How to Hide WiFi Network (SSID) in Easy Steps
Hiding your SSID removes your WiFi name from the list. Here is how to do it, how to join a hidden network, and its limits.
Hiding your WiFi network stops your router from broadcasting its name, the SSID. Your network disappears from the list of nearby networks, and devices must type the name to join.
Hiding your WiFi network stops your router from broadcasting its name, the SSID. It keeps casual neighbours from seeing your network, but it is not real security.
It keeps casual neighbors from seeing your network, but it is not real security. Here is how to do it, how to connect afterward, and what actually protects your WiFi.
How to hide your SSID
- Log in to your router admin page. Find the address with our Router IP Finder, or try 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.
- Open the Wireless or WiFi settings for each band.
- Untick Enable SSID Broadcast, or turn on Hide SSID.
- Save. Your devices stay connected, but new devices must add the network by hand.
How to connect to a hidden network
- Windows: WiFi list, Hidden Network, type the name and password.
- Mac: WiFi menu, Other Network, type the name and password.
- Android: WiFi settings, Add network, enter the name, security and password.
- iPhone: Settings, Wi-Fi, Other, enter the name, security and password.
Is hiding your SSID secure?
No. The network name still appears in the radio traffic whenever a device connects, so free tools can find it in minutes. Some devices also struggle with hidden networks, and phones may broadcast the hidden name while searching for it.
Real protection comes from these steps:
- WPA2 or WPA3 encryption with a long password
- A strong, changed router admin password
- WPS turned off
- Up-to-date firmware
- A guest network for visitors and smart devices
Problems after hiding the SSID
- Smart devices cannot reconnect: some IoT devices do not support hidden networks. Unhide the SSID or put them on a guest network.
- Mesh points disconnect: many mesh systems need the SSID visible.
- Phone keeps forgetting the network: tick “connect even if not broadcasting” where available.
What actually keeps your WiFi safe instead
If the goal is keeping strangers off your network, hiding the name is the weakest tool you have. Anyone with a free WiFi scanning app can still see that a hidden network exists, and your own phone gives the name away every time it asks “are you there?”.
These settings do far more, and none of them take long:
- WPA2 or WPA3 encryption. Never leave a network on WEP or open.
- A long WiFi password. 12 characters or more, ideally a short phrase you can still read out to guests.
- A new admin password. The login for 192.168.1.1 is separate from your WiFi password. Change it from the default.
- WPS switched off. The push-button and PIN method has had known weaknesses for years.
- Firmware updates. Turn on auto updates if your router has them.
A quick way to check: open our WiFi Password Generator, make a new password, and switch encryption to WPA2/WPA3 mixed if WPA3 is offered. That single change beats hiding the SSID by a mile.
When hiding the SSID does make sense
There are a few fair reasons to hide a network. A second network just for smart-home gadgets, a test network you don’t want family picking by mistake, or a shop that wants customers to only see the guest WiFi. In those cases it’s about tidiness, not security.
Just keep the trade-offs in mind. Some older smart plugs, printers and TVs simply won’t join a hidden network, and phones can use a little more battery because they keep calling out for it. If a device refuses to connect, unhide the network, pair it, then hide it again.
Connecting each type of device to a hidden network
Once the name is hidden, every device has to be told about it by hand. It only takes a minute each, but the menu is in a different place on each one.
- iPhone and iPad: Settings, WiFi, Other. Type the name, choose the security type and enter the password.
- Android: Settings, Network & internet, Internet, Add network. Tap Advanced options and set Hidden network to Yes.
- Windows: click the WiFi icon, choose Hidden Network at the bottom of the list, then type the name and password.
- Mac: click the WiFi icon, then Other Networks, then Other. Enter the network name and security details.
- Smart TVs and consoles: look for Manual setup, Add network or Other network in the WiFi menu.
Write the exact network name down before you hide it. Capital letters and spaces count, and getting one wrong is the most common reason a device won’t join.
Devices that keep forgetting a hidden network
A common complaint after hiding the SSID is that a laptop or phone joins fine at first, then won’t reconnect the next morning. That’s usually a setting on the device, not the router.
- Windows: open the network’s properties and tick “Connect even if the network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)”.
- Android: make sure Auto-reconnect is on for that network, and that Hidden network is set to Yes.
- iPhone: tap the (i) next to the network and check Auto-Join is switched on.
- Mac: in WiFi settings, make sure the network has “Automatically join” enabled.
If one stubborn device still won’t cooperate, forget the network on that device and add it again from scratch. Typing the name fresh often clears out an old saved profile with a typo or the wrong security type.
| Device | How to join |
|---|---|
| iPhone and iPad | Settings, Wi-Fi, Other. Type the name, choose the security type and enter the password. |
| Android | Settings, Network & internet, Internet, Add network. Tap Advanced options and set Hidden network to Yes. |
| Windows | Click the WiFi icon, choose Hidden Network at the bottom of the list, then type the name and password. |
| Mac | Click the WiFi icon, then Other Networks, then Other. Enter the network name and security details. |
| Smart TVs and consoles | Look for Manual setup, Add network or Other network in the WiFi menu. |
