How to Find and Share Wi-Fi Passwords on iPhone in 2026

If you’ve been struggling with a forgotten Wi-Fi password, your iPhone can reveal it without sending you into the router’s admin panel. You can view the current network, search previously joined networks, or create a QR code for someone nearby.

The quickest method depends on your software. iOS 16 and later can reveal passwords through Settings, while iOS 18 and later also provides a dedicated Passwords app.

Find the Password for Your Current Wi-Fi Network

Your iPhone saves the password after joining a network. Apple protects the saved credential behind Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.

On iOS 16 or later:

1. Open Settings > Wi-Fi.
2. Find the network with the blue checkmark.
3. Tap the info (i) button beside its name.

4. Tap the hidden Password field.
5. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
6. Tap Copy to place the password on the clipboard.

Be careful when pasting the password into Messages or Mail. Anyone who can read that conversation will have access to the network until its password changes.

Apple documents the same process in its guide to finding saved Wi-Fi passwords.

Find Passwords for Previously Joined Networks

You don’t need to reconnect to an old network before checking its password. The saved-network list includes Wi-Fi networks your iPhone remembers, provided their credentials remain in your keychain.

1. Open Settings > Wi-Fi.
2. Tap Edit in the upper-right corner.
3. Authenticate when prompted.
4. Find the network under the saved or known networks list.
5. Tap its info (i) button.
6. Tap Password, authenticate if requested, and choose Copy.

This solves the common problem of needing a password for another device while you’re away from that location. If the network doesn’t appear, your iPhone no longer has a saved record for it.

Use the Passwords App

On iOS 18 and later, the Passwords app gathers website logins, passkeys, verification codes, and Wi-Fi credentials in one place. It’s usually faster than searching through the longer Wi-Fi settings list.

1. Open Passwords.
2. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
3. Tap Wi-Fi.
4. Search for or select the network.
5. Tap the Password field to reveal it.
6. Tap the password again if you want to copy it.

The Passwords app addresses this by separating Wi-Fi credentials from your other saved accounts. A third-party password manager can still be a better fit if you regularly move between Apple, Android, and Windows devices.

Share Wi-Fi Without Reading the Password

If the other person uses an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, Apple’s nearby sharing prompt takes care of the exchange without displaying the credential.

Before starting, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices. Keep them nearby, make sure your iPhone is unlocked and connected to the network, and confirm the recipient’s Apple Account email address is saved in your Contacts.

Then:

1. Ask the other person to select the Wi-Fi network on their device.
2. Wait for Wi-Fi Password to appear on your iPhone.
3. Tap Share Password.
4. Tap Done after their device connects.

The prompt can be temperamental. If it doesn’t appear, lock and unlock both devices, confirm Personal Hotspot is off, and check that each person’s Apple Account details are saved in the other’s Contacts.

Share the Network With a QR Code

The Passwords app can display a Wi-Fi QR code on supported current versions of iOS. This option works well for Android phones and other devices that can scan network codes.

1. Open Passwords > Wi-Fi.
2. Select the network.
3. Tap Show Network QR Code.
4. Ask the other person to scan the code with their camera.

You don’t have to dictate a long string of mixed-case characters. However, anyone who photographs that QR code can use it later, so don’t leave it displayed in a public place.

Sync Wi-Fi Passwords With a Mac or iPad

iCloud Passwords & Keychain syncs saved credentials between devices signed into the same Apple Account. This handles Wi-Fi passwords alongside your other saved credentials.

Turn On Password Syncing on iPhone

1. Open Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
2. Tap Passwords or Passwords & Keychain. The displayed label can vary with the installed iOS release.
3. Turn on Sync this iPhone.

Your iPhone needs an internet connection to upload the encrypted keychain data. Syncing can take a few minutes, especially after enabling the setting on a new device.

Turn On Password Syncing on Mac

1. Open the Apple menu > System Settings.

2. Select your name, then open iCloud.

3. Select Passwords or Passwords & Keychain.
4. Turn on Sync this Mac.

Both devices must use the same Apple Account. If you’re helping a family member who uses a separate account, use nearby password sharing, a QR code, or a shared password group instead.

