How to see the password under the asterisks (dots) in the browser

Some users, when registering on sites, do not remember the passwords saved in the browser, so when you visit the site again, the password is hidden with asterisks or dots for security purposes. This often happens: the browser offers to remember the password, the user agrees with this, but does not save the password from the site elsewhere, for example, by writing it down on a piece of paper.

At some point in time, the user needed a saved password to enter the site, for example, from another device: laptop, tablet or smartphone. When entering the site, the "password" field is closed with dots or asterisks. How to find out the password under the asterisks in order to copy it?

In some cases, synchronization (read more) used in browsers will save, provided that this function is used. But, to enter your browser profile, you still need a password from your profile or account.

When using passwords, pay attention to the following points:

The best solution for security purposes: using a special program - a password manager on a computer, for example, a free program. In this case, it is enough for the user to remember one password for the program, the rest of the passwords will be saved in the password manager. If the browser does not remember passwords, then, in the event of a browser hack, attackers will not be able to access the user's personal data.
For greater security, the password should be complex. To create a strong password, use the services.

Most users do not use password managers, so for some of them, there is a problem of forgotten passwords. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to look through the stars or dots to copy the desired password.

In this article, we will look at ways to view hidden passwords in the browser. To show passwords in other programs, use third-party applications. For example, from the article, you will learn how to find out the key of the Windows operating system.

There are ways to see the password under the asterisks in the browser, without using third-party applications, directly in the browser itself, and with the help of third-party programs. In this article, we will analyze two ways that will help you display the password under the asterisks using the browser, and one way when using a specialized program.

View password under asterisks in browser (1 way)

Now let's see how to see the password instead of dots using the console (developer tools) in the browser. In this example, I will use the Google Chrome browser. In other browsers, all actions occur in a similar way.

On one of the sites, when entering the main page, fields for entering a login (I deleted the login name) and password are displayed. Dots (or asterisks) appear in the password field.

We need to see and copy the password hidden by dots. Do the following:

Right-click on the password field that displays asterisks or dots. In the context menu, select "View Code", or press the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "I".
In the console window that opens, in the Elements tab, the code of this site element will open, in which the line related to this element will be highlighted.
We will need to change the following code element in the open line:

type=”password”

Double-click the left mouse button on the “password” value.
Instead of the value "password", enter the word "text" (without quotes), and then press the "Enter" key. As a result, you will get a modified code element:

type="text"

After that, the password hidden by dots or asterisks will be displayed in the input field.

Close the console window, we won't need it anymore.

Now the open password can be copied for further use on another computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet.

After reloading the page in the browser, the password will again hide behind asterisks or dots.

In other browsers based on Chrome and Firefox, hidden passwords can be seen in a similar way. Please note that in different browsers the names of the context menu items that cause the launch of the developer tools (console) are different.

To start viewing the element's code in browsers, follow these steps:

In Yandex Browser, after clicking on the password field, select the "Inspect element" context menu item (Ctrl + Shift + I), then everything is done in the same way as in Chrome.
In Mozilla Firefox, select the "Inspect Element" context menu item (Ctrl + Shift + I).
In the Opera browser, select View Element Code (Ctrl + Shift + C) from the context menu.
In Internet Explorer, select "Inspect Element" from the context menu.
In the Microsoft Edge browser, you need to select the "Inspect Element" context menu item, and then find the desired piece of code yourself. This is puzzling, since everything works correctly in Internet Explorer, as in other browsers. For some reason, this functionality is not fully developed in the new browser.

How to open the password under the asterisks in the browser (2 way)

Another way to view saved passwords in a browser is in the settings of a particular browser.

In Google Chrome browser:

Click on the "Customize and manage Google Chrome" button (the button is located in the upper right corner of the program window). Select "Settings", then click on "Advanced".
In the "Passwords and forms" section, in the "Password settings" option, click on the button in the form of an arrow. Sites with saved passwords are displayed here.
Opposite the name of the desired site, click on the "Show password" button, and then copy the password.

In Mozilla Firefox browser:

Click on the "Open menu" button, select the "Settings" item in the context menu.
Open the Security & Privacy tab.
In the "Forms and Passwords" section, click on the "Saved logins ..." button.
Click on the "Show passwords" button, copy the desired password.

In Yandex.Browser:

Click the "Yandex Browser Settings" button, select the "Settings" context menu item. Scroll down the page, click on the "Show advanced settings" button.
In the "Passwords and Forms" section, in the "Offer to save passwords for sites" settings, click on the "Manage passwords" button.
Find the site you need in the list of sites with saved passwords, click on the dots in the field to display the password. The "Show" button will be highlighted.
Click on the "Show" button, after which the passwords under the dots will open. Copy the password for later use on another device.

Opera browser:

Enter the "Menu", click on the context menu item "Settings".
Select the "Security" section.
In the "Passwords" setting, click on the "Show all passwords" button.
Move the mouse cursor over the desired password, the "Show" button will appear. Click on the button, copy the password.

To display the saved password in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge browsers, for security purposes, you will need to enter a password for verification. Unfortunately we don't remember him. Therefore, this method in these browsers will not work for us.

How to see password instead of dots using SterJo Browser Passwords (3 way)

You can see passwords instead of asterisks (dots) using third-party applications. I recommend using programs from SterJo Software, as this developer has created applications for showing saved passwords for browsers: SterJo Chrome Passwords, SterJo Firefox Passwords, SterJo Opera Passwords, SterJo Edge Passwords, SterJo Internet Explorer Passwords.

The free SterJo Browser Passwords program supports major browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi and Yandex.

Download a portable version of the application for major browsers from the SterJo developer site, which does not need to be installed on your computer. The program works in Russian (you need to select it in the settings).

Once launched, SterJo Browser Passwords will display all available saved passwords.

Article Conclusions

If necessary, the user can view the saved password in the browser, hidden by asterisks or dots. You can open a hidden password using the built-in browser tools or third-party software - the SterJo Browser Passwords program.

Thematic materials: