How To Find Hotspot Password On Mac? (3 Easy Methods To Try)

If it’s been a while since you’ve set up a new WiFi network in your home and the yellow post-it note with the password is probably decomposing in a landfill (or, worse, in the back of your bottom drawer), you may need to get WiFi password from Mac. This post will address how to view WiFi passwords on a Mac to assist you in your predicament.

Learn how to recover a forgotten WiFi password through Keychain and Terminal, as well as through a quick password reset and a simple router reset trick you may need to be made aware of.

How To Find Hotspot Password On Mac?
How To Find Hotspot Password On Mac?

METHOD 1. LOCATE YOUR WIFI PASSWORD ON YOUR ROUTER.

If you are connected to a home network that you don’t recall setting a password for, or if you are using an open WiFi connection at a place of business such as a cafe or small store, it is likely that no one thought to create a solid and secure password for your network and left the default password of your network router enabled.

The good news is that the answer to the question “What is my WiFi password?” is readily available on your network router as a WiFi password/PIN next to the default SSID name of your router (that’s the default network name you see when your device scans for available WiFi networks, but you can change it). The bad news is that default passwords are as secure as “12345” or “password.” Meaning – alter it immediately!

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RESTART THE ROUTER

You should reset the router if you cannot see the WiFi password on your Mac because you have not connected this device to the network.

This process restores router settings to factory defaults and deletes all user-specific configurations. Then, you can reset your WiFi password using the router’s default password.

Locate the Reset button on the network router to reset it. Typically, it is embedded within the device, so you will need a pin, a paperclip, or a SIM card extractor to reach and press the button. To reset, press and hold the button for fifteen seconds.

Connect to your WiFi network using the default password. Then, change the password to a new, secure one and write it for future reference.

And while you’re at it, you can scan your WiFi network for signal strength and create an excellent map of your area, identifying the weaker and more vital areas of your WiFi coverage. Employ NetSpot for this.

In areas with poor signal strength, you can use tools such as TripMode to limit internet usage by background apps and save your limited bandwidth for actual tasks.

Reset Your Router
Reset Your Router

METHOD 2. FIND YOUR WI-FI PASSWORD IN THE KEYCHAIN

This article describes retrieving your WiFi password from your Mac’s Keychain.

Suppose you were unsuccessful with your router’s default password. In that case, it’s still simple to discover your network’s WiFi password if your Mac has previously connected to the network (and nobody changed the password, of course).

Here’s how to search for a WiFi password in Keychain on a Mac:

Find Your WiFi Password On The Keychain
Find Your WiFi Password On The Keychain
  • Click the magnifying glass icon in the Menu bar’s upper-right corner.
  • Enter Keychain in the search box and press Return.
  • The Keychain Access window will open to the All Items tab. Navigate until the name of your WiFi network appears.
  • Click the WiFi network’s name, followed by the information icon at the top of the window.
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Click "Show Password"
Click “Show Password”

GET A TRUSTWORTHY PASSWORD MANAGER.

If you don’t want to remember how to find the WiFi password on your Mac, you can use a trusted password manager to store all your passwords, including the WiFi password.

Secrets are our preferred digital password manager. It enables you to store and manage passwords for various services, auto-fill passwords in your browser, and synchronize passwords across your devices.

Add your WiFi password, and rest assured that it won’t be stolen from your table by a sudden draft, a prankster, or a corporate snoop;)

Get A Trustworthy Password Manager
Get A Trustworthy Password Manager

If you use two-factor authentication (which you should do), you can further automate your workflow with Step Two, an app that stores your OTP codes. Then, when you need to authorize, navigate to Step Two and copy the code.

METHOD 3. VIEW YOUR WIFI PASSWORD USING TERMINAL

And here’s how to view WiFi passwords using Terminal on a Mac:

  • Select Finder > Applications > Utilities from the menu bar.
  • Click the Terminal icon to launch the application.
  • Type in this command, replacing TypeInYourWiFiNameHere with the name of your WiFi network: security find-generic-password -ga TypeInYourWiFiNameHere | grep “password:”
  • Hit Return.
  • Type in your Mac login and password to confirm the action if prompted.
  • Obtain the WiFi password.
View Your WiFi Password On Terminal
View Your WiFi Password On Terminal

CONCLUSION

As you can see, you can quickly check the WiFi password on a Mac using Keychain or Terminal if you know where to look and what command to enter. In addition, this post can be bookmarked for future reference, or you can save your password in a password manager such as Secrets, where it is always accessible and securely stored, as opposed to keeping a physical record in your office.

Setapp contains Secrets and the other apps mentioned in this article: NetSpot, for testing your WiFi signal and creating a map for signal strength around your space; TripMode, for saving traffic in areas with poor signal or when you are on cellular; and Step Two, for quick two-factor authentication.

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Our suite of applications will assist you in completing routine workflow tasks and resolving issues quickly. Still, waiting to be a subscriber to Setapp? No problem! Utilize the free 7-day trial to discover how many apps can simplify your life.

FAQs On How To Find Hotspot Password On Mac

How do I locate WiFi hotspots using my Mac?

Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen and select “System Preferences.” Select “Sharing” from the System Preferences menu. Next, select Internet Sharing from the list of available services. Then, on the right side of the screen, select the Internet connection type.

How do I locate the password for my hotspot on my laptop?

Select your WiFi network name next to Connections in Network and Sharing Center. Next, choose Wireless Properties in WiFi Status. Select the Security tab in Wireless Network Properties, then select the Show characters checkbox. The password for your WiFi network is displayed in the Network security key box.

Can a Mac share a wireless hotspot?

On your Mac, select Apple > System Preferences, then click General in the sidebar, followed by Sharing on the right. (It may be necessary to scroll down.) Next, click the Details button beside Internet Sharing. Finally, select the Internet connection you wish to share by clicking the “Share your connection from” drop-down menu.

Can a Mac Display the WiFi Password?

Apple’s macOS stores WiFi passwords in its Keychain, which can be viewed by selecting Launchpad > Other > Keychain Access from the menu bar. Directly, you can open Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, then search for “keychain access,” and launch the application.

Author

  • Trevor Eason

    I am Trevor Eason an entrepreneur, a designer, web developer, and software engineer currently living in Dallas, TX. My interests range from technology to photography. I am also interested in entrepreneurship, gaming, and basketball. I run my own Tech Win Reviews blog. Hope you will join me for all your Samsung and Tech Reviews and recommendations.

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