The fastest way: Keychain Access
Your Mac stores every WiFi password you have ever connected to in an app called Keychain Access. You can retrieve any saved password in about 30 seconds without restarting or using the terminal.
Open Keychain Access by pressing Command+Space, typing "keychain", and pressing Enter. In the window that opens, click the Passwords category on the left side. Search for the network name (the WiFi SSID) you need the password for — type it into the search box in the top right.
When you find the network, double-click it. A small window opens showing the network details. Check the box next to Show password. Your Mac will ask for your user account password — enter it and click Allow. The WiFi password now appears in plain text in that window.
Key Takeaways
- Keychain Access stores every WiFi password your Mac has connected to, and you can view any of them by searching for the network name.
- You need your Mac user account password to reveal a saved WiFi password, but you do not need to restart or use terminal commands.
- If you cannot find the network in Keychain Access, your Mac has never connected to it, or the password was never saved.
- The password shown in Keychain is exactly what you need to give to another device or person to connect to that network.
Why your Mac stores WiFi passwords
When you connect to a WiFi network and choose to save the password, macOS stores it encrypted in Keychain. This is why your Mac reconnects automatically when you return to that network — it does not ask you to type the password again. Keychain is also where your Mac keeps passwords for websites, email accounts, and apps.
Because Keychain is protected by your user account password, anyone with access to your Mac can view these saved passwords. If you share your Mac with others or are concerned about security, you can delete individual WiFi passwords from Keychain by right-clicking the network name and selecting Delete.
What to do if the password is not in Keychain
If you search for a network name in Keychain and it does not appear, your Mac has never connected to that network, or the password was not saved when you connected. In this case, you will need to get the password from the person who set up the network or from the router itself.
To find the password on the router, look for a sticker on the back or bottom of the device — most routers print the default WiFi name and password there. If the network was set up with a custom password, you will need to access the router's settings page, which usually requires knowing the router admin password.
Using System Settings instead of Keychain
On newer Macs running macOS Ventura or later, you can also view WiFi passwords through System Settings. Click the Apple menu, select System Settings, then go to WiFi on the left. Find the network you want in the list, click the information icon next to it, and select Copy Password. Your Mac will ask for your user account password, then copy the password to your clipboard so you can paste it elsewhere.
This method is faster if you only need to copy the password to share with someone else. Keychain Access is still useful if you want to see the password written out or if you need to manage multiple saved networks at once.
Sharing a WiFi password with another device
Once you have the password from Keychain or System Settings, you can share it with another Mac, iPhone, iPad, or non-Apple device. Type or paste the password exactly as it appears — WiFi passwords are case-sensitive, so "MyPassword" is different from "mypassword".
If you are sharing with another Apple device on the same WiFi network as your Mac, you can use AirDrop to send the password directly. On the other device, go to WiFi settings and select the network. Your Mac will appear as an option to receive the password from — tap it, and the password transfers automatically without you typing it.
Changing a saved WiFi password
If you change the password for your home WiFi network, your Mac will not automatically update the saved version in Keychain. The next time your Mac tries to connect, it will fail because the old password no longer works.
To fix this, open System Settings, go to WiFi, and click the information icon next to the network name. Select Forget This Network. Then reconnect to the network and enter the new password when prompted. Check the box to save the password, and your Mac will store the updated version in Keychain.
Protecting your saved passwords
Your Keychain is only as find as your Mac user account password. If someone gains access to your Mac and knows your password, they can view all your saved WiFi passwords and other sensitive information. Use a strong, unique password for your Mac user account — at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
If you are concerned that someone has accessed your Mac, you can delete specific WiFi passwords from Keychain without affecting others. Open Keychain Access, find the network, right-click it, and select Delete. You will need to reconnect to that network and re-enter the password the next time you want to use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see a WiFi password if I forgot my Mac user account password?
No. Keychain requires your Mac user account password to reveal any saved passwords. If you have forgotten your Mac password, you will need to reset it through Apple ID or use macOS recovery mode before you can access Keychain.
Will deleting a WiFi password from Keychain disconnect my Mac from that network?
Deleting a password from Keychain will not disconnect your Mac when ready, but the next time your Mac loses connection to that network, it will not be able to reconnect automatically. You will need to reconnect manually and enter the password again.
Can I export all my saved WiFi passwords at once?
Keychain Access does not have a built-in export feature for WiFi passwords. You can view and copy them one at a time, but there is no way to read them all as a list or file.
What if I see a WiFi network in Keychain that I do not recognize?
Your Mac may have connected to a network in the past that you no longer use. You can safely delete it from Keychain by right-clicking the network name and selecting Delete. This will not affect any other networks or settings.