Where Does NetworkManager Store Connections?
NetworkManager files every saved Wi-Fi and VPN connection as a profile in system-connections, passwords included.
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Every network your Linux box remembers is a text file. NetworkManager writes one profile per connection into system-connections, with SSIDs, certificates, VPN settings, and secrets inside.
The directory is root only, which surprises users hunting their own Wi-Fi password. Nmcli reads and edits these profiles without direct file access, and the GUI applets wrap the same operations. Server admins version control the directory for fleet wide network config.
Where Linux stores this, by platform
/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/
One file per saved network with secrets inside. Root only permissions apply; use nmcli for edits rather than hand editing live files.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the Wi-Fi passwords?
Passwords store in the profile files as psk or in the keyring depending on flags. System connections keep them in the file with root only permissions. User connections defer to the desktop keyring instead.
How do I forget a network properly?
Use nmcli connection delete for clean removal. Hand deleting files works but skips running state, so reload with nmcli connection reload afterward. The GUI forget button does exactly this sequence.
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