Where to Find Wi-Fi SSIDs and GUIDs in Regedit

In Windows, every wireless network you connect to is logged and assigned a unique Globally Unique Identifier (GUID). The Windows Registry maintains these records to track network profiles, category types, and connection history. This guide details the exact registry paths in the Registry Editor (regedit) where Windows stores known Wi-Fi SSIDs, profile names, and their corresponding profile GUIDs.

Primary Location: NetworkList Profiles

The main repository for all network connections (both Wi-Fi and Ethernet) is located under the NetworkList registry branch.

Registry Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles

Inside the Profiles key, you will see a list of subkeys formatted as GUIDs (e.g., {A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890}).

When you select a GUID key, look at the values in the right pane: * ProfileName (REG_SZ): Displays the SSID or custom name of the network. * Description (REG_SZ): Displays the default network description (often identical to the SSID). * Category (REG_DWORD): Identifies the network type (0 = Public, 1 = Private, 2 = Domain). * DateCreated / DateLastConnected (REG_BINARY): Timestamps for when the network was first added and last used.

Secondary Location: Network Signatures

Windows correlates physical access point identifiers (such as gateway MAC addresses and network names) to the profile GUIDs under the Signatures key.

Registry Paths: * Unmanaged Networks (Standard Wi-Fi): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Signatures\Unmanaged * Managed Networks (Enterprise/Domain Wi-Fi): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Signatures\Managed

Under these subkeys, each entry contains: * ProfileGuid (REG_SZ): The matching GUID corresponding to the entry in the Profiles key. * Description / DnsSuffix: Identifying network metadata and SSID information.

Wireless Service Interface Profiles

For adapter-specific Wi-Fi profile mapping, the Windows WLAN Service (WlanSvc) tracks profiles per network adapter interface.

Registry Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WlanSvc\Interfaces

Under this key: 1. Expand your Wi-Fi network adapter’s interface GUID. 2. Open the Profiles subkey. 3. You will find the network GUIDs specific to that wireless adapter.

(Note: The actual full XML configuration files containing security keys and connection settings are stored on the file system at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Wlansvc\Profiles\Interfaces\{Interface-GUID}.)

How to Access These Keys via Regedit

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  2. Copy and paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles into the address bar at the top.
  3. Click through the GUID folders to view the ProfileName string for each known Wi-Fi network.