How To Find Saved Passwords In Windows 10

It can be hard to manage all your passwords, especially if you have to regularly log in to multiple platforms.

For that reason, Windows gives users the luxury of saving passwords for local accounts and websites. It stores all your passwords, keeping a list of them, so you can access them when you want.

These saved passwords can range from the Wi-Fi networks to your web browsers to other local accounts on your computers.

It’s also relatively simple to retrieve these passwords through a built-in tool in your computer, which lets you do so by running specific commands.

If you use Internet Explorer, it gives you the option of managing your passwords and other login credentials in the settings option.

Furthermore, as Windows 10 transitions away from Internet Explorer, with its new browser, Microsoft Edge, we’ll also be focusing on how you can retrieve and manage saved passwords here.

Therefore, let’s look at ways you can retrieve and manage your stored passwords on Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge:

View Windows Saved Passwords Using The Credentials Manager

Windows Credentials Managers save all login details on a computer; they record all passwords you enter on the internet.

It also serves the same purpose for all other Windows passwords, allowing accessibility whenever you need them.

This feature automatically saves all the passwords from Internet Explorer and Edge. However, it is not programmed to automatically save web passwords from Chrome, Firefox, or other third-party browsers.

To save passwords from these other browsers, you will need to go to the settings menu and change the options.

To retrieve your passwords through the Credentials Manager, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Windows Control Panel
2. Click on User Accounts
3. Click on Credential Manager

Here, you will be presented with two options: Web Credentials and Windows Credentials.

If you follow the Web Credentials option, you will find the passwords you use to log in to different websites, such as Facebook. For these, you must:

1. Search for the account or network you want and then click on the arrow on the right
2. A dropdown tab will follow where you must click on Show next to the password
3. You will see a pop-up prompt where you must enter your administrator password
4. Enter the code to access recorded passwords

Under the Windows Credential option, you can find the passwords you use to access computer files and other logins.

This is where you need to go to access your local computer credentials, like the password to your NAS drive.

Typically, these credentials aren’t needed. However, knowledge about them can come in handy primarily if you work in a professional IT setup. 

Therefore, to find your local passwords, you need to:

1. Search through the Windows Credential section
2. To retrieve a password for an entry, click on the arrow next to it 
3. Click on the Show option next to the password

You’ll be asked to enter your Windows account password, following which the password will be displayed. If you use a fingerprint entry instead of a password, you’ll be prompted for a fingerprint scan.

Now that we’ve looked at the Credentials Manager method let’s look at another way of retrieving your passwords: the Command Prompt.

Using Command Prompt To Show Saved Wi-Fi Passwords

The Command Prompt feature allows you to perform essential tasks on your system, including searching for any saved passwords.

By running a simple command, you can access a list of all your networks and then retrieve individual passwords for each.

All you need to do is copy and paste commands in the Command Prompt box. Follow these steps:

1. Search for Command Prompt in the search bar and select Run as administrator in the window on the left
2. You might be prompted with a pop-up window asking you if you allow this program to make any changes to your computer. Select Yes!
3. Command Prompt window will appear
4. In the window, type in this command: rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr
5. Press Enter

All your saved passwords and usernames will be displayed on the screen.

Finding Your Wi-Fi Passwords Through Command Prompt

If you wish to retrieve the password you have saved for your Wi-Fi connection on your computer, follow these steps.

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator
2. In the CMD window, type in: netsh wlan show profiles
3. Note the name of the Wi-Fi network whose password you wish to retrieve
4. Type in this following Command, replacing the “NAME” portion with the name of the Wi-Fi network: netsh wlan show profile name=NAME key=clear
5. Press Enter and look for the Security Settings, where you will find an entry labeled as Key Content

Here, you will find your Wi-Fi password.

Accessing The Registry Editor

If you need access to your administrator password, you will need to first find the Windows 10 registry. To do so, follow the steps listed below.

Note: Be careful when accessing the registry, as even one wrong click can mess up your operating system.

1. Open the Windows Command Prompt in “run as administrator” mode
2. Type the following term: Regedit
3. Press Enter
4. This will show the Registry Editor window
5. Go to HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Winlogon
6. After this, double-click on the DefaultPassword option

Your password will be displayed to you in the pop-up window

We will not recommend using this method as a beginner, as it is risky and can lead to data loss if handled without care.

Where Are Passwords Stored In Windows 7?

