5 Ways to View Saved WiFi Passwords on Android [Guide]

Have you tried looking for saved WiFi passwords in the Wi-Fi settings on your Android? But there is no way to view this information.

For devices running an older version of Android, the only way to view passwords is after rooting the device. However, luckily, in the recent versions of Android OS, i.e., Android 10 and above, the saved WiFi password can be accessed directly from the Wi-Fi settings page.

This guide outlines three ways to see saved WiFi passwords on Android phones and tablets.

1. View Saved WiFi Passwords on Android 10 and above

Smartphones or tablets running Android 10 OS or above do not require installing any apps or adding configuration to view saved WiFi passwords.

Before we proceed to the steps, we recommend you perform a simple check to see whether your device is running the latest Android. If it does not, now is a good time to check for updates and see if there is a newer version of Android available for your device.

Anyways, let’s jump to the steps:

1. Open Settings and find Wi-Fi settings on your device. Although the exact naming for some devices might differ, they all follow a similar pattern. So simply go to Settings -> Network and internet -> Wi-Fi settings.

   

2. Inside the Wi-Fi settings, scroll down and look for the Saved networks option. This option stores the Wi-Fi network information of all the saved networks.
   
3. Tap on any saved network for which you want to see the password.
4. Tap the Share option, which will prompt you to enter your PIN or password or maybe ask you to scan your fingerprint. Once verified, a QR code, the Network SSID, and the Password will be displayed on the screen.
   
5. Now you have two options, you can either scan the QR code with another device using the QR code scanner app or simply copy the password, which is listed just below the QR code. If you prefer, you can also use a best QR code generator to create a new QR code for easier sharing in the future.

2. View Saved WiFi Password on Android 9 and below

For Android 9 or older devices, things get a bit complicated as there is no direct way to view network information because all of these details are stored in the root directory, and by default, Android doesn’t give its access to users.

Rooting may be mandatory on Android 9 or older versions of Android operating systems to find saved WiFi passwords.

We will use a root method to view hidden Wi-Fi passwords to bypass this restriction. The first step is to root your phone, which will allow you to access the system files.

There are many ways to root Android OS, and one method doesn’t apply to all Android devices. Therefore, we always recommend doing some research for your Android model before proceeding with the steps to root your phone.

Anyways, here we assume you already have a rooted Android device. So, the next step is to view the saved Wi-Fi password. This can be achieved in many ways, but two feasible methods are:

Method 1 – Using an App from the Play Store

This method is one of the easiest, but only if you have a rooted Android device. Here, you simply have to download and use any reputable app from the Play Store that can help you gain access to Wi-Fi network details.

One of the many apps is the “Wi-Fi Password Show,” a free and easy-to-use app to view saved WiFi passwords on Android.

Once you have downloaded and installed it on your device, all you really have to do is give the app root permissions so it can access the relevant directory.

Within seconds, the app will show you the password for any saved WiFi network. You can then use those details to easily connect another device to the same network.

Method 2 – Using File Explorer with Root Access

The second way is to use a file explorer or file manager to manually access the system directory on your Android and find files that contain details about the WiFi network.

But first, you need to allow root access to the file explore so that it can let you access the system directory, which is usually just a toggle button (root explorer) in the app settings.

Once you have done that, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate your way to the following path: data > misc > wifi (for some devices, it could be system > etc > wifi).
2. Look for a file named conf. This file contains the network names and their passwords in plain text.
3. We are looking for the following text:

network={ ssid=“WiFi Network Name” psk=“password” key_mgmt=WPA-PSK priority= }

In the above text, the SSID field contains the name of your WiFi network, and the PSK field contains the password.

3. Alternative Method to Find Saved WiFi Passwords on Android

In case your Android device cannot be rooted, we have an alternative method that works for most Android OSs. However, this method is a bit complex and requires some basic knowledge about ADB and Android.

This method requires a computer, a compatible USB cable, a driver for your Android device, and ADB tools.

1. Download ADB tools on your computer and extract the files to your desktop.
2. Enable Developer Options on your device. To do so, go to Settings -> About Phone and scroll down to “Build number.” Tap it seven times to enable developer options.
3. Return to Settings, tap on Developer Options, and find and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect your Android device to your computer using the supplied USB cable. It is important to check that you have updated USB drivers for ADB to work properly.
5. Go to the ADB folder extracted on the desktop, open the command window, and type the command:

adb pull /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf

The contents of the file should have been copied and placed in a new file in the ADB folder. Open it to view network names and passwords.