:02,880 Apple is finally adding a feature to view saved Wi-Fi passwords to iPhones and iPads and followed 13 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,920 this year when iOS 16 comes out. You'll need to have an iPhone 8 or newer or an iPad with at least 14 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,640 an A9 CPU in order to do this though. Open up your Wi-Fi settings and tap the network you want 15 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:17,680 similar to what you do on Android. Then you'll see a field that says password. So as you'd expect 16 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,600 tap on it, authenticate yourself with either your biometrics or your unlock code 17 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,760 and the Wi-Fi password will pop right up. But what if your mobile device is too old to 18 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:30,080 use these methods or you just you don't have it on you? We'll tell you what to do in that case 19 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,920 right after we thank our buddy Joel Crane for collaborating with us on this episode. You can 20 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,160 also look up a lost Wi-Fi password on a Windows PC that's already connected to the network you want. 21 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,520 Fire up the old school control panel and go to network and sharing center. You'll be able to 22 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:46,320 click on the name of the network and from there select wireless properties then the security tab 23 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:51,280 and finally check the box that says show characters. If you're logged in with administrator privileges 24 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,280 the password will pop right up. There's also a way to view passwords from previous networks you 25 00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:00,000 connected to and it's only a tiny bit more complicated. Open up a command prompt or power 26 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,320 shell window as administrator and then enter this command. Just replace the X's with the 27 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,560 name of the network you want. You'll then see a field called key content. The password will be 28 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,680 listed right there. If you've got macOS the process is actually a little simpler. All you 29 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:18,000 have to do is search for a built-in app called Keychain Access. From there you can search for 30 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,520 any saved wireless network you want then click on the show password box and then it'll spill its 31 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,840 secrets for you. But all of these methods require that you have a device previously connected to 32 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:32,720 the network. What if you're like really in a bind and you don't have all of that? Well assuming 33 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:38,560 it's your own network you might be able to brute force the password if you've left WPS on. WPS 34 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,200 stands for Wi-Fi protected setup and it's that feature that allows you to connect your devices 35 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:48,640 by just pushing a button on your router. Unfortunately WPS is also a huge security risk 36 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:53,120 which is why we recommend disabling it in the router settings in most circumstances. But if 37 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,840 your router happens to have it enabled anyway which many of them unfortunately do by default 38 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:02,720 you might be able to take advantage of that weakness to hack the WPS feature by using free 39 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,960 software tools that you can find online. If you succeed you'll probably have your password 40 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:12,400 in a matter of hours but for the love of god do not do this on any network that isn't your own. 41 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:17,600 Not only is it extremely not nice but it's also illegal in many places and if you get caught 42 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,880 yeah don't say we didn't warn you. Thanks for watching guys like dislike check out some of our 43 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,960 other videos comment with video suggestions down below and don't forget to subscribe and follow.