How do I change a WPA2-Enterprise wireless network's saved password in Windows 10 without first connecting to that network and without recreating the network?

Question

_{Wednesday, April 6, 2016 2:36 AM}

Does anyone know how to change a saved password for a WPA2-ENTERPRISE wireless network in Windows 10 without first connecting to that network, and without completely removing and recreating the network connection?  I am logging into the network using an assigned username/password which is entirely independent of my Microsoft Account.

Every time I change my enterprise account password on the local network I am forced to delete and recreate the entire wireless network connection just to update the saved password.  I know that if you can connect to the wireless network first you can edit the network's properties (and thus update the password), but I am unable to even connect to the wireless network in question - trying to connect simply fails because the saved password is outdated.

Also, please note that I ask as a user on the network with control over my own password and machine, not as an administrator with power to change network policies.

Thank you in advance for any and all guidance.

All replies (3)

_{Thursday, April 7, 2016 8:14 AM ✅Answered | 1 vote}

Hi,

For your second question, I think the answer is No.

In fact, from Windows 8.1, we have been unable to right-click the wireless network and select status, then make configurations for it like previous Windows 7.

Therefore, you current method is correct, after changing the local password, we need to forget the WPA2 wireless network and recreate it.

Best regards

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_{Wednesday, April 6, 2016 4:19 PM | 1 vote}

Point is: Security. If you change your password (key) you also need to establish a new connection to the network (locks).

In your house you have locks. If you change the key to the locks you need to change the locks to accept the new key.

_{Wednesday, April 6, 2016 11:06 PM}

Thank you, I understand your point.

My next question is: Is the behavior I described new to Windows 10?  I do not remember Windows 7,8, or 8.1 requiring a user on an enterprise network to reconfigure the entire network connection - which involves entering the SSID of the network and specifying a security certificate to be used, among other settings - every time a password was reset (though the older versions of Windows did prevent you from connecting until a new password was entered).  I thought that those older versions of Windows simply gave you the option to enter an updated password.

Or, could this be a change that was configured by the Network Administrators, and not a result of upgrading to Windows 10?

Thanks for your assistance.  I am just trying to better understand if there is a smoother, faster way to update the network configuration after such password resets as I described.