What to Do If You Forgot Your Wi-Fi Password?

Passwords are your first line of defense against cybercriminals. With the increase in cybercrime in recent years, it is of utmost importance that you practice good password management.

Creating Reliable Passwords Is a Tricky Task

For a password to be secure, it has to fit specific criteria. These include: being at least 8 characters in length, including letters, numbers, and symbols, does not contain personal information, is not a common or dictionary word, being unique, and being securely stored. 

Fulfilling all of these requirements is challenging, especially when you need to have multiple unique passwords - each being different for your various accounts and logins. It's not easy to remember all of these passwords, so you might find yourself often clicking on the ‘forgot password’ option when logging in online. 

Forgot Wi-Fi password

It can be really challenging if you forgot your Wi-Fi password, as this is your connection to the rest of the internet. Here is what to do if this happens to you. There are various methods you can use to recover your Wi-Fi password. They are listed below.

Using Windows

1. Using a Windows device that is already connected to your Wi-Fi, click on the Wi-Fi icon on the bottom right of the screen. 
2. Select the option that says ‘Network & Internet Settings.
3. Now select the Wi-Fi settings from the panel on the left of the screen.
4. Under ‘Related settings’, select ‘Change adapter options’.
5. Right-click on your Wi-Fi and select the ‘Status’ option. 
6. Select ‘Wireless Properties’ in the menu that pops up. 
7. Open the ‘Security’ tab, this is where you will find your password.

Using a Mac

1. Open the ‘Finder’ application.
2. Select the ‘Go’ option at the top of the screen.
3. Select ‘Utilities’ from the menu. 
4. Open ‘Keychain Access’. This is where Mac stores passwords that you have saved to the keychain. 
5. Find your network and click on it, then check the ‘Show password’ box. 

Using your router

There are a few options you can use to find your password through your router. 

1. Look for the default Wi-Fi password on the sticker on the back of your router. This will only work if you have changed your password.
2. If your router model has a WPS button, press it and then connect your device within 30 seconds. 
3. If your Window or Mac device is not connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can connect it to your router using an ethernet cable. Once it is connected, you find the password using the instructions above.