How to Share Internet Connection in Windows 11.
When someone asks you to share your PC’s Wi-Fi connection, what do you do? You can give them the Wi-Fi password so they can connect their device directly to the network. Or you can share the Internet on your computer using Windows’ Mobile Hotspot feature, which turns your computer into a makeshift router.
Read : How to Connect Your Windows pc to a Mobile Hotspot
If you don’t remember your network security key, we’ll show you how to find saved Wi-Fi passwords in Windows. This guide also covers the steps to set up and use a mobile hotspot for Internet sharing on your computer.
View Wi-Fi Password via Control Panel
The Windows Control Panel offers a simple and non-technical approach to checking the security details of your network connections. You can open the Control Panel Settings app through Windows Search or Windows Settings. We’ll show you how to do both.
Method 1: Open Control Panel Settings via Windows Search
Type control panel in the Windows search bar and select “Open” under the “Control Panel” application.
Select View network status and tasks under the Network and Internet category. The Network and Sharing Center window will open.
Select an active Wi-Fi network in the Connections bar.
Click the Wireless Properties button.
Go to the “Security” tab on the Wi-Fi status page and check the “Show Symbols” box. You should see the Wi-Fi network password in the Network Security Key field.
You can copy the network security key to your PC’s clipboard. Click OK to close the Wireless Properties dialog box.
Method: from the Windows settings menu
Open Settings (press Windows key + I) and select Network & Internet from the sidebar.
A faster option is to right-click the Start menu or press Windows key + X and select Network Connections.
Select Advanced network settings at the bottom of the Network & Internet settings menu.
Scroll to the “Related settings” section and select “Advanced network adapter settings”.
Right-click the active connection’s Wi-Fi adapter and select Status.
Select “Wireless Network Properties” and go to the “Security” tab on the next page.
Check the Show characters box to see the network password.
See Wi-Fi Password in Windows Powershell
You can view Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 10 and 11 by running certain Powershell commands.
Press Windows key + X and select Terminal (Admin) from the shortcut menu. The Powershell tab in the Windows Terminal will open.
Type or paste the netsh wlan show profile into the terminal and press Enter.
Note the network name or SSID (Service Set Identifier) in the “User Profile List”.
Then paste the netsh wlan show “Wi-Fi Name” key into the Powershell terminal. Replace the Wi-Fi name with the network name/SSID and press Enter to run the command.
You will see a bunch of information about your connection. Scroll to the “Security Settings” section and check the “Basic Content” line for your Wi-Fi password.
View Wi-Fi Password in Command Prompt
Run the commands below to view Wi-Fi network passwords in Windows 11 using Command Prompt.
Press the Windows key + R, type cmd in the Run box and press Enter or select OK.
Type or paste netsh wlan show profiles into the console and press Enter to run the command.
Command Prompt will display all saved Wi-Fi networks on your computer. Look through the profiles and take note of the WI-Fi network whose password you want to check.
Type or paste netsh wlan show profile name=profilename key=clear into the console. Replace the profile name with the Wi-Fi network name.
If the network profile name is “ABC Wi-Fi”, the command should look like this: netsh wlan show profile name=ABC Wi-Fi key=clear. Network names are case sensitive, so make sure you enter the profile name as it appears in step 2.
Scroll down to the “Security Settings” section and check the “Main Content” line for a network password.
Use Third-Party Software
Viewing Wi-Fi passwords through Control Panel, Command Prompt, or Windows Terminal can be stressful. They include many steps and commands that you are likely to forget.
WirelessKeyView is a popular application that provides a one-click solution to check Wi-Fi network passwords on Windows. The application is free, easy to use, secure and does not contain complicated steps or commands.
Visit the developer’s website and download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the software. Don’t know which version to download? Refer to this guide to check which 32-bit or 64-bit Windows PC you have. Pay attention to the “Password of the Zip File” on the download page. You will need a password to unlock/unzip the installation file on your computer.
Install the WirelessKeyView software and launch the application. Information about all previously used Wi-Fi networks can be found in the control panel of the application. Network passwords are in the Key (Ascii) line.
Select a network and press F8 to quickly copy its password. Alternatively, right-click the network and select “Copy Key (Ascii)”.
Share Wi-Fi Connection via Hotspot
Windows 10 and 11 have a Mobile Hotspot feature that allows you to share the Internet on your computer via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Go to “Settings > Network & Internet” and select “Mobile hotspot”.
From the drop-down menu, expand Share My Internet Connection and select the active connection source – Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
Then choose whether you want to share your connection via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
If you choose to share your connection over Wi-Fi, expand the Properties section to check your mobile hotspot credentials. Select “Edit” to change the hotspot name and password.
Scroll to the top of the page and turn on Mobile Hotspot to share your PC connection with nearby devices.
Add a mobile hotspot to the Windows Action Center to share the Internet without going to the Settings app.
Press Windows key + A to open the Windows 11 Action Center and select the pen icon in the lower right corner. Click Add, select Mobile Hotspot, and click Done.
You will now be able to enable or disable mobile hotspot from the Notification Center. To open Mobile Hotspot settings, right-click Mobile Hotspot and select Go to Settings.
Retrieve Wi-Fi Passwords and Share Your Internet
Some private network administrators discourage unauthorized use of Wi-Fi or the distribution of passwords. Before sharing your wireless network password, make sure you have permission to do so. If you are having problems using mobile hotspot, please disable VPN and firewall connections on your PC and try again. Restart your computer if the problem persists. Also, make sure your device’s operating system is up to date.
How to Share Internet Connection in Windows 11
How to Share Internet Connection in Windows 11