How to manage a Wi-Fi password on your PC?

In this guide, we will show you how to find your Wi-Fi password if you have forgotten it.

We will also discuss how to сhange the Wi-Fi password for all connected devices and reset the connection on your devices when the Wi-Fi password has been changed.

Keep reading if you would like to learn these useful tricks.

Find Your Wi-Fi Password on a Windows 10 Device

The first time you connect to a password-secured Wi-Fi network, you obviously have to provide the network security key before you could do so. Afterward, your computer saves the password so that you wouldn’t have to type it again next time.

But after a while, you might forget what the password is, in which case you won’t be able to connect a new device to the network.

When you are in such a fix, there is a way to find the Wi-Fi password again:

1. Click the Wi-Fi icon at the bottom of your screen. It is displayed in the right corner of the taskbar.
2. Click on Change the Settings > Network & Internet settings.
3. Once you are on Network Connections, locate the Wi-Fi adapter you want to know the password for and right-click on it.
4. Click Status and then click the Wireless Properties button.
5. Move to the Security tab and mark the ‘Show characters’ checkbox under the Network Security Key field. You will then see the password that is required for connection to the Wi-Fi network.

How to Change a Wi-Fi Password

Now, there are two scenarios when it comes to changing a Wi-Fi password:

1. The wireless connection’s security key has been changed, in which case you have to build the connection again on your computer before you can browse the internet.
2. You want to reset the Wi-Fi password on the router, after which Scenario A comes into play.

Let’s take a closer look at the above scenarios.

Change the Saved Wi-Fi Password on Your Windows 10 Computer

Once there’s a password change for the Wi-Fi network you are connected to, the password that was saved on your computer won’t be valid anymore. This means that you will no longer be able to access the internet until you provide the new password and build the connection again.

How to Delete a Wi-Fi Password on Windows 10

The following steps will show you how to change the saved Wi-Fi password so that you can connect to the network again using the new password:

1. Open the Start menu and click on Settings (shown as the cogwheel). A faster alternative is to press the Windows logo key + I keyboard combination to invoke the Windows Settings page.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Wi-Fi in the left pane of the new page.
4. Click the ‘Manage known networks’ link.
5. A list of all the remembered networks that you have ever connected to will be automatically displayed. Click on the one for which you would like to change the saved password. Then click the ‘Forget’ button.

After you have completed the above steps, close the Settings app and go back to the desktop. Click on the Network icon in the right corner of your taskbar. Once the desired Wi-Fi connection is in range, you will see it displayed on the list of available connections. Then all you have to do is click on it and enter the new network security key (password). You will be connected and be able to browse the internet again.

How to Change the Security Key of Your Router’s Wireless Network

You can change the security key (password) of your router’s wireless network by observing the procedure presented below.

How to set a new Wi-Fi password:

1. Log in to the router as an admin.
2. Access the wireless network settings.

• Change the network security key (password).

Let’s now go through the procedure.

Step 1: Log In to the Router as an Admin

Make sure that your computer is connected to the router. Then follow these steps to obtain the router’s IP address:

1. Invoke the Run dialog. To do this, press the Windows key + R keyboard combination.
2. Type ‘CMD’ in the text box and hit Enter on your keyboard or click the OK button on the screen. This will open the Command Prompt window.
3. Type ‘Ipconfig’ (do not include the inverted commas) and hit Enter on your keyboard. Copy the IPv4 address that is displayed under ‘Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi.’ It will look something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.2.1.

Note: You can also find the router’s IP address in the manual that came with the router.

4. After you have obtained the IP address, launch your browser (for example, Google Chrome) and paste the copied address in the URL bar. Then click Go or press Enter on your keyboard. This will build a connection to the router.
5. You can now use the administrative login details to log in to the router.

Step 2: Access the Wireless Network Settings

After you have logged in to the router’s interface, head for the Wireless or WLAN settings page. There, you will be able to change the security password for your Wi-Fi network.

Step 3: Change the Network Security Key (Password)

Once you are on the Settings page of the router, you will see the encryption type for the wireless network and be able to change the password (security key). Click the Save button once you have made the desired change.

After you’ve changed your security key, follow the instructions in the previous section of this guide to reset the saved password on your connected devices (PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc.).

How Often Should One Change Wi-Fi Connection Passwords?

You may like to know the advisable frequency at which you should be changing your Wi-Fi connection passwords. This depends on your unique situation and the possibility that someone might have had access to your password. If the risk is high, then you should change your password as often as possible.

Another factor you should consider is how difficult it will be for you to reset the saved password on all your connected devices after you’ve changed the network security key (password).

Note: Keep in mind that your router has a password for Wi-Fi connections and another password for the router configuration/setup. The former prevents those within the connection range of the wireless network from using your connection without permission. The latter, on the other hand, which includes a username and password, protects the router from being accessed by unauthorized persons.

When you purchase your router, it comes with a default username and password. You can then set a different password for it. How often you want to change those passwords depends on you. If a situation arises where you have to perform a hard reset to restore the default settings of the router, the username and password will be reset to their default settings as well.

We hope you have found our guide on how to manage your Wi-Fi password useful. You now know how to find your password when you forget it and thus cannot connect a new device to the network. We also looked at how to change the saved password on your Windows 10 devices and how to set a new Wi-Fi password on your router.

If you have any confusion, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can also leave us a comment in the section below. We will be glad to hear from you.

Cheers!

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