It’s frustrating if you can’t find WiFi password on your Android device, especially when you really need to use the internet to send an email or work on an assignment. Whatever the reason, your device usually remembers the password indefinitely. If it’s for security reasons, it won’t share the password.
Thankfully, you can display your WiFi password on Android (for rooted devices), and access all your folders using a command line tool, regardless of the device you’re using.
What to do when you can’t find WiFi password on Android
Use a Terminal Emulator
This tool can help you access the file storing your WiFi password. You can choose from many terminal emulators, but one of the good tools is Termux, which brings Linux command line utilities to Android so you can use your phone like a Linux didstro. To do this:
- Open Termux from Google Play Store and input this command: $ pkg install termux-tools·
- Root permissions by entering this command: $ su and grant superuser permissions
- Enter # cat /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf on the command line
- Under Network block, find psk entry
- Check the ssid for each block for your network’s name
- Write the password and keep in a safe place you can use later.
Use ADB
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) helps you do everything from your computer, so you can pull the WiFi configuration from your phone and view from your computer.
To do this:
- Install ADB on the computer (best OS is Linux, though Windows and Mac can be used)
- Open a terminal in Linux and run this command: $ sudo apt install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot
- For Windows, download the latest platform tools, unzip the compressed file and open the folder. Right click in the folder and select to open a terminal window
- For Mac, download the Google platform tools for Mac and unzip the compressed file. Open Mac terminal app and run this command: $ cd /path/to/android/tools
- Connect the Android to the computer. You can copy the actual configuration file from the Android device and switch the connection from charging to MTP to transfer files
- Enter $ adb devices in the terminal window on your computerYou’ll get a notification asking you to enable USB debugging.
Allow and run the command above to show the device’s serial numberRun these commands from the terminal
$ adb shell
$ su
# cat /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
Copy the configuration by running these commands:
# cp /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf /sdcard/
# exit
$ exit
$ adb pull /sdcard/wpa_supplicant.conf ~/Downloads/
Open the file on the computer and access everything
Find the network blocks in the file, and your network using the ssid. The password is found under psk. Exit the shell by typing: # exit $ exit and disconnect your device safely.
Make sure your password is written somewhere safe and store it for later use.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.
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