To update a saved Wi-Fi password on your iPhone, open Settings > Wi-Fi > Edit, forget the network, then reconnect with its current password. Apple notes that forgetting a network after its router settings change helps ensure your iPhone uses the new settings when it rejoins. Changing your router’s password or your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot password is a separate task.
The short version
- Replace the saved password: Forget the network in Settings > Wi-Fi, then select it again and enter the current password.
- Get the correct credentials: Reveal the password on an iPhone that already knows the current one, or receive it through nearby sharing.
- Check the connection: A blue checkmark beside the network name confirms that your iPhone has connected.
- Keep the tasks separate: Use your router’s controls to change its password, or Personal Hotspot settings to change your iPhone’s hotspot password.
| Task | Where to start | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a saved password | Settings > Wi-Fi > Edit | A saved network has a new password |
| Forget the connected network | Its information button in Wi-Fi | The connected network permits removal |
| Join an available network | Settings > Wi-Fi | You can enter the current password when prompted |
| Rejoin a hidden network | Other in Wi-Fi | You know its exact name, security type, and password |
| Look up a password in Settings | The network’s Password field | An iPhone with iOS 16 or later has the current credentials |
| Copy a password in Passwords | Passwords > Wi-Fi | An iPhone running iOS 27 knows the current password |
| Receive a shared password | Select the network near the sharing device | A compatible Apple device already uses the current password |
| Join with a QR code | Show Network QR Code | An iPhone running iOS 27 has the current credentials |
| Sync Wi-Fi credentials | Saved to iCloud in iCloud settings | Your approved Apple devices use the same Apple Account |
| Change a TP-Link router password in Safari | The router’s administration interface | Your model supports the documented browser controls |
| Change a password in Tether | More > Wi-Fi Settings | You have a Tether-compatible TP-Link router |
| Change a Google or Nest network password | Google Home’s Network settings | Google Home manages your network |
| Change an Xfinity gateway password | WiFi > WiFi details | You have a rented gateway and an eligible account role |
| Change an Xfinity Managed WiFi password | The arrow in Unit | Your property provides managed Wi-Fi |
| Change the hotspot password | Settings > Personal Hotspot | Your carrier supports Personal Hotspot |
| Request a managed network update | Your organization’s administrator | A profile or device management supplies the credentials |
| Remove obsolete managed configuration | VPN & Device Management | Policy permits removal on iOS 27 |
| Reset network settings | Reset Network Settings | Other connection solutions have failed |
| Get Tether and check compatibility | TP-Link’s official Tether product page | You want the companion app for supported equipment |
| Get Google Home | Get the app on Google’s Home product page | You need the app for Google or Nest Wi-Fi |
| Get the Xfinity app | Download the App on Xfinity’s app page | You need supported gateway or managed-network controls |
Forget the saved network and reconnect
Forgetting a network removes its saved connection details, and that removal also reaches devices using the same Apple Account and iCloud Keychain. Open Settings > Wi-Fi, tap Edit, and authenticate if requested. Tap the information button beside the network, then tap Forget This Network and confirm with Forget.
For a network you are currently connected to, you can reach its controls directly from the main Wi-Fi screen. Forgetting it removes the saved network, including from devices using the same Apple Account and iCloud Keychain. Tap its information button, then tap Forget This Network followed by Forget.
Return to Settings > Wi-Fi and turn on Wi-Fi. Select the network name and enter its current password when requested. A blue checkmark beside the name means your iPhone has connected.
If selecting an available network already prompts you for a password, enter the current one to join. If your iPhone keeps using an old saved password, follow the forget procedure above and select the network again. For a work or school network managed by your organization, ask the administrator to supply the replacement configuration.
For a hidden network on iOS 27, you need its exact name, security type, and current password. After forgetting its old saved entry, open Settings > Wi-Fi and tap Other. Enter those details to rejoin.
Find the correct saved password
Use an iPhone that already has the current credentials to look up the replacement password. On iOS 16 and later, open Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the network’s information button, then tap Password. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode to reveal it.
For another saved network, open Settings > Wi-Fi > Edit and authenticate. Select its information button and tap Password. Use the revealed value when reconnecting the affected iPhone; viewing it does not change the router’s password.
The Passwords app was introduced in iOS 18, and on iOS 27 you can also find passwords on your iPhone there. Open Passwords, authenticate, tap Wi-Fi, and select the network. Tap Password, then Copy Password to use the current value when reconnecting.
Receive the password or scan a network code
A compatible nearby Apple device can share the password once it has joined the network with the current credentials. Keep both devices nearby, enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and disable Personal Hotspot. Each person must be signed into their Apple Account and have the other person’s Apple Account email address or phone number saved in Contacts.
If the receiving iPhone has a stale saved entry, first follow the forget procedure above, which removes that saved network. On the receiving iPhone, open Settings > Wi-Fi and select the network. Keep the sharing device unlocked, then tap Share Password on that device and tap Done.
For QR sharing on iOS 27, open Passwords > Wi-Fi on an iPhone that knows the current password and select the network. Tap Show Network QR Code. Use a code containing the current credentials, because an old printed code retains the old password.
