Photo: Cristian Gutu (Shutterstock)
Every time you have visitors to you home, they probably ask for the wifi password before anything else. You can go the route of the local coffee shop and take the wifi name and password up on the wall, or keep sharing these credentials manually until you have them memorized. Or, you can speed up this process significantly by sharing your login info directly using any device or platform. We’ll show you how to get that done.
How to share wifi passwords on iPhone and iPad
If you are sharing passwords with people who have other Apple devices, then there’s not much to do. Simply make sure your iPhone or iPad is updated to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Also, check if you’ve signed in to iCloud on your device. (You can do that by going to Settings; if you see your name at the top, you’re set.) The final preparation step requires you to make sure the other person’s Apple ID is saved to your address book.
With that done, unlock your iPhone or iPad, which should already be connected to your local network. Ask your friend to select the correct wifi network name on their Apple device. You’ll now see a pop-up on your iPhone or iPad asking if you want to share your wifi password with your friend. Tap Share Password and you’re all set.
This will work without a hitch as long as you are connected to the wifi network you’re trying to share and your friend’s devices are near your iPhone or iPad.
If you are trying to share your wifi password with people who don’t have Apple devices, you’ll have to resort to more manual means.
G/O Media may get a commission
How to share wifi passwords on Mac
Sharing wifi passwords from your Mac is extremely easy as long as, again, you’re sharing to other Apple devices. The preparation steps are the same as those mentioned for iPhone and iPad—sign in to iCloud, make sure whoever you’re sharing the info with has updated to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, and add your friends’ Apple IDs to the Contacts app.
Once these things are taken care of, just connect to the wifi network and ask your friends to try the same thing. Your Mac will show a pop-up asking if you want to share the wifi password. Click Share. Your friend’s device will automatically connect to the wifi network.
A caveat: This feature works only if you have macOS High Sierra (10.13) or a newer version installed on your Mac. You can check this by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner on your Mac’s desktop and selecting About This Mac.
For non-Apple devices, you’ll have to manually share the saved password if you are using a Mac. To find saved wifi passwords on Mac, you can open the Keychain Access app (which is pre-loaded on your Mac). Select the iCloud tab in the left pane and then click Passwords on the right, just below Keychain Access. You can use the search box in the top-right corner to search for your wifi network’s name.
When you’ve found the wifi network, right-click it and select Copy Password to Clipboard. You can then quickly send it to your friends.
How to share wifi passwords from Android
As long you have an Android phone that is running Android 10 or later, you will be able to generate a QR code to quickly share your wifi network password. Just go to Settings > Network & internet > Wifi and tap the gear icon next to the name of the wifi network you’re connected to. Hit Share, which has a QR code icon too, enter your passcode, and you’ll see a QR code on screen.
Ask your friends to scan this code on their phones to connect to your wifi network. Most Android phones have the Google Lens app, which can scan QR codes and open them quickly. If you have an iPhone, you can open the Camera app and scan the QR code to connect.
How to share wifi passwords from Windows
Sadly Windows 10 doesn’t have a built-in way to quickly share wifi passwords. Your best bet is to use another device to share your wifi password quickly. To find saved wifi passwords on Windows 10, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Network and Sharing Center. Click Connections: NETWORK NAME and select Wireless Properties.
The last step involves clicking the Security tab and checking the Show characters box under Network security key. You’ll be able to see your wifi password on your computer so you can manually share it with those who want to use your internet connection.
