When you need to connect a new device to your home wireless network, and you can’t remember a complex combination of characters, it’s familiar to every smart tech owner. Especially when you’re in a device that’s slow, or when friends ask you to “wifi.” Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often wonder where this data is stored and whether it can be seen without using a computer or complex manipulation.
Fortunately, modern MIUI and HyperOS shells provide users with ample opportunities to manage network connections. Unlike older versions of Android, where superuser rights were required to view stored passwords, today this information is available in standard system settings. Data security remains a priority, so the system requires verification of identity before showing a secret key, but the process itself is as simple as possible for the average user.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the current ways to restore access to forgotten data. QR-code to quickly connect guests, how to find stored networks in hidden areas of the system and what to do if standard methods do not work. A key feature of Android 10 and above is the ability to export the network configuration in the form of graphic code, which contains an encrypted password.
The fastest way: QR-code
Let’s start with the simplest and most common method that works on the vast majority of modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones: If your phone is already connected to the desired network (or was previously connected and the data is saved), the system allows you to instantly create a visual key to access.
Go to your device's settings menu and select the Wi-Fi section, which will display a list of available networks, and your current connection will be marked with a tick icon or color indicator, and click on the active network name or the arrow to the right of the active network to reveal additional settings. In the window that opens, you will see a Share button or icon. QR-code.
Once you click, the system will ask you to confirm your actions, which can be unlocking your screen in the face, fingerprinting or entering a pattern lock, and this security measure is implemented to prevent an unauthorized person who took your unlocked phone from stealing the password from your network. After successful authentication, a large screen will appear on the screen. QR-code.
- 📱 Scanning: Hover the other phone’s camera over this code and the device will automatically connect to the network without manual character input.
- 👁️ Under the graphic code often (but not always) in small print is written the password in plain form.
- 📸 Screenshot: If the text under the code is not readable, take a screenshot and open the image in the Gallery or Google Lens app for text recognition.
This method is standard and works on versions of MIUI 11, 12, 13, 14 and the new HyperOS. It does not require an Internet connection, since all the information is already stored in the device’s memory. However, if the code does not show the text, you will have to use a second phone with the image recognition function (Google Lens) to read the data.
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If under QR-code the password is not written in text, take a screenshot, open it in Google Photos and click the button "Lens" or "Search by image" - the system will highlight and show the text string of the password.
Use the Passwords and Security menu in MIUI
Some versions of Xiaomi firmware have a centralized storage facility where all the stored credentials are collected. This is convenient if you need to remember the password from a network that the phone is not currently connected to, but the connection was made in the past. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same.
Go to the main settings menu and find the Passwords and Security (or Security) section. Inside this menu, look for Wi-Fi passwords or Save Networks. You may need to re-authorize through Mi Account or biometrics. The list that opens will show all the networks your Redmi has ever connected to.
Clicking on a particular network will show the same picture: QR-The advantage of this method is that it stores the history of connections, not just an active session, and it allows you to pull out data even if the router is turned off or out of reach.
⚠️ Note: If you reset your network settings (“Forget the Network”) or reset your phone completely to factory settings, your password information will be permanently deleted from this section.
It is important to understand that new versions of Android (starting with the 11-i) access to Wi-Fi configuration files (wpa_supplicant.conf) That's why the Passwords and Security menu is the only legal gateway to view this data, and trying to get around this restriction through file managers without superuser rights will only result in empty folders or access errors.
Viewing through Google Password Manager
Google’s ecosystem offers an alternative and often more reliable way to store passwords: If your Xiaomi or Redmi has enabled sync with your Google account, then Wi-Fi passwords can automatically be stored in the search giant’s cloud storage, especially for devices that regularly undergo backups.
To check this, open the phone's standard Settings, scroll down to Google and select Autocomplete. Next, go to Autocomplete from Google and select Google Passwords (or simply "Password Manager"). In the saved data list, look for the section associated with Wi-Fi or your router's name.
This displays all the saved keys synced to your account. When you click on a particular item, the system will again request proof of identity (fingerprint or pin), and then opens a card where the password field will display the desired combination of characters that can be copied to the clipboard.
- ☁️ Cross-platform: The same data will be available on any other Android device, or even on a computer via the Chrome browser, if you log in to the same account.
- 🔒 Security: Data is transmitted over a secure channel and stored in encrypted form on Google servers.
