The situation of connecting a new device to a wireless network and the password is forgotten is one of the most common problems in the operation of smartphones. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often have difficulty remembering a complex combination of characters that they entered once and successfully forgot. Fortunately, modern versions of the Android operating system and the shell MIUI or HyperOS allow not only to automatically connect to known networks, but also to visualize the access key for transfer to other users.
In this article, we will look at all the current methods of extracting stored data about the security of Wi-Fi networks, we will examine the regular system tools that run on Android 10 and later, and also touch on more complex technical methods for older versions of the OS. Since Android 10, Google has introduced a generation feature QR-codes containing an encrypted password that can be decrypted directly in the smartphone interface.
Understanding the mechanisms of saving network settings will help you not only solve the current problem, but also protect your home network from unauthorized access. We will describe each step in detail so that even an inexperienced user can easily find the necessary information in the bowels of his gadget.
Use of the QR-code in standard settings MIUI
The easiest and fastest way to find out the access key is to use the built-in sharing function through the QR-This method does not require installing third-party software or obtaining superuser rights. Just go to the menu of your Xiaomi wireless connection settings.
Click on the name of the active network or the arrow next to it. The system will suggest scanning the code or show the already generated one. QR-code to connect other devices, depending on the firmware version MIUI, The password can be displayed directly below the code image as plain text.
- 📱 Open Settings and go to the Wi-Fi section.
- 🔗 Click on active connection or Share icon (share).
- 👁️ If the password is hidden, take a screenshot of the screen with QR-code.
In some cases, the password text doesn't appear immediately below the code for interface security reasons, so you'll need to take a screenshot of the screen, then open the gallery, select an image, and use Google Lens or the built-in image analyzer to read text information from the image.
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If under QR-the code does not display the text of the password, just take a screenshot and start text recognition through Google Lens - the system will highlight the desired combination of characters.
This method works consistently on most modern Xiaomi devices, but if you have a very old shell version or modified firmware installed, the interface may be different, and then you should consider alternative ways to get data.
Decoding through Google Lens and Screenshots
If automatic key display in Xiaomi settings is not available, optical character recognition technology comes to the rescue. QR-The code that the system generates to connect guests actually contains a string of formats. WIFI:S:SSID_NAME;T:WPA;P:YOUR_PASSWORD;;. We just need to extract the part after the P symbol.
To implement this method, take a screenshot of the screen with QR-Then open the Google or Google Photos app. Find the "Lens" or "Lens" button. Point the camera at the screen or select the screenshot saved from the inside gallery of the app.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure the screenshot clearly shows the whole thing. QR-If the image is cropped or blurred, the recognition algorithm may not work correctly.
After analyzing the image, the system will highlight text data. You need to find a line that starts with P:. The characters that go right after the colon and to the next semicolon; and there is your desired password. This method is universal and works independently of the smartphone model, whether it is a budget Redmi or flagship Xiaomi.
Viewing saved networks through ADB commands
For advanced users who don’t want to take screenshots or don’t have access to the sharing menu, there is a method to use the Android Debug Bridge debugging bridge.This method requires having a computer with ADB installed and USB debugging enabled on the Xiaomi smartphone itself.
The idea is to directly request the system configuration file, which stores data on all the networks that have ever been used, and even if the network is not active now, but it's stored in memory, you can retrieve the password, and you first need to connect the phone to your PC and authorize debugging.
Run the following command in the computer terminal to output a list of all saved configurations:
adb shell dumpsys wifi | grep "mConfiguredNetworks"However, more informative will be a direct request to the file. wpa_supplicant.conf, If you have the right or a specific Android build that allows you to do so without root, in standard root-free conditions, the adb shell command may have limited access, but often the team helps to output the settings of the current network:
adb shell cmd wifi show-wifi-configThis method requires a certain amount of technical literacy: you need to install the drivers for Xiaomi correctly and configure the environment variables in the computer operating system, and an error in the syntax of the command will result in you receiving only an error message instead of the data you need.
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
Use of file managers with Root rights
The deepest level of access to the system is provided by the presence of superuser rights (Root). If your Xiaomi is unlocked and you have Magisk or similar rights on it, you get full control of the file system, which allows you to read system files directly where the encryption keys are stored.
A file containing the entire history of connections and passwords is usually located along the path. /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf or /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml To view these files, you will need a file manager with Root support, such as Root Explorer, MT Manager or Solid Explorer.
- 📂 Open the file manager and activate the Root mode.
- 📁 Cross the path. /data/misc/wifi/.
- 📄 Open the file. wpa_supplicant.conf or WifiConfigStore.xml text-editor.
Inside the file, you'll find blocks of code where the psk or PreSharedKey setting contains your password in plain form. Be extremely careful when working with system files. Accidental change or deletion of other lines can cause the Wi-Fi module on the device to fail.
⚠️ Note: Editing system files without backup can result in a cyclical device reboot.Always backup before making changes.
☑️ Check before obtaining Root rights
Analysis of the Android version compatibility table
It’s important to understand that the availability of certain features depends on the version of the operating system installed on your Xiaomi. Google constantly changes security policies, closing some loopholes and opening others, more controlled.
Below is a table showing the available methods for different versions of Android, which will help you cut out the broken ways immediately and not waste time.
| Android version | QR-code | Viewing the password in text | Access to wpa_supplicant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android 9 and below | No (patches required) | No. | Only Root. |
| Android 10 | Yes. | Partially (depends on OEM) | Only Root. |
| Android 11-12 | Yes. | Yes (through the sharing menu) | Forbidden without a Root |
| Android 13-14 | Yes. | Yes (required) | Forbidden without a Root |
As you can see from the table, owners of modern devices with HyperOS based on Android 13/14 are the most fortunate, the system itself provides a convenient toolkit for managing passwords, users of older versions will likely have to resort to methods with Root rights or third-party utilities.
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The newer version of Android, the more built-in tools for password management, but the stricter the restrictions on direct access to system files without superuser rights.
Restoring access through the router’s web interface
If none of the software methods on the smartphone itself worked, the hard-core option is to get data directly from the source of the Internet distribution. Since your Xiaomi is already connected to the network, you have physical access to the local network, which allows you to log into the router control panel.
Open your browser on your phone and enter the default gateway address, most commonly 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. The exact address can be found in the Wi-Fi connection settings, in the Details or Network Information section, where the Gateway or Gateway setting is indicated.
If you haven't changed them, they're listed on a sticker at the bottom of the router (often admin/admin). By logging into Wireless or Wireless -> Security, you can see or change the password in the WPA/WPA2 Pre-Shared Key field.
The good thing about this is that it doesn't depend on the firmware version of the phone or whether you have Root rights. You get access to the configuration of the network itself. However, if the router administrator password has been changed and forgotten, you'll have to reset the router to factory settings with the Reset button, which will temporarily interrupt the Internet for all devices.
⚠️ Warning: Reset router will remove all provider settings (PPPoE, VLAN Do this only if you know the data to reset the Internet.