Have you ever forgotten your Wi-Fi password? Earlier versions of Windows made it easy to see the password of a Wi-Fi network you've connected to in the past. With Windows 10 and a marginally better approach to security, it's not as easy as it used to be just by selecting the connection and revealing the password.
It's still very easy in Windows 10. Here's how:
Launch a command prompt or Powershell, whichever you're comfortable with.
(If you're not sure how, in the Search Bar on the right corner of Windows' Task Bar type in "CMD" and press Enter)
At the command prompt, type in
netsh wlan show profiles
This will show you a list of every Wi-Fi network your computer has connected to.
Note the name of the Wi-Fi network for which you want to see the password.
In this example, we're going to look at "Sunset-guest"
At the command prompt, type in
netsh wlan show profiles "Wifi_name" key=clear
In the results, under "security settings" you'll see "Key Content"
You'll see the password for the Wi-Fi!
Now that you know how easy it is to find the Wi-Fi password in just a few seconds, you should consider changing your home Wi-Fi password every few months. Doing this will keep your Wi-Fi clean of old devices, kick off unwanted devices that may have latched on, and is generally good practice.
You should also consider having two Wi-Fi networks at home. Most Wi-Fi routers have this capability. One for people who live in the home and one for guests. Guests connecting to your Wi-Fi should never be allowed to interact with devices on your home network.
Your privacy and cybersecurity is at risk if you allow anyone and anything to use your private Wi-Fi.