“Router password” can mean three different credentials: the Wi-Fi password used by devices, the administrator password used to change settings, or an internet-provider account credential. Resetting the wrong thing can turn a small login problem into a full network rebuild.
Start here: If any phone or computer is still connected, try to recover the Wi-Fi password from that device. Use a factory reset only when you own or administer the router, cannot recover the admin login, and are prepared to configure it again.
Identify the password you lost
Wi-Fi password
This is the credential phones, computers, televisions, and other devices use to join the wireless network. A connected device may be able to reveal or share it. Follow our saved Wi-Fi password guide before changing the router.
Router administrator password
This protects the router’s settings page or app. It should be different from the Wi-Fi credential. The manufacturer or internet provider may provide an account recovery option without erasing the configuration.
Internet-provider credential
Some connections require provider-specific usernames, passwords, VLAN settings, or activation. A factory reset may remove them. Contact the provider if you do not know whether the router configures itself automatically.
Recover access before factory-resetting
Try these options in order:
- Check a connected phone or computer for the saved Wi-Fi credential.
- Look for the original network information on the router label.
- Open the official router or provider app on a device that is already signed in.
- Use the manufacturer’s supported administrator-account recovery flow.
- Connect by Ethernet and try the local admin page listed in the manual.
- Contact the provider or manufacturer with the model and serial number.
The label shows factory defaults, not necessarily the current password. Do not repeatedly try default credentials against a router someone else configured.
What a factory reset erases
A factory reset can remove the network name, Wi-Fi password, administrator login, guest network, parental controls, port forwarding, DNS settings, VPN settings, device reservations, and internet-provider configuration.
TP-Link’s current password recovery guidance explicitly treats factory reset as the fallback when both Wi-Fi and router-login passwords are lost and warns that custom internet settings must be rebuilt.
Before resetting, record the router model, provider details, custom network settings, and the label’s default access information. Download the correct manual from the manufacturer’s official site on another connection.
How to factory-reset a router safely
The exact button and timing vary by model, so the device manual takes priority. The common process is:
- Leave the router powered on unless its manual says otherwise.
- Locate the recessed button labeled Reset or WPS/Reset.
- Press it with the appropriate tool and hold it for the duration specified by the manual.
- Release it when the documented light pattern appears.
- Wait for the router to restart completely; do not interrupt its power.
- Connect by Ethernet or join the default network printed on the label.
- Complete the official setup flow and restore the internet connection.
Do not use a random “30-30-30” reset recipe from an old forum. Procedures differ, and interrupting firmware or using the wrong button sequence can create more problems.
Secure the router after reset
During setup:
- Install current firmware through the official interface
- Create a unique router administrator password
- Create a separate 20–24 character Wi-Fi password
- Use WPA3-Personal or WPA2/WPA3 mode where appropriate
- Disable remote administration unless you specifically need and secure it
- Set up a separate guest network for visitors
- Save credentials and recovery information in a password manager
Use the Wi-Fi password generator for the network credential and the main random password generator for the administrator login. Generate them separately; never reuse one for the other.
If the router belongs to your provider or workplace
Stop before resetting. Provider equipment may need remote activation, while workplace, apartment, hotel, and school routers are not yours to administer. Contact the responsible support team instead.
Once access is restored, follow how to change the Wi-Fi password for a controlled update that does not erase the rest of the configuration.