Computers, both Windows PCs and Apple Macs, keep a detailed log of all the Wi-Fi networks they have ever connected to. This is a great help when you want to connect to a Wi-Fi network that you have previously connected to and cannot remember your password.
Recovering the password of a computer’s Wi-Fi network can be shared to connect to another device
This registration is completed the first time the computer connects to a Wi-Fi network, saving in its memory both the name of that network and the password needed to connect to it automatically thereafter. Obviously, if since the last time a connection has been established with that Wi-Fi network, the computer will automatically log the name of the network and the password required to connect to it the password has changed and has not been stored in the computer’s memory, the wireless connection cannot be re-established.
Thanks to this possibility to recover the password of a Wi-Fi network from the storage in the computer memory it will be possible to connect another device to the same wireless networksuch as a smartphone or tablet. And for recovery the method varies depending on whether you are using a PC computer running Windows or a Mac operating system:
-Windows computers: You have to follow this path in Windows 11 version: “Start – Control Panel – Network & Internet – Network Sharing”. For computers with the Windows 10 version of the operating system the path is as follows: “Settings – Network & Internet – Status – Network Sharing”. In both cases after reaching this point you must access Connections and click on the WiFi network to which the computer is connected, highlighted in blue. In the status section of the network, click on “Wireless Properties – Security” and activate the option “Show characters”, which will reveal the password to access the WiFi network.
-Mac computers: In this case we resort to the Keychain tool that on Mac stores all kinds of passwords and keys, through the following path: “System – System Keychain – Passwords”. Simply locate the WiFi network to which the computer is connected and double-click on it. The password will appear in the “Show password” box, from where it can be shared with another Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad registered under the same AppleID as the computer.
