How to View Saved Wi-Fi Passwords on Linux

Wi-Fi is an essential part of our daily lives, and we rely on it to connect to the internet on our devices. Sometimes, we need to view saved Wi-Fi passwords on our Linux system for various reasons, such as reconnecting to a Wi-Fi network on a new device. In this how-to guide, we’ll explain how to view saved Wi-Fi passwords from the command line on Linux.

Using Network Manager

The nmcli command is a command-line tool that allows you to manage network connections on Linux. You can use the nmcli command to view saved Wi-Fi passwords on your Linux system by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Terminal

Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard or by searching for it in the applications menu.

Step 2: Install Network Manager

On Debian/Ubuntu-based distros, run:

sudo apt install network-manager

On Fedora/RPM-based distros, run:

sudo dnf install NetworkManager

On Arch-based distros, run:

sudo pacman -S networkmanager

Step 3: List Saved Connections

To list all your saved network connections, including Wi-Fi networks, run:

nmcli connection show

Step 3: View Wi-Fi Password

To view the saved Wi-Fi password, run:

nmcli connection show <connection-name> | grep -i wifi-sec.psk:

Replace <connection-name> with the name of the Wi-Fi network whose password you want to view. For example, if the Wi-Fi network name is “MyHomeNetwork,” the command will look like this:

nmcli connection show MyHomeNetwork | grep -i wifi-sec.psk:

The output of this command will display the saved Wi-Fi password for the network.

Using WPA Supplicant

The wpa_supplicant.conf file is a configuration file for the WPA Supplicant, which is a software implementation of the WPA security protocol. This file stores the Wi-Fi network information, including the password. You can view the saved Wi-Fi passwords by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Terminal

Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard or by searching for it in the applications menu.

Step 2: Install WPA Supplicant

On Debian/Ubuntu-based distros, run:

sudo apt install wpasupplicant

On Fedora/RPM-based distros, run:

sudo dnf install wpa_supplicant

On Arch-based distros, run:

sudo pacman -S wpa_supplicant

Step 3: Navigate to WPA Supplicant File

To navigate to the wpa_supplicant.conf file, run:

cd /etc/wpa_supplicant/

Step 4: View Wi-Fi Password

To view the saved Wi-Fi password, run:

sudo cat wpa_supplicant.conf

This command will display the contents of the wpa_supplicant.conf file, including the saved Wi-Fi passwords.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the nmcli command and the wpa_supplicant.conf file are both useful tools to manage and troubleshoot network connections on Linux. By using these methods, you can easily view saved Wi-Fi passwords on your Linux system, which can be helpful in various situations.