Android has shown saved Wi-Fi passwords since version 10, though it does it sideways: the feature is called Share, it produces a QR code, and on most phones the password is printed in plain text underneath. Below Android 10 there is no supported way to see it at all.
- Android 10 and later
- Settings, tap the network, Share. QR code plus the key.
- Below Android 10
- No supported method. The key is stored, but not readable.
- Needed
- Your screen lock — PIN, pattern or fingerprint.
- Scope
- Only networks the phone has joined.
Android 10 and later
- Open Settings and go to Network & internet, then Internet or Wi-Fi depending on your version.
- Tap the network name. For one you are not currently on, open Saved networks first.
- Tap Share, usually a small QR icon near the top.
- Confirm with your PIN, pattern or fingerprint.
- A QR code appears. On most phones the password is printed directly beneath it.
Where the manufacturer has hidden the text, the QR code still carries it. Point another phone’s camera at the code and it will offer to join; some scanners will show the decoded string, which looks like WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:thepassword;;.
Where each manufacturer puts it
| Phone | Path | Shows the text? |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel | Network & internet → Internet → tap network → Share | Yes, under the code |
| Samsung Galaxy | Connections → Wi-Fi → gear icon → QR code | Usually code only |
| Xiaomi / Redmi | Wi-Fi → tap network → QR code | Code only on most builds |
| OnePlus | Wi-Fi → tap network → Share | Yes |
| Motorola | Network & internet → Internet → Share | Yes |
Samsung and the code-only screen
Galaxy phones often show the QR code without the text. Screenshot it and scan the image with another phone’s camera app, or use Samsung’s own Scan QR code from the Quick Settings panel on a second device. The password is inside the code either way.
Below Android 10
The key is on the phone, in /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf, but that path is readable only with root access. Rooting a phone to recover one wireless password is a poor trade: it voids the warranty, trips Play Integrity so banking apps stop working, and risks bricking the handset.
Every other route is easier. The label on the router, a laptop that has joined the same network, or the router’s admin pages will all get you there without touching the phone.
Apps that claim to show Wi-Fi passwords
The Play Store carries plenty. Without root they cannot read the stored key, so what they actually do is one of three things: show you the QR share screen you could have opened yourself, display a list of manufacturer defaults, or show advertising and nothing else.
None of them can reveal a password for a network the phone has not joined, because the phone has never been told it. Wi-Fi authentication proves both sides know the key without transmitting it, so there is nothing for an app to intercept.
If the phone cannot help
When no device on hand has the network saved, the key has to come from the router — the sticker on the underside, or the wireless section of its settings pages. The settings route needs the router’s admin password, which is a different credential from the wireless key.
Our main guide covers every route in order of effort, and we hold documented admin defaults for 460 manufacturers.
