How to Share Wi-Fi Password with a QR Code

Reading out a 16-character password with capital letters and symbols while a guest types it wrong three times is nobody's idea of fun. A Wi-Fi QR code fixes that: the guest scans it and the phone joins the network, no typing needed. This guide shows how to share a Wi-Fi password with a QR code from Windows, Android and iPhone, how to make a printable code, and how to keep your network safe while doing it.

Share Wi-Fi Password With a QR Code From a Windows PC

Windows can show a saved network's password (in Settings or with netsh), but it has no QR code button for networks you are connected to. Two ways around that:

1. Open WiFi Password Viewer

   WiFi Password Viewer lists every Wi-Fi network your PC has saved, with its password.

2. Choose the network and show the QR code

   Select the network you want to share and open its QR code. The code contains the network name, security type and password.

3. Let your guest scan it

   The guest opens the phone camera (or the QR scanner on some Android phones), points it at the screen and taps the "Join network" notification.

If you only need the password itself, see how to see a saved Wi-Fi password on Windows 11. If you share your PC's connection with Mobile hotspot instead, recent Windows 11 versions show the hotspot's name and password on the Mobile hotspot page, and some builds add a QR code there too.

From an Android Phone

1. Open Wi-Fi settings

   Settings > Network & internet (or Connections) > Wi-Fi (Internet on Pixel phones).

2. Tap the network and Share

   Tap the gear icon next to the connected network, then Share or the QR code icon. Confirm with your fingerprint, PIN or face. Samsung phones show a QR code button at the bottom of the network details.

3. Show the code

   The QR code appears with the password written underneath. Many phones also offer Nearby Share or Quick Share to send it to nearby Android devices.

From an iPhone

iPhones do not show a Wi-Fi QR code by default, but they have two other options. If your guest also has an Apple device and is in your contacts, they select your network, and your iPhone shows a Share Password prompt: tap it. On iOS 16 and later you can also view and copy the password in Settings > Wi-Fi > (i) next to the network > Password. For non-Apple guests, use a QR code made on a PC or one of the methods below.

How Guests Scan a Wi-Fi QR Code

• iPhone: open the Camera app, point at the code, tap the "Join network" banner.
• Android: open the camera or Google Lens, or on the Wi-Fi screen tap the QR icon next to Add network.
• Windows laptop: laptops cannot join from a QR code; give them the password, or share it from the PC's saved list.

Make a Printable Wi-Fi QR Code

A Wi-Fi QR code is just text in a standard format. Any QR generator that supports Wi-Fi codes builds this string for you:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyHomeWiFi;P:my-secret-password;H:false;;

• T is the security type: WPA (also used for WPA2 and WPA3), WEP or nopass.
• S is the network name, P the password, and H:true marks a hidden network.
• If the name or password contains \ ; , : ", put a backslash in front of that character.

Use an offline generator so your password is not sent to a website. Print the code for a guest room, a holiday rental or the office reception. Pair it with a strong signal in that room; see how to boost Wi-Fi signal.

Keep Your Network Safe

• Use a guest network for visitors and printed codes. It keeps them away from your PCs, NAS and smart devices. Many routers create one on both bands; see 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
• Do not post the code online or in photos. Anyone who scans it, even from a picture, gets the password.
• Change the password after a big event or when a tenant leaves, then print a new code.

FAQ

Conclusion

A Wi-Fi QR code lets guests join in seconds. On a Windows PC, show the code from WiFi Password Viewer; on Android, tap Share on the network; iPhones share with nearby Apple devices. For visitors, use a guest network and refresh the code when you change the password. Browse more network apps for Windows.

Get it freeWiFi Password Viewer