Your Mac may refuse to share a WiFi password for several technical reasons, and the fix depends on which one applies to you
The most common reason a Mac won't share a WiFi password is that you are not the person who connected to that network in the first place. macOS stores WiFi passwords in the Keychain — Apple's encrypted password vault — and only the user account that originally joined the network can retrieve and share that password. If someone else set up the WiFi on your household Mac, or if you are using a work computer, you cannot pull the password out to give to another person.
A second frequent cause is that your Mac is running an older version of macOS that does not support password sharing at all. The feature arrived in macOS Sierra (10.12) in 2016. If your Mac is running anything older than that — or if you have not updated in several years — the share option will not appear in the WiFi menu, no matter what else you do.
Third, the WiFi network itself may be set up in a way that blocks sharing. Some routers, particularly those managed by IT departments in offices or schools, disable the ability to broadcast the password. You may see the share button but get an error message when you try to use it.
Key Takeaways
- Only the Mac user account that originally connected to the WiFi network can share its password — if someone else set it up, you cannot retrieve it.
- macOS Sierra (10.12) and newer support password sharing; older versions do not have this feature at all.
- Some networks, especially managed corporate or school WiFi, block password sharing even if your Mac supports it.
- If you cannot share the password, you can reset your router to factory settings or ask the person who set up the network to share it instead.
You are not the account that joined the network
When someone connects a Mac to a WiFi network for the first time, that user account becomes the owner of that password in the Keychain. Only that account can see the password or share it with others. If you log into a different user account on the same Mac — or if you are a guest user — you will not see a share option, even if the network is right there in the WiFi menu.
This is a security feature. It prevents one person from casually handing out passwords they do not have permission to share. If you are the only person who uses your Mac, this is not a problem. But in a household where multiple people have accounts on the same computer, or in a workplace where you use a shared machine, you may find yourself locked out.
The solution is to ask the person whose account originally connected to the network to share the password instead. They can do this by holding Option, clicking the WiFi icon in the menu bar, finding the network name, and clicking "Copy Password" — or by using the share sheet if they are on a newer Mac. If that person is no longer available or no longer has access to their account, you will need to reset the router or change the WiFi password from the router's admin panel.
Your Mac is running an older version of macOS
The WiFi password sharing feature did not exist before macOS Sierra. If your Mac is running El Capitan (10.11), Yosemite (10.10), or anything older, the share option will never appear. You can still see and use the WiFi network, but there is no built-in way to extract and share the password.
You can check which version of macOS you are running by clicking the Apple menu in the top-left corner, selecting "About This Mac", and looking at the "System Software" line. If it says anything older than 10.12, you have found your problem.
Updating to a newer version of macOS will add the password-sharing feature, but it also requires your Mac to meet certain hardware requirements. Not every older Mac can run the latest versions of macOS. If your Mac is too old to update, you can still share the password manually by going to System Preferences > Network, selecting the WiFi network, and clicking "Advanced" — but this method is more cumbersome and requires you to read the password character by character.
The network itself blocks password sharing
Some WiFi networks are configured to prevent password sharing, even if your Mac technically supports it. This is common on corporate networks, school networks, and networks managed by IT departments. The router or network controller is set up to refuse the password-sharing request, so your Mac cannot complete the action.
You will usually see an error message like "Unable to share password" or "This network does not support sharing" when you try. This is not a problem with your Mac — it is a deliberate restriction on the network side. There is nothing you can do to override it from your computer.
If this is your own home network and you are seeing this error, it is possible your router has an unusual configuration. Check your router's admin panel (usually accessible by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into a web browser) and look for any settings related to password sharing or AirDrop. Most home routers do not have these restrictions, so this is uncommon.
How to share the password if your Mac will not do it
If none of the above solutions work, you have a few alternatives. The simplest is to reset your WiFi password from the router itself. Log into your router's admin panel using the default username and password (usually printed on the router), find the WiFi settings, and change the password to something new. Then you can share that new password however you like — by text, email, or by having the other person connect while you read it aloud.
Another option is to use a QR code. Some routers allow you to generate a QR code that contains the WiFi network name and password. Anyone with a smartphone can scan the code to connect without needing to type the password. Check your router's app or admin panel to see if this feature is available.
If you are in a workplace or school setting and the network is managed by IT, contact the IT department directly. They can either share the password with you or add your device to the network on their end.
Checking if your Mac supports password sharing
To confirm that your Mac can share passwords, hold the Option key and click the WiFi icon in the menu bar. Look for the network you want to share. If you see a "Copy Password" option or a share icon next to the network name, your Mac supports the feature. If you see nothing but the network name and signal strength, your Mac is either too old or you are not logged into the account that originally connected.
You can also check by going to System Preferences (or System Settings on newer Macs), clicking Network, selecting WiFi, and clicking Advanced. Look for any password-sharing options in the list. On very new Macs, you may also see a share button directly in the WiFi menu without needing to hold Option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a WiFi password if I am a guest user on the Mac?
No. Guest accounts cannot access passwords stored in the Keychain, even if the network is available. Only the user account that originally connected to the network can share its password. Ask the primary account holder to share it instead.
What if I forgot which account connected to the WiFi?
You can check by holding Option and clicking the WiFi icon in the menu bar. If you see "Copy Password" next to the network name, you are logged into the correct account. If you do not see that option, try logging into other user accounts on the Mac until you find one that does.
Does resetting my router delete the WiFi password?
Yes. A factory reset returns the router to its default settings, including a default WiFi password (usually printed on the router itself). You will need to set up a new WiFi network and password from scratch. This is a last resort if you cannot find any other way to share the password.
Can I share a WiFi password from my iPhone instead of my Mac?
Yes. iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 or newer can share WiFi passwords with other Apple devices. If you have an iPhone that is connected to the network, you can use that to share the password instead of your Mac.
Why does my Mac show the WiFi network but not let me connect?
This usually means the password stored in your Keychain is incorrect or outdated. Try "Forget" the network (Option-click the WiFi icon, select the network, click "Forget"), then reconnect and enter the password manually. This updates the stored password in your Keychain.