How to show hidden passwords in any browser

Passwords keep you protected, but they’re so easy to forget! This is especially the case when you rely on password managers for everything. Want to see what’s behind those secretive asterisks? We’ve created this guide to show you how to make your computer show hidden passwords.

Editor’s note: All instructions to show hidden passwords were put together using a custom PC running Windows 11, as well as Chrome 104.0.5112.81 and Firefox 103.0.2.

Show hidden passwords using the eye icon

Browsers and websites have been making it easier to view hidden passwords. There’s usually a tool right next to the text box!

How to use the eye icon to view hidden passwords:

1. Open any website and let your manager input a password.
2. Next to the password box, you will see an eye icon with a line crossing it. Click on it.
3. You may also see an obvious option labeled as Show password, Show, or something similar.
4. The password will show up!

If this doesn’t work, you can rely on the methods listed below.

Show hidden passwords by looking at the code

You can dig into the code to see what your password manager has typed into a text box. It’s a little different with every browser, so we can’t give you an exact tutorial that will work for everyone. Instead, we’ve picked the two most popular browsers, Chrome and Firefox, and made step-by-step instructions for each.

Show passwords in Chrome:

1. Open any website and let your manager input a password.
2. Right-click on the text box with the password.
3. Select Inspect.
4. Look for the text type= “Password”.
5. Replace “Password” with “Text.”
6. Press Enter.
7. Your password will show up!

Show passwords in Firefox:

1. Open any website and let your manager input a password.
2. Right-click on the text box with the password.
3. Select Inspect.
4. A bar with the highlighted password field appears.
5. Look for the code that reads type= “Password”.
6. Replace “Password” with “Text.”
7. Your password will show up!

Keep in mind these changes might not go away. Make sure to replace “Text” with “Password” so future users may not see your hidden passwords.

Get into the manager settings

Most password managers, such as Bitwarden and LastPass, have an option for displaying passwords within their own settings menu. The process for doing this is different in every case, but we will show you how it’s done on Chrome and Firefox to get the gist of it.

Show passwords in Chrome:

1. Hit the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner of your browser.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Autofill and tap on Passwords.
4. There will be an eye next to every saved password. Click on it.
5. You will be asked for your Google Account password or verification. Input it.
6. The password will appear.

Show passwords in Firefox:

1. Hit the Firefox menu button.
2. Select Passwords.
3. You’ll see all your saved logins. Select the one you want to know the password for.
4. Next to the hidden password, you’ll see an eye icon. Click on it.
5. Voila. You can now see your saved password!

Use third-party software

Plenty of third-party apps and extensions out there will show hidden passwords. A couple of good ones include the ShowPassword and Show and Hide Passwords Chrome extensions. A quick search will lead you to plenty of other options, though. Check out our top picks below.

FAQs