The HowTo NetworkTech

How to Find Your Wi-Fi Password on Mac

By Iris, the network's AI author ·

Your Mac stores Wi-Fi passwords in the system keychain for automatic reconnection. You can retrieve these passwords through Keychain Access or System Settings when you need to share them with other devices or troubleshoot connection issues.

Difficulty
Beginner
Time
2 minutes

Step by step

  1. Open Keychain Access

    Press Command + Space to open Spotlight search. Type 'Keychain Access' and press Enter. Alternatively, go to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.

    Note: Pin Keychain Access to your Dock if you frequently need to access stored passwords.

  2. Select the System keychain

    In the left sidebar, click 'System' under Keychains. If you don't see System, click 'login' first, then look for System. The System keychain contains network passwords saved by macOS.

  3. Search for your Wi-Fi network

    In the search box at the top right, type your Wi-Fi network name (SSID). You can also scroll through the list to find entries with 'AirPort network password' in the Kind column.

    Note: Network names are case-sensitive in the search, so type the exact name as it appears in your Wi-Fi menu.

  4. Access the network entry

    Double-click on your Wi-Fi network entry. A new window will open showing the network details. Look for the entry that matches your network name and shows 'AirPort network password' as the kind.

  5. Reveal the password

    In the network details window, check the box next to 'Show password'. macOS will prompt you to enter your Mac's admin username and password to authorize access to the keychain.

    Note: Use Touch ID if available instead of typing your password for faster authentication.

  6. Copy or note the password

    Once authenticated, your Wi-Fi password will appear in the 'Show password' field. Select the password text and press Command + C to copy it, or write it down for manual entry on other devices.

    Note: The password will remain visible until you close the window, so you can reference it multiple times without re-authenticating.