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To show a saved WiFi password on Mac, use Passwords → Wi-Fi on macOS Sequoia 15 or Tahoe 26, System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Advanced on macOS Ventura 13 or later, or Keychain Access on older versions. macOS requires Touch ID, your Mac login password, or the keychain password before revealing or copying the credential.
The exact menu depends on the macOS version and whether the network password is still saved. The Mac can retrieve a previously joined network even when the Mac is not currently connected to that network.
Key takeaways
- macOS Sequoia 15 and macOS Tahoe 26 store saved WiFi networks in the Passwords app under Wi-Fi.
- macOS Ventura 13 and later provide a Copy Password option at System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Advanced.
- macOS Sonoma 14 and earlier are most reliably handled through Keychain Access, especially when the WiFi entry is not visible in newer interfaces.
- A saved WiFi password can be obsolete if the router administrator changed the password after the Mac stored it.
- You can share some WiFi credentials through an Apple-device prompt or a network QR code without reading the password aloud.
Which method should you use for your Mac?
The fastest method is determined by your macOS version. To check the version, choose Apple menu → About This Mac, then use the matching row below.
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|---|---|---|
| macOS Tahoe 26 | Passwords → Wi-Fi | Reveal, copy, share, or show a QR code when the option is available |
| macOS Sequoia 15 | Passwords → Wi-Fi | Reveal, copy, share, or show a QR code when the option is available |
| macOS Sonoma 14 | Keychain Access for WiFi credentials | Show the saved password after authentication |
| macOS Ventura 13 | System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Advanced | Copy the saved password; Keychain Access is a fallback |
| macOS Monterey 12 and earlier | Keychain Access | Show the saved password after authentication |
Apple says the dedicated Passwords app is available beginning with macOS Sequoia. The Apple Passwords app overview explains that change, while Apple’s current Mac user-guide coverage identifies the newer Tahoe 26 and Sequoia 15 documentation.
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How do you show a saved WiFi password on macOS Sequoia or Tahoe?
On macOS Sequoia 15 and macOS Tahoe 26, the Passwords app is the primary built-in route for displaying or copying a saved WiFi password.
- Open the Passwords app from Spotlight, Launchpad, or the Applications folder.
- Authenticate with Touch ID or your Mac account password if macOS requests authentication.
- Select Wi-Fi in the sidebar.
- Select the saved network whose password you need.
- Hover over the dots beside Password to reveal the password.
- Click the dots if you want to copy the password instead of reading it from the screen.
Apple’s Passwords guide for saved WiFi networks documents the WiFi category, previously saved networks, password copying, and available sharing options. The list can contain the currently connected network as well as networks joined in the past.
How do you show a WiFi QR code on a Mac?
Open the saved network in Passwords → Wi-Fi, then choose Show Network QR Code if that option appears. The other person can scan the QR code with a compatible phone instead of you reading or manually typing the password.
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QR-code availability and labels can vary by macOS release and network entry. A QR code is useful for ordinary password-protected WiFi, but it does not replace certificate-based enterprise authentication or a hotel captive-portal login.
How do you copy a saved WiFi password from System Settings?
On macOS Ventura 13 and later, System Settings can copy a saved WiFi password without displaying the password directly in the settings panel.
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings.
- Click Network.
- Click Wi-Fi.
- Scroll down and click Advanced.
- Find the network under the known or saved networks list.
- Click the More button beside the network.
- Choose Copy Password.
- Paste the result into a trusted password field or another temporary, private destination.
Apple documents this System Settings method for copying a saved WiFi password on macOS 13 or later. If you need to inspect the copied value, paste it into a password field that you control or into a temporary private document, then delete the temporary copy. Do not paste the password into a public website.
The System Settings route is especially useful when the Passwords app is missing, difficult to locate, or does not show the expected network. The same Mac may also contain a matching record in Keychain Access.
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How do you use Keychain Access to show a saved WiFi password?
Keychain Access is the main fallback for macOS Monterey 12 and earlier, and it can also help when a WiFi entry is missing from Passwords or System Settings.