If you’re using an older Microsoft operating system, like Windows 7, you can access your saved passwords by following these steps:

1. Search for Control Panel in the Start menu and click on it
2. Go to User Accounts in the Control Panel
3. Click on Manage your network passwords on the left

Your passwords will be displayed to you on the screen.

Use An App To Access Saved Wi-Fi Passwords

If you tend to forget your passwords frequently, running commands through the command prompt isn’t feasible, as you have to type in commands each time.

A better option, which will save you precious time, is to use a third-party app that can help you recover your saved passwords quickly.

Third-party apps make it much simpler to access your passwords; you won’t have to follow several steps to get to your destination.

Numerous apps, such as the Wi-Fi Password Revealer, allow you to view your passwords without going into Command Prompt.

You can also choose between many other free options to reveal all your passwords without opening the browser.

However, as Microsoft Edge is new, we’ll be looking at apps that cater to IE passwords presently.

One of these free apps, IE PassView, reveals all your saved Internet Explorer passwords. To get it:

1. Download and save the app on your computer
2. Launch it
3. It will automatically scan your IE browser for any saved passwords and display them for you

View Windows Vault Passwords Using An App

If you’re using Windows 10, some of your saved passwords may be stored in Windows Vault. And you can use one of the many free apps to retrieve your passwords from there.

One of these free apps is VaultPasswordView, which allows you to access all passwords stored in your Windows Vault. To use it, you will need to:

1. Download and launch the app on your computer
2. Choose your root folder from the Root Folder dropdown menu
3. Press on the Automatic Fill button to fill the other options
4. Type in your Windows account password in the login field
5. Press OK

Following these steps will display all the passwords saved in the Windows Vault on your computer.

Deleting Passwords Saved On Windows 10

Since we’re talking about saved passwords, you might likely have saved passwords on your computer, which you no longer use.

Having unnecessary passwords stored on your computer is a waste of space and a security risk. If you wish to delete these passwords, follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel and click on the Windows Credentials Manager
2. Click on the arrow situated next to the password that you wish to delete
3. Among the options in the credential details, choose the Remove option at the end

Your saved password will be deleted!

View Internet Explorer Saved Passwords without an App

You don’t need to download a third-party app on your computer if you only need to view the passwords saved on Internet Explorer.

There is a built-in feature in the browser that lets you access saved passwords and login credentials.

The only password you must remember for this method is your Windows password, as you will need to enter it if you wish to retrieve any saved Internet Explorer passwords. To access saved passwords on IE without an app, follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on the Settings option, and a dropdown menu will be displayed on the screen, with several different options.
3. In the dropdown menu list, click on Internet Options, which should be the second-last option
4. Following this, a dialog box will open, where you can configure different options for the browser. Click on the Content tab from the options
5. After opening the Content tab, you will need to find the section that is labeled as Auto-Complete.
6. Over here, look for the Settings option, and click on it to open the Settings menu
7. With the auto-complete feature settings open on your screen, find an option displayed as Manage Passwords and click on it.
8. This action will open the Control Panel window, where all your passwords will be displayed. On the top, you will find an option labeled as Web Credentials. Click on it to view all your saved passwords

Keep in mind that you will need to enter your user account password to view any of your saved passwords.

That’s all there is to it. Accessing and retrieving saved passwords on Internet Explorer is not all that different compared to other browsers.

The only main thing that changes here is the location of the option.

Backup Saved Passwords in Internet Explorer

If you wish to migrate your passwords or backup your existing login credentials on Internet Explorer, you can save and export them as a text file.

Most apps that allow you to save your passwords also let you back them up. To backup your Internet Explorer passwords using one of these apps like IE PassView, follow these steps:

1. Open the app
2. Let it scan and display your saved passwords
3. Select all the passwords on the list by pressing Ctrl + A
4. Right-click on a single password that you wish to save
5. In the dropdown menu, click on the Save Selected Items option

Your IE password will be saved as a text file on your device!

Adding Passwords To Microsoft Edge

As a default setting, Microsoft Edge always asks users if they wish to save a password when it recognizes that one has been entered.

Whenever you sign into a website, such as Gmail or Facebook, you will be asked whether you wish to save your password and username.

A pop-up window will appear below the address bar, prompting you to confirm the login details. If it fails to appear, you can click on the security-key icon shown on the address bar’s far-right section.

If you wish to save your credentials to your Edge profile, click on the Save option. If you don’t want to be bothered with this prompt in the future, click on the Never option, and Microsoft will not ask you to save details on that site in the future.

