Everyone knows that users quite often forget passwords from all kinds of programs, Internet sites, or even those combinations that are used to enter the system. Therefore, the problem arises of their rapid recovery. But where are all the passwords entered on the computer stored? How to find them and see if necessary? Alas, everything is far from simple. In the simplest case, you can find the passwords for Internet resources, but there are many problems with local or network passwords, especially since it is not possible to view them using Windows tools, and not all ordinary users can master using specialized software. But to understand the general picture, the material presented below will bring some clarity.
Where passwords are stored on the computer: general information
To begin with, it should be noted that there is no single and universal place to save password combinations. The main problem is that the operating system uses its own repositories in the form of inaccessible to the user and protected from viewing encrypted files. Some programs may save user data in their own settings files. But if you understand where the browser passwords are stored on the computer, then you do not need to know the location, since you can view all saved combinations directly in them. But more on that later.
In what form and where are the passwords stored on the computer related to the logon and network settings stored?
But let's start from the fact that for starters we need to find out exactly the location in which the file with user passwords is stored, and not view the original combination. Local user combinations related to logging in or for the possibility of using network connections are stored directly in the directory of each user, conventionally referred to as User SID. In the XP version, the Credentials folder is used as the location, and in “Vista” and higher, the Random ID subdirectory is selected as such a location.
In the HKU registry branch, the locations of the password files correspond to keys in the form of long combinations starting with the values "S-1-5-21". But in most cases this is only an indication of the files themselves, since it is impossible to view the saved combinations either in the files themselves or even in the registry, although the original passwords stored on the computer can be changed quite simply through the appropriate settings for managing network connections or user accounts that are available in graphical interface.
For administrator login passwords, you can pay attention to the SAM registry key.
For VPN and Dial-Up connections, the HKLM registry branch contains Secrets and SECURITY sections with keys like RasDialParams, but they do not give any special information to the ordinary user. Another thing is that you can view and change the network access password either in the Windows settings or directly on the router. By the way, according to a similar principle, password combinations for most built-in email clients or utilities from third-party developers are saved if they are presented as separate applications, which does not apply to Internet services like Mail.Ru or something like that.
The place to save passwords for Skype and the problem of viewing the desired combinations
Quite often you have to find out where passwords from installed programs are stored on the computer. In particular, this concerns the popular Skype application, with which recently many users have had problems logging into their own accounts.
The installed application stores user combinations in a special XML file, where the password corresponds to the hash value (<hash>). Yes, but here the password is presented in hexadecimal and you just won’t be able to view it. Therefore, for such purposes, you must use the HEX editor. But the use of such utilities without the corresponding knowledge of the result may not give.
View passwords in browsers
Now let's see where passwords are stored on the computer, which are stored directly in web browsers that are used to work on the Internet. Actually, as mentioned above, the very location of the files does not interest us.
But you can view the passwords directly in the browser, if in the main settings section go to the saved passwords management item, where all resources for which such combinations were saved will be listed. Then you just need to click on the button or link for showing the password, after which the forgotten combination can be transferred to a text file or simply written.
Specialized programs for “pulling out” all entered passwords
But we can assume that it is not enough for the user to know where the passwords are stored on the computer, but you need to somehow “pull” them out of the system for viewing. There is no means to perform such operations on the Windows systems themselves, but without any problems you can use all kinds of third-party programs like Password Recovery Tool, PSexec, which is part of the PSTools package, PasswordSpy or similar.
In them, you just need to activate the scanning of system components to detect stored passwords, and then set their extraction and conversion into a readable form.
Afterword
As you can see, everything regarding the place and form of saving password combinations, even many experienced users can seem quite complicated. But in case of their change or viewing, special difficulties should not arise, since some standard system tools and third-party applications that are very easy to use will do. However, it is completely optional to know exactly the storage location in the form of a specific directory or an encrypted file.