Working online involves a lot of usernames and passwords. You may need your WiFi password for your job, streaming, or school. Most people use their internet access on several devices throughout the day. Many devices, including Macbooks, give you the option of saving your passwords. Saving passwords gives you the freedom to work quickly without having to remember a large amount of login information. You may need to recover your password for several situations, however. You may need the password for guests, new devices, or for network changes.
Guests
If you have a guest over, they may ask for your internet password to get their computer or tablet online. Whether you have parents visiting from out of town, or a study partner visiting, learn the steps to getting your lost password off of your Macbook. You can look online at this article, or follow the steps provided in the following paragraphs.
New Devices
When you get any new device, you must set up internet access. You must have your network password to connect computers, tablets, and printers, for example. You may have access to the network password on your router to get your new devices online. Most individuals change their password to a more specific word when they set up internet service, however.
Network Changes
When you sign up for a new internet provider, you must initiate the account setup process. During this time, you may choose a new password. If you change providers or get a new modem, you may need to start a new setup or manually login to your network. A saved password may not work for these situations, since you must do a manual login.
Keychain
Use the Keychain app on your Macbook to recover your lost WiFi password. As long as you know your Macbook administrator password, you can find your lost password with a few simple steps.
- Open the Keychain app through Spotlight Search.
- Click on the “System” option.
- Find the word “Categories” and click on it.
- Look for the name of your WiFi network and choose it.
- Choose “show password” from the choices.
- You must now sign in with your Macbook username and password to view the WiFi password.
These steps help you recover passwords for both WiFi and other applications you use regularly with saved information.
Terminal
Terminal is another app on Macbook that can help you find your forgotten WiFi password. Terminal makes the process quick if you know the specific name of your network. If you prefer to use commands to access items on your computer, Terminal may work best for you.
- Look for Terminal using Spotlight Search.
- Type the proper command to find your network password. Use the following command, placing your unique WiFi network name in the section that says “WIFI NAME”.
– security find-generic-password-ga WIFI NAME l grep “password:”
When you know exactly what you want and have the command, Terminal can save time.
Your passwords won’t remain lost forever when you know how to find them with simple apps on your Macbook. Keep your Macbook administrator username and password written down somewhere safe, however. You must have this authentication to gain access to passwords in both Keychain and Terminal. Recovering passwords helps you avoid resetting them and allows you to sign in on multiple devices.