On the receiving iPhone running iOS 27, scan the QR code by opening Camera in Photo mode, framing the code, and tapping the displayed link. Alternatively, open Control Center, tap Scan Code, and frame the code. On supported models, Camera Control can also launch scanning.
Sync credentials with iCloud Keychain
iCloud Keychain synchronizes Wi-Fi credentials between approved Apple devices using the same Apple Account. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, and open iCloud. From the Saved to iCloud section, open the passwords setting, turn on Sync this iPhone, and follow the onscreen instructions.
Syncing credentials does not change the router’s password. It also is not a guaranteed immediate repair for a stale saved network entry, so use the forget-and-rejoin procedure when your iPhone keeps using the old password.
Change your router password from your iPhone
To change the network’s actual password, use your router’s administration controls. The browser and app paths depend on your router model and firmware. After changing the password, reconnect affected devices using the new credentials.
For a TP-Link router covered by its browser instructions, connect your iPhone to the router. Open Safari, visit the TP-Link router sign-in page, and sign in with the router’s administrator password. You need router-administration access to change these settings.
Changing the router’s Wi-Fi password means devices must reconnect using the new credentials. In the standard TP-Link interface, open Advanced > Wireless > Wireless Settings, change Password, and select Save. The Wi-Fi 8 interface instead uses Wi-Fi > Main Network > Password; enter the replacement and select Save.
For a Tether-compatible TP-Link router, connect to its Wi-Fi unless it is already bound to your TP-Link ID for remote access. Open Tether, select the router under Devices, then open More > Wi-Fi Settings. Select the relevant band or MLO Network; available bands and remote access depend on the model.
Changing the password means connected devices must reconnect with the replacement. Change the password, tap Save, and reconnect your iPhone. If it keeps using the previous value, follow the forget-and-rejoin procedure above.
For a Nest Wifi or Google Wifi network, open Google Home > Home > Wifi > Network settings. Changing the network password means affected devices must reconnect using the replacement. Select the existing password, enter a replacement containing 8 to 63 characters without spaces, and tap Save. Reconnect affected devices with the new password.
Change an Xfinity network password
For a rented Xfinity Gateway, use the Xfinity app with a Primary, Manager, or Member Xfinity ID. Xfinity requires the app route for gateways using WiFi Intelligence or WiFi Boost Pods. Sign in only through Xfinity’s own app or website, and never share a code, password, or remote access with someone who contacts you.
Sign into the Xfinity app and select WiFi > WiFi details > Edit WiFi settings. Changing the Wi-Fi password means devices must reconnect using the replacement. Change WiFi password, select Save, and reconnect your devices.
At an Xfinity Managed WiFi property, open the app’s managed-network screen and select the arrow in Unit. Your property’s configuration determines whether you can customize the password or generate a replacement. Changing it means you must reconnect using the resulting password.
For an editable password, enter the replacement in Password and select Apply Changes. For a generated password, select Generate New Password. Select Yes, then reconnect using the resulting password.
Change your Personal Hotspot password
Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot has its own password for devices using its shared cellular connection. If you need to turn on Personal Hotspot, the feature requires carrier support. Changing this password affects the hotspot rather than your home router’s network.
Devices connecting to your hotspot with a password must use the new value after you change it. Open Settings > Personal Hotspot, or Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot. Tap Wi-Fi Password and enter a replacement containing at least eight ASCII characters.
Resolve managed network credentials
If a configuration profile or device management supplies your work or school Wi-Fi settings, ask your organization’s administrator to update and redeploy the configuration with the current credentials. The administration menus depend on the management vendor. Removing managed configuration is not a routine home Wi-Fi fix.
Removing a configuration profile also removes its associated settings, accounts, or certificates. On iOS 27, if policy permits removal of an obsolete profile, open Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, select the profile, then tap Remove Profile. Ask the administrator to supply the replacement configuration for your work or school network.
Removing device management also removes its associated settings, accounts, or certificates. If policy permits removal, select the management entry under Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, then tap Remove Management.
Reset network settings if other fixes fail
Apple recommends resetting network settings only after other solutions fail. For a managed iPhone, involve your administrator because a network reset does not remove all settings installed by profiles or device management.
Resetting network settings removes saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords and resets cellular, VPN, and APN settings. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset, then tap Reset Network Settings. After the reset, return to Settings > Wi-Fi, select the network, and enter its current password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does iCloud Keychain require two-factor authentication?
Yes, your Apple Account must have two-factor authentication enabled to use iCloud Keychain. Credential syncing also requires your devices to be approved and signed into that same Apple Account.
Where can you get Tether and check whether your router supports it?
Use TP-Link’s official Tether product page to obtain the app and check supported equipment. Tether is optional; you do not need it to replace a saved Wi-Fi password through your iPhone’s settings.
Where can you get Google Home for managing Google or Nest Wi-Fi?
Open Google’s official Home product page and select Get the app. This app route applies to Nest Wifi and Google Wifi networks managed through Google Home.
Where can you download the Xfinity app for network controls?
Open Xfinity’s official app page and select Download the App. The app provides supported gateway and managed-network controls for Xfinity customers.
Why might your work network need more than a replacement password?
Enterprise networks can use certificates or EAP configuration instead of a shared Wi-Fi password. Ask your organization’s administrator to supply the configuration your managed iPhone needs.