- 🔄 Automation: When buying a new phone, you just need to log in to your account, and it will automatically connect to known networks without entering a password.
The good thing about this is that it doesn't depend on a particular phone model or MIUI version. Even if you switch from Redmi to Samsung or Pixel, your Wi-Fi passwords will stay with you. The main condition is that you have pre-installed sync in your Google account settings.
Checking through the router web interface
If the phone can't "remember" the password, and you have a computer or other gadget on hand that's connected to the same network, you can go to the settings of the router itself, ASUS, Xiaomi, Keenetic, D-Link have a web interface available internally IP-This is the admin, where all settings are stored, including the wireless security key.
First, you need to know. IP-Gateway address. You can do this on Xiaomi by going to Settings. → Wi-Fi → (The router or gateway field will show the address, most commonly 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. Enter this address in the address bar of any browser.
The router authorization page will open, and you'll need your login and administrator password. If you haven't changed them, they're on a sticker at the bottom of the router (the standard ones are often admin/admin). Once you log in, you'll need to find the Wireless, Wireless, or Wireless Security subsections, or Protection will be the PSK Password field or Security Key.
Typical addresses for entering the router:
192.168.0.1
192.168.1.1
192.168.31.1 (often for Xiaomi routers)
tplinkwifi.net (for TP-Link)
keenetik.net (for Keenetic)Unlike the methods on the phone itself, here you see the current password that the router is giving out right now, and if you have an old password stored in the phone (for example, after you change the key on the router), this method will allow you to learn a new one, and you can also change the password to a more convenient one for remembering.
What to do if the password from the admin router is lost?
Specifics of different versions of Android and MIUI
The interface and availability of password browsing features are directly dependent on the operating system version and shell. Xiaomi regularly updates its devices, and with each major Android update, security policies become stricter, which affects the location of the menu.
Below is a chart showing the differences in access to data across different versions of the software, which will help you understand why one phone has a password that you see right away and another phone needs a diamond dance.
| Android Version / MIUI | Access through QR-code | Password text under the code | Password menu. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android 9 / MIUI 10-11 | Partially (through annexes) | No. | Root rights required |
| Android 10 / MIUI 12 | Yes (indirectly) | Rarely. | Restricted access |
| Android 11-12 / MIUI 13-14 | Yes. | Sometimes (depending on region) | Available with verification |
| Android 13+ / HyperOS | Yes. | Often hidden | Full access via Google/System |
On older devices running Android 9 and below, you can't see the password with regular means. QR-In such cases, older Redmi Note owners have to rely only on logging in to the router or using Google Password Manager if sync was enabled in advance.
In new versions of HyperOS, there is a tendency to completely hide the text display of the password even in the settings, leaving only the text display of the password. QR-This is done to maximize the protection against "shoulder-over-the-shoulder" so that a screenshot with text recognition becomes the primary tool for work.
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The newer the Android version on your Xiaomi, the higher the security level, but the harder it is to find a password in the form of plain text – the system prefers to hide it behind the background. QR-code.
Advanced Methods and Working with ADB (For Experienced)
For users who are not afraid of the command line and understand what debugging over USB is, there is a method of obtaining passwords through a computer using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool, which works even on some versions where the interface is hidden, but requires the activation of the developer mode.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI Version (or OS Version) seven times. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, find Additional → For developers and turn on the USB Debugging Toggle.
Connect your phone to your computer with a cable. ADB. Open the command line (Terminal or CMD) And you can type in a command to access the configuration file. 10, file-reading /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf No root permissions are blocked, but there's a workaround to backing up your Wi-Fi settings.
adb backup -f wifi_backup.ab -noapk com.android.providers.settings
Next, convert.ab file to.tar and extract xml file with passwordsThis method is difficult for the average user and requires installing additional software on a PC to unpack Android backups. In addition, on modern versions of MIUI, when connecting a cable, you may need to accept a confirmation on the phone screen (“Allow debugging?”).
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB The incorrect debugging actions can lead to unstable operation of the system or the deletion of important data. Use this method only if you are completely confident in your actions.
It's worth noting that for most users, this is a redundant method. QR-Router code or login solves 99% of tasks. ADB Leave it for an emergency when you need to pull data from an old but expensive device that no longer turns on fully, but is available for debugging.