- Press Command-Space to open Spotlight.
- Search for Keychain Access and press Return.
- In the sidebar, select a likely keychain, usually login or iCloud.
- Select Passwords in the category list.
- Search for the exact WiFi network name, also called the SSID.
- Double-click the matching network item.
- Select Show password.
- Authenticate with the Mac login password or the relevant keychain password.
- Choose Allow if macOS displays an access prompt.
Apple’s Keychain Access instructions explain that selecting Show password and entering the keychain password reveals the stored value. Touch ID may be offered on supported Macs, but macOS still protects the stored credential with authentication.
What should you do when Keychain Access shows several matching entries?
Compare each item with the exact SSID, including capitalization, spaces, punctuation, and any suffix such as “-5G.” Double-click the entry whose name or account most closely matches the network shown in the WiFi menu. Duplicate records can exist after a router change, migration, or repeated network setup.
A matching record is not automatically the current password. If the router administrator changed the WiFi password, Keychain Access may reveal an older password that no longer connects.
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Can you retrieve a password for a previously used WiFi network?
Yes. A Mac can retrieve a previously used WiFi password when the network credential remains saved, even if the Mac is not currently connected to that network. The Passwords app’s WiFi list can include both the current network and previously saved networks.
A network will not appear if the Mac never joined it, the credential was deleted, the relevant keychain is unavailable, or synchronization has not delivered the record to the Mac. A saved record can also exist but contain an outdated password.
What should you do if the saved WiFi network does not appear?
Work through the following checklist before assuming that the password has been lost:
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- Verify the exact SSID. Copy the network name from the Mac’s WiFi menu instead of typing an approximate name. Check capitalization, spaces, punctuation, and suffixes.
- Search the complete list. In Passwords, check Wi-Fi and, where appropriate, the full list rather than a restricted group.
- Check Deleted or Recently Deleted. Apple’s saved-password recovery guidance recommends checking deleted password records when an expected credential is missing.
- Try Keychain Access. Search for the exact SSID and then for a distinctive part of the name. Look in both the login and iCloud keychains when available.
- Check iCloud Keychain. Confirm that the Mac uses the expected Apple Account and that the relevant iCloud password or keychain synchronization setting is enabled.
- Consider a changed router password. The Mac may have retained an old credential even though the router now expects a new one.
- Check whether the Mac was migrated or reinstalled. A different user account, Apple Account, or unavailable keychain can explain why an old record is missing.
- Ask the network administrator or check the router. Look at the router label, router administration page or app, ISP documentation, or the instructions supplied by the person who manages the network.
Apple’s guidance also points users toward checking the password list, deleted items, iCloud Keychain, the router, and the network administrator. A Mac cannot reveal a credential that was never saved or has been permanently removed.
How does iCloud Keychain affect saved WiFi passwords?
iCloud Keychain can store WiFi network information and synchronize it across approved Apple devices using the same Apple Account when the relevant iCloud password or keychain settings are enabled. Apple describes this behavior in its iCloud Keychain and saved WiFi information guide.
For example, a WiFi password saved on an iPhone may become available on a Mac after synchronization. Synchronization is not a guarantee that every old, deleted, shared, or incompatible item will appear. The Mac must use the expected Apple Account, and software versions or shared password groups can affect visibility.
If the Mac has never joined the network and iCloud Keychain is disabled, the Mac may have no local record to reveal. Do not treat iCloud Keychain as a way to bypass authentication or recover a password that was never stored.
Can you share the WiFi password without revealing it?
Yes. A Mac can share a saved WiFi password through Apple’s nearby password-sharing prompt, and current Passwords app entries may offer a network QR code. Sharing, copying, and visibly showing the password are separate actions.
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| Read the password | Passwords app or Keychain Access | The password becomes visible after authentication |
| Copy the password | Passwords app or System Settings | The password goes to the clipboard without necessarily appearing in the settings panel |
| Share with a nearby Apple device | Apple WiFi password-sharing prompt | The recipient receives a connection prompt rather than needing the password typed manually |
| Let another device scan the credential | Show Network QR Code | The recipient scans a QR code when the option is available |
What are the requirements for Apple WiFi password sharing?
