How to Share Your Wifi Password From iPhone, Android, or Mac
Sharing your wifi password is an annoying process that’s probably better off automated—especially if you have people coming over frequently. You can either print your wifi password and tape it to your fridge, or join us in the 21st century and use one of these clever ways to automatically share your wifi with your guests. But if these aren’t an option for you, then you can easily share your wifi password from pretty much any device.
Share your wifi password from your iPhone or iPad
Credit: Pranay Parab
Apple makes it pretty easy to share passwords with other Apple devices. You can use your iPhone to share wifi passwords with anyone else in your vicinity who’s using an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac. First, check the following things:
-
All devices are updated to the latest available version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
-
On your iPhone or iPad, you’re signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
-
All devices have Bluetooth and wifi turned on.
-
Personal hotspot is turned off on all devices.
-
Your iPhone or iPad and your guest’s Apple device are near each other.
Once this is done, ask your guest to connect to your wifi network. When they see the prompt asking them for the password, you’ll see a pop-up on your iPhone or iPad, asking if you want to share the wifi password with them. Tap Share Password to complete the process.
As smooth as this is, there are times when this pop-up doesn’t show up. If you encounter such a situation, or if your guests are Windows or Android users, you’ll have to manually share your wifi password with them. To do this, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the i button next to your wifi network’s name. Tap Password and use Face ID or Touch ID to reveal your wifi password. You can now share it with your guests.
Credit: Pranay Parab
If you have iOS 18, which is technically still in beta, there’s another way to easily share wifi passwords with friends. Apple’s Passwords app, which is a free password manager that ships with iOS 18, stores wifi credentials, too. Follow these steps to share saved wifi passwords in iOS 18:
-
Open the Passwords app on your iOS 18 device.
-
Tap the WiFi button. This will open a page that shows all saved wifi networks.
-
Use the search bar to find any stored wifi networks on your device. If you’re already connected to the wifi network, then it will show up at the top of the list.
-
Once you’ve selected a saved wifi network, tap the Show Network QR Code button. This will display a QR code that others can scan from any device.
-
Alternatively, you can open a saved wifi network in iOS 18’s Passwords app and tap the Share button in the top-right corner. This will open the share sheet, where you can send wifi network details using any app on your iPhone. This method sends the wifi network name and password in plain text.
You can also take a screenshot of the QR code and print it out for your guests, so you don’t have to keep going back to it.
Share wifi password on a Mac
Credit: Pranay Parab
As long as you have macOS High Sierra or newer, and your guests have Apple devices running relatively recent versions of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, you can easily share your wifi password from your Mac. This method works well between Apple devices. Just go through the small checklist I highlighted above and ask your guests to connect to your wifi. You’ll see a pop-up on your Mac asking if you want to share your wifi password. Tap Share to send it to your guests.
If this doesn’t work, or if your guests don’t have Apple devices, you can easily find and share your wifi password manually. To do this, click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen and head over to System Settings > Wi-Fi. Click the three-dots icon next to your wifi network and select Copy Password. You can then paste this password in any app and send it to your guests.
Share wifi passwords on Android
Credit: Pranay Parab
Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi and tap the gear icon next to your wifi network. Hit the Share button to reveal a QR code and the wifi password. Some of your guests will be able to scan the QR code to connect to your wifi, depending on which device they’re using. Others can use the wifi password that’s written in plain text below the QR code.
Share wifi passwords on Windows
Credit: Pranay Parab
Windows, unfortunately, doesn’t allow you to easily share wifi passwords with others. You’ll have to look up the password on your computer and send it to others manually. Fortunately, this process is pretty easy. On Windows 11, find saved wifi passwords by going to Settings > Network & internet > Wifi > [YOUR WIFI NETWORK]. Now scroll down to View Wi-Fi security key and click the View button next to it. You’ll see the wifi password in a pop-up.
With Windows 10, you can do the same thing by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Network and Sharing Center. Click Connections: NETWORK NAME and select Wireless Properties. Go to the Security tab and check the Show characters box under Network security key. You’ll be able to see your wifi password on your computer.