show does not appear in credential manager windows 10

Question

Administrator cannot see passwords in Credential Manager, just the dots. This is a relatively common question which has never been answered by Microsoft or their crew. The AI answer does not comport with the information directly from MS which indicates there should be a SHOW button which reveals the passwords to an administrator. However no SHOW button appears. This prevents administrators from making changes to the network, for instance adding another computer is impossible without the network password. Obviously, a network administrator has the necessary permissions to manage credentials, otherwise management would not be possible.

Answer 1

Hello David Roberts,
Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

There is NO built-in option to view or show the password in Windows Credentials. The only options are to edit or to remove.

For example:

Here are two similar threads with third-party applications, you can try them to check if it helps.

Is there a way to view password stored in Windows Credentials?

https://superuser.com/questions/803132/is-there-a-way-to-view-password-stored-in-windows-credentials

How can I see the passwords stored in Windows Credential?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/624190/how-can-i-see-the-passwords-stored-in-windows-cred

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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Answer 2

In Windows 10, when using Credential Manager, passwords are typically displayed as dots for security reasons. If an administrator is unable to see the actual passwords, it is by design to protect sensitive information. There is no built-in feature in Credential Manager that allows users to reveal these passwords directly.

If you need to manage or view stored passwords, you may need to use third-party password management tools or ensure that you have the necessary permissions to access and manage credentials securely.

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References:

• Credentials Processes in Windows Authentication
• Credential Manager