Every Wi-Fi network you’ve ever connected to and entered a password is hidden. You can view these entries and delete them in macOS 12 Monterey and earlier versions of macOS:
- In System Preferences > Networkselect the Wi-Fi interface from the list on the left.
- Click on Advanced.
- On the Wi-Fi tab, select an entry under Preferred networks.
- Click the minus (-) icon.
- A prompt appears to confirm the deletion. With iCloud Keychain enabled on your Mac, it warns you that the entry will be deleted on all of your linked devices.
- Click on Remove.
If you want to know the password to any of these networks, you’re totally out of luck. Launch Apps > Utilities > Keychain Accessmake sure the login
keychain is selected in the list of keychains on the left, then enter any part of the name in the search field in the upper right corner. You can also enter “AirPort” to find all stored Wi-Fi network passwords – Apple still uses this tag for nostalgia and backwards compatibility.
To retrieve the password for one of these networks, control-click the entry and choose Copy Password or double-click on the entry and check the “Show password” box. You will be prompted to enter an administrator username and password; enter it and click Allow. The first option copies it; the second allows you to view and copy it.
This will become easier in the next release of macOS 13 Ventura, which is currently in beta testing, including public betas available to all Mac users. In Ventura:
- Open System Parameters > Network.
- Under the Wi-Fi entry, click Advanced.
- Click the More icon (…) to the right of a network name and select Copy Password.
You can also delete entries here by clicking the plus icon, selecting Remove from the listby validating by clicking Removethen authenticating with Touch ID or an administrator password.
For the first time on iOS and iPad, version 16 releases due out later this year also allow access to stored Wi-Fi network entries. Previously, you could only interact with a stored network entry, such as deleting it by tapping Forget This Network, while connected to the network.
Under iOS 16/iPadOS 16:
- Go to Settings > Wireless.
- Press the new Edit button in the upper right corner.
- Authenticate with Touch ID, Face ID, or your password, as applicable.
You can now tap the red minus circle icon to delete a network (and confirm its deletion). Or tap the information icon to get the full set of network settings. When viewing network details, tap the Password field and tap Copy in the pop-up item that appears, and the password is copied to the clipboard.
Faucet to cancel (if you haven’t made any changes or want to undo them) or Do (to accept any changes) in the list of networks when you are finished managing or viewing networks.
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