One of the most common tools that Mac owners use nearly every day is Wi-Fi. Every Mac is built to store Wi-Fi passwords you have entered to gain access to different networks.
This is a very useful feature that allows for easy access but it also means you might not remember every password. That is why it is important to know how to find saved Wi-Fi passwords on your Mac.
Here is a look at how to do that quickly and easily.
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Where Are Wi-Fi Passwords Saved on Mac?
Your Mac has an app called Keychain Access that makes it easier to manage and organize important information on your computer.
Keychain Access will store different data that you have entered into your Mac such as passwords, user names, and other account info.
It will remember this information the next time you log in to a website, auto-filling login fields so you don’t have to remember everything.
In addition to all of the personal information it stores, the app also saves all of the passwords for Wi-Fi networks you have connected to on your Mac.
How to Show Wi-Fi Password on Mac via Keychain Access
Using Keychain Access to find any and all saved Wi-Fi passwords on your Mac is an easy task, just follow these simple steps.
Step 1: Open the Keychain Access App
There are two ways to do this. First, you can go to Finder > Applications > Launchpad > Other > Keychain Access.
Alternatively, you can just do a quick Spotlight search and open it by clicking the Top Hit result.
Once you open Keychain Access, you will see a window that looks like this:
Step 2: Find the Wi-Fi Network You Want the Password for
First, locate the search box in the top-right corner of the Keychain Access window. Then enter the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to see the password for.
In the above image, I searched for my home network “Cgypt.”
Step 3: Locate the Wi-Fi Password for the Selected Network
Double-click on the network you wish to see the Wi-Fi password for. A new window will appear with information about the selected Wi-Fi network. Click on the box next to Show Password.
Once you click on this box, another window will appear, prompting you to enter the administrator password to allow Keychain Access to make changes.
Enter the User Name and Password fields and click OK.
Another window might pop up asking you to enter the Administrator information again – enter the User Name and Password again if so. Your password will now be displayed in the window for the selected Wi-Fi network in the bottom field named ‘Show password:’
That’s it. You can use this trick to find the passwords for any protected Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to.
Useful Wi-Fi Password Tips
As you can see, Keychain Access is a useful and easy way to quickly see any Wi-Fi passwords that are saved on your Mac.
There are some other tips you should keep in mind to help you organize your passwords and these can be used to save other important information as well.
For Wi-Fi passwords (and other passwords that are not that important) you can write them down on a sticky note or in a small notebook.
Keep this note, or notebook, somewhere that is easy to find when you are working on or using your Mac. This can serve as an easy backup method or an alternative to using Keychain Access.
You can also use a password management app such as 1Password or LastPass to help you manage and save passwords on all of your devices.
These apps will easily store all of your passwords and any other important login information safely and securely in one place. You can then have easy access to them when you need to recall or input this information.
Final Words
All of our modern lives involve using many different passwords and other information on a daily basis. Using the Keychain Access app mentioned here, you can quickly see any saved Wi-Fi passwords that are saved on your Mac.
This can come in handy if you ever forget a password or need to see it for any other reason.
Have you ever used Keychain Access or another password management app? Let us know in the comments below!