View the Wi-Fi Password on Mac

On a current macOS release, open the Passwords app and authenticate with Touch ID or your Mac login password. Select Wi-Fi, choose the network, and reveal or copy its password.

A stalled Mac can sometimes pull down its keychain after getting online through the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. Once synchronization finishes, reconnect the Mac to its usual network.

Share Wi-Fi Credentials With a Group

Shared password groups let family members or trusted colleagues receive selected credentials through iCloud. Changes made to a shared entry become available to the group, which is useful when a household changes its Wi-Fi password.

In the Passwords app:

1. Create a new shared group.
2. Add the people you trust.
3. Move or add the relevant Wi-Fi credential to that group.
4. Send the invitation.

Group members need compatible Apple devices and iCloud Passwords & Keychain enabled. Use this for people who should retain access, not temporary guests.

Apple’s shared password and passkey instructions explain how group membership and credential sharing work.

Check the Router When the Password Isn’t Saved

Your iPhone can’t reveal a network password it has never stored. In that case, check the router’s label, its companion app, or its administration page.

Many current routers print the default network name and password on a label. Some also include a QR code that your iPhone’s Camera app can scan. This won’t show a password that someone changed after installation.

Find the Router Address

1. Connect to the router’s Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Settings > Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the info (i) button beside the network.
4. Find the address beside Router.

Enter that address in Safari. Router interfaces vary, but the credential is usually under a wireless, Wi-Fi, or security section.

Use the administrator credentials printed on the router or supplied by your internet provider. Don’t assume the login is “admin.” Reusing default administrator credentials is poor security, and many newer routers require a unique password during setup.

A mesh Wi-Fi router may put these controls in its companion app instead of a browser page. If the router belongs to your employer, hotel, landlord, or another organization, ask its administrator rather than attempting to change the configuration.

Fix a Missing Wi-Fi Password Option

If the Password field doesn’t appear, work through these checks in order.

1. Open Settings > General > Software Update and install the latest compatible iOS release.
2. On iOS 18 or later, check Passwords > Wi-Fi.
3. Restart the iPhone.
4. Open Settings > Wi-Fi > info (i) and confirm you’re viewing a saved personal network.
5. If you know the password, tap Forget This Network, reconnect by entering it manually, and check again.

Forgetting a network removes its saved connection details. Don’t do it unless you already have the correct password or another way to regain access.

Fix an “Incorrect Password” Error

An iPhone can keep submitting an old credential after the router password changes. Rejoining the network usually clears that stale entry.

1. Restart the iPhone and router.
2. Open Settings > Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the info (i) button beside the network.
4. Tap Forget This Network > Forget.
5. Select the network again and enter the current password.

Check capitalization carefully. Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive, and copied passwords sometimes include an unwanted space at the beginning or end.

Reset Network Settings

Use a network reset when several Wi-Fi networks fail or the connection profile appears damaged:

1. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
2. Tap Reset > Reset Network Settings.
3. Enter your passcode and confirm.

This removes saved Wi-Fi networks, VPN settings, and other network configuration from the iPhone. You’ll need to reconnect afterward, so keep the required passwords nearby. Apple’s iPhone reset guidance covers the available reset options.

Fix Wi-Fi Password Sharing Between Apple Devices

When the Share Password prompt refuses to appear, check the requirements Apple hides behind an otherwise convenient feature:

• Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for both devices.
• Turn off Personal Hotspot during the sharing attempt.
• Unlock both devices and keep them close together.
• Confirm the sharing device is already connected.
• Save each person’s Apple Account email address in the other’s Contacts.
• Enable iCloud Passwords & Keychain where appropriate.
• Restart both devices if the prompt remains stuck.

For devices signed into your own Apple Account, confirm Sync this iPhone and Sync this Mac are enabled. Both devices also need internet access before new keychain data can arrive.

Your Password Is Available Again

The forgotten-password problem is solved fastest through Settings > Wi-Fi or the Passwords app. Nearby sharing and QR codes are better when someone needs access but doesn’t need to read the credential.

Router access remains a useful fallback, though its menus are less consistent and easier to misconfigure. Once iCloud Passwords & Keychain is syncing properly, you should no longer be dealing with the same missing password on every Apple device.