Changing And Deleting Passwords From Microsoft Edge

If you wish to change or remove any saved passwords from Microsoft Edge, you can do so through the Settings menu.

To edit or remove passwords from Edge, follow these steps:

1. In the browser window, look for the Settings menu in the top-right corner, denoted by a three-dot icon
2. Click on the three-dot menu and select the Settings option from the dropdown list
3. Open the Settings menu, and the Profiles tab will appear by default
4. Select the Passwords option from the Profiles tab to view the saved passwords on your profile

If you wish to edit your saved passwords:

1. Select the three-dot menu icon
2. Click on the Details option, which will open the Password Details box
3. Here, you can edit your username, password, and saved URL
4. After you are done editing, click Done to save the entry

If you wish to delete any saved password in Edge, follow the same method and click on the three-dot menu to open the Saved Passwords category. In the dropdown menu that follows, select the Delete option.

However, if you want to reverse this action, click on the Undo option in the pop-up alert box located in the browser window’s top-right.

You will only have a small timeframe to undo any deletion, so make sure you are confident of your decision before following through on the action.

Configuring Microsoft Edge Password Settings

Microsoft Edge always prompts users to save passwords by default. In case you want to turn off this prompt, you can do so through the settings by turning the slider off.

With the prompt disabled, users can still save passwords manually if they wish to.

If Edge recognizes the website you’re logging into, it will automatically use the saved password credentials to sign you in.

Edge obscures the password you type into the field as a safety feature, but if you wish to counter-check, you can do so by clicking on the eye-reveal icon next to the password entry field.

Moreover, if you wish to disable the feature that automatically uses your saved password details to sign you into a website, you can do so by switching off the slider in the Sign In Automatically option.

Also, if you want to secure your password from prying eyes for added security, you can hide the eye-reveal icon by disabling the Show the Reveal Password button in the Password Field through the slider.

Managing Your Microsoft Passwords

Windows 10 features two types of passwords: local passwords and a Microsoft Account Password. It also allows you to sign in to your device without entering any password, but this option will make your computer less secure.

A Microsoft Account password is used to secure your computer and access Windows 10 features like the OneDrive and the Microsoft Store. Local passwords help protect your device from unwanted entries.

If you wish to change your local account into a Microsoft account:

1. Go to the Your Info screen and
2. Click on the Sign In with a Microsoft Account Instead option
3. Here, you will have to enter your Microsoft account email address and password
4. Enter your credentials and select the Sign In option
5. After that, enter your current local password
6. Select the Next button

Furthermore, if you wish to convert your Microsoft account to a local account, you will need to:

1. Go onto the Your Account screen and
2. Click on the Sign In with a Local Account Instead option
3. You will likely be asked to enter your Microsoft Account password and verify your identity by entering a security code.
4. To do this, you will have to type in your email address and click Next.
5. Following this, go to your email account, get the security code and enter it in the code entry field
6. After this verification, the Switch to a Local Account screen will appear
7. Navigate the screens that appear, enter your local account username, password, and password hint

Lastly, if you wish to access Windows 10 without entering any password, you will need to :

1. Go to the Accounts screen
2. Click on the Sign-In options
3. Scroll to the Passwords option
4. Click on the Change button
5. Following this, the Change Your Password screen will appear. Here you will have to enter your password
6. Select Next
7. In the following screen, leave every box empty
8. Select Next
9. Then Finish

Following these steps will allow you to access your device without any password!

It’s important to remember that passwords enhance your device security. If you’re using a home computer, passwords may not be all that necessary unless you wish to keep your data private from someone in the house.

However, if you use a laptop, it’s highly recommended you use a login password for your device to keep your data safe from intruders.

Windows isn’t the only avenue where you can retrieve your login credentials. You can save your credentials on your browsers and view and edit them later.

But it’s important to note that saving your credentials in your browser can put you at risk of intrusion and data compromise if someone stumbles upon them.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can use a verified password manager to keep your passwords safe and synced in the same place so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting your logins.

FAQs

How Do You Reset A Forgotten Password?

You can reset your forgotten password by logging into a secondary account that has administrative rights. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box and enter this command netplwiz. This will open the User Accounts where you can select the account whose password you have forgotten. Then click the Reset Password button.

How To Change Your Wireless Router’s Admin Password?

Connect a computer to your router’s Ethernet port and enter the IP address of your router’s administrative interface into your browser. Then, enter the default administrator login name and default password. After that, change the router’s admin password.