How to change your router's admin password

Two different passwords

Your router has two passwords, and people often mix them up.

• The Wi-Fi password is what you type on a phone or TV to join your Wi-Fi.
• The admin password (sometimes called the router password) opens the router's settings page. This is the one that matters most for safety, because anyone who knows it can change your settings.

This page is about the admin password.

Why change it

Some older routers come with an admin password that is the same on every box, such as admin. Newer ones often ask you to create your own, or print a different one on the sticker. If yours still uses a simple password, change it. If you are not sure, changing it takes a few minutes and does no harm.

How to change it

1. Sign in to your router.
2. Look for a menu called Administration, System, Maintenance or Account. On many TP-Link routers it is under Advanced, then System, then Administration. If your router is controlled from a phone app, look in the app's account or security settings instead.
3. Type the old password, then the new one twice, and press Save or Apply.
4. The router may sign you out. Sign in again with the new password to make sure it works.

Choosing a good password

• Longer is better. Three or four unrelated words, such as candle river button ladder, are easy to remember and hard to guess.
• Do not use admin, password, your address, or the name of your Wi-Fi.
• Do not use the same password as your email or bank.
• Write it down and keep it at home, somewhere safe. A password manager is another good place.

If you forget it

Call your internet company first. A factory reset is the last resort. It erases the router's settings, so your Wi-Fi name and password return to the ones on the sticker and every device must be connected again. Ask for help before you do it.