How can I recover my Wifi network password?

A while ago, I connected my old laptop to the Wifi router at my community centre. I would like to do the same with my new laptop, but I cannot find the Wifi password.

Is it stored on my old laptop somewhere and, if so, can I recover it?


If your old laptop used Windows 7, the Wifi password can be retrieved by right-clicking the Wifi-connection icon in the Notification Area, selecting Properties and clicking the Security tab on the dialogue box that opens.

You’ll then see a box labelled ‘Network security’ key with a row of dots – just tick the Show characters box below this to reveal the password.

Older versions of Windows won’t show the Wifi password in this way, so you’ll need to download additional software to reveal it. Wireless Key View is a free download that will recover any saved Wifi passwords on Vista and XP PCs. I had the problem once when I logged into a network to post something on eBay (I had some Meinl cymbals for sale), then needed it again a couple of months later and just couldn’t remember what it was.

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