The sharing Mac must be unlocked and connected to the WiFi network. The recipient selects the network in WiFi settings on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and the sharing Mac displays a request.
Apple’s WiFi password-sharing documentation says the devices must meet Apple’s proximity, WiFi, Bluetooth, and contact requirements. If the prompt does not appear, verify that the devices are nearby, WiFi and Bluetooth are enabled, the sharing Mac is unlocked and connected, and the people are set up in the way Apple requires.
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Is Keychain Access still available on current macOS?
Yes. Keychain Access remains a macOS utility, but Apple now positions the Passwords app as the ordinary destination for passwords, passkeys, verification codes, and saved WiFi credentials on newer systems.
Keychain Access remains relevant for certificates, legacy password retrieval, and keychain troubleshooting. Apple explains its current role in the Keychain Access overview. On a current Mac, start with Passwords for a normal saved WiFi lookup and use Keychain Access when the newer interface does not contain the expected record.
Advanced option: can Terminal retrieve a saved WiFi password?
Technically experienced users can try the following version-sensitive Keychain command as an advanced fallback:
security find-generic-password -D "AirPort network password" -a "NETWORK_NAME" -gwReplace NETWORK_NAME with the exact SSID. macOS may display an authorization prompt. Keychain item labels and access behavior vary by macOS version and by how the network was saved, so this command is not a guaranteed universal method.
The graphical methods are safer for most readers because Terminal output can be exposed through shell history, screenshots, copied text, or logs. Avoid commands that enumerate or dump every saved WiFi credential. Use Passwords, System Settings, or Keychain Access first.
Why might there be no ordinary WiFi password?
Some networks do not use one reusable WPA or WPA2-style password. Enterprise, school, hotel, and public networks may use certificates, usernames, device registration, captive portals, or managed profiles instead.
An open network may have no password at all. A Personal Hotspot can use a device-generated or separately configured password. A captive-portal website login is not necessarily the same credential as the WiFi encryption password.
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Managed Macs may also restrict keychain access, network settings, or profile changes. Contact the school or employer administrator rather than trying to bypass those controls.
How should you protect a copied WiFi password?
Treat a WiFi password as sensitive network access information. Do not paste the password into a public website, send it through an unencrypted message, or leave it exposed in a screenshot, Notes document, clipboard history, or Terminal log.
After using a temporary document or field to inspect the copied password, delete the temporary copy and clear any place where the password was unnecessarily retained. Apple’s built-in tools are sufficient for the normal use case; third-party WiFi-password extraction apps are unnecessary and can create avoidable privacy risks.
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Can I show a saved WiFi password on Mac without being connected to that network?
Yes. A Mac can retrieve a previously saved WiFi password without currently connecting to the network, provided the credential still exists in Passwords, System Settings, or a keychain. The Mac cannot retrieve a network that was never saved or whose credential was deleted.
Why does my Mac show a saved WiFi password that no longer works?
The saved WiFi password may be outdated because the router administrator changed the password after macOS stored the original credential. Check the router, its administration app, ISP documentation, or the network administrator for the current password.
Is the WiFi password in Safari the same as the WiFi password on Mac?
No. Safari’s Passwords area primarily handles website credentials, while WiFi credentials are stored and displayed through Passwords, System Settings, or Keychain Access depending on the macOS version.
Can iCloud Keychain show a WiFi password saved on my iPhone?
iCloud Keychain can synchronize WiFi information to an approved Mac using the same Apple Account when the relevant iCloud settings are enabled. Synchronization is not guaranteed for every deleted, old, shared, or incompatible item.
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Use Passwords → Wi-Fi on macOS Sequoia 15 or Tahoe 26, System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Advanced → Copy Password on macOS Ventura 13 or later, and Keychain Access on older Macs or whenever the newer interface cannot find the saved network. Authenticate before revealing the credential, and remember that a saved password may be obsolete.
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