Let’s face it, one of the most stressful parts of hosting a guest is that inevitable question. “What’s your WiFi password?” A Ponemon Institute study found 53% of people rely on their own memory for recalling passwords. Some write their WiFi password on a sticky note. Others keep it on their fridge or in their notes app. Usually, you can find the default password printed on a sticky label on the side or bottom of your wireless router. But no matter where your password is stored, we all have one thing in common: it’s usually a pain to hunt down.
Luckily, there are multiple ways to find and share WiFi passwords. Rather than keeping your friends and family waiting to use the internet, easily share your WiFi password from your phone with just a few clicks.
How to find your WiFi password on your phone
The first step to sharing your home WiFi password with guests is finding the password. Forget about searching for that long-lost sticky note or wracking your brain for the code. These days, you can usually find the password on one of your devices, such as your phone. Below, you’ll find the most common devices and how to find your WiFi password.
Finding your password on Android
Unfortunately, there’s no way to directly view your password on an Android 9 or older. But if you have a newer Android, there’s a way to find and share your WiFi password. First, make sure you’re connected to the WiFi network you’d like to find the password for. Then, follow these steps:
- Go to your settings, WiFi network, and WiFi
- Select the connected WiFi network
- Tap on the Share button
- Verify your security method, such as your fingerprint or pin code
- You should see your password and/or a QR code
Finding your password on iPhone
To find your password on an iPhone, you’ll need a Mac to search your Keychain feature.
- On your iPhone, go to settings and tap on iCloud
- In iCloud, make sure your Keychain feature is enabled
- Now, on your Mac, go to the menu and select System Preferences
- In iCloud, log into the same account as your iPhone
- Enable Keychain and wait for the two accounts to sync passwords
- Open Spotlight search and select Keychain Access
- In the Search box, type in the name of the WiFi network you’re looking for
- Lastly, check the box that says “Show password” and view the result
How to share your WiFi password from your phone
Now that you’ve found your password, you can share with your family and friends who have been waiting patiently to surf the web on your WiFi network.
Sharing your password on Android
Whether your guest has an Android or iPhone, you can share the password from your Android easily. Simply open the QR scanner on their phone, scan the code on your device, and you’re done! Your guest is now connected to your home WiFi without having to share a password.
If, for some reason, that method doesn’t work, you can also manually enter the WiFi password on your guest’s device.
Sharing your password on iPhone
Now that you can see the WiFi password on your Mac’s Keychain feature, you can share it with others. But what if you don’t have a Mac? Don’t worry—there’s an even easier way to share your password between iPhones.
- Make sure your guest’s phone number is in your Contacts on your iPhone
- Enable Bluetooth on both devices
- Make sure you’re connected to the WiFi network you want to share
- On your guest’s phone, tap on that WiFi network until you see the password screen
- Bring both phones close to each other
- On your phone, a “Share your WiFi” option should pop up
- Tap the Share Password button
Keep your data secure when sharing WiFi passwords
In this age of digital innovation, we have passwords for everything. Most people tend to create simple, easy-to-remember passwords that they use for everything—from work to banking to home WiFi. More than half of internet users use the same password for most, if not all, of their accounts. One of the best methods of protecting your home WiFi from hackers and scammers is crafting a strong WiFi password.
The safest way to connect guests to your home WiFi is to share your WiFi from your phone using the QR code or Share Password options, rather than sharing the password directly. This way, your friends and family can happily stream, shop, and game without compromising your passwords.
What is your favorite way to share WiFi password with the people you love? Do you prefer the sticky note method or storing passwords in your memory? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
