How to Change Router Admin Password in Steps
The admin password protects your router settings. Here is how to change it on any router, and why it differs from the WiFi password.
Your router has two passwords. The WiFi password lets devices join the network. The admin password protects the settings page itself, where anyone could change your WiFi, DNS or security.
The admin password protects the router settings page. Log in, open System or Administration, find Change Password, enter a new password of at least 12 characters twice, and save.
Many routers still use a default admin login such as admin and admin, which is listed openly online. Changing it takes two minutes and closes one of the easiest ways into your network.
You need to be able to log in for this guide. If you are locked out because you forgot the password, recover access first with our forgot router password guide, then come back here.
Admin password vs WiFi password
| Admin password | WiFi password | |
|---|---|---|
| Protects | Router settings page | Access to the network |
| Who needs it | Only you | Everyone who uses the WiFi |
| Default | Often admin/admin or on the label | On the label |
| Change it at | System or Administration menu | Wireless or WiFi menu |
The protects row is the one I point at first when someone mixes the two passwords up.
How to change the router admin password
- 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 administration area. Common names are System Tools, Administration, Management or Account.
- Find Password, Change Password or Router Login.
- Enter the current password, then a new one of at least 12 characters, twice.
- Save. You will be logged out. Log back in with the new password to confirm.
The system-menu step is the one I point at first when the setting hides.
Where to find it by brand
| Brand | Menu |
|---|---|
| TP-Link | Advanced, System Tools, Administration (or Account Management) |
| Netgear | Advanced, Administration, Set Password |
| ASUS | Administration, System, Router Login Password |
| Linksys | Connectivity, Basic, Router Password |
| D-Link | Management, Admin (or Tools, Admin) |
| Huawei | Advanced, System, Modify Password |
The administration-menu row is the one I look for first on an unfamiliar router.
Choosing a good admin password
- Use at least 12 characters, mixing words, numbers and symbols.
- Do not reuse your WiFi password.
- Store it in a password manager or write it on paper kept at home.
- If your router supports it, turn off remote management so the page is only reachable from inside your home.
The passphrase-over-complexity rule is the one I explain first to anyone picking a password.
Forgot the new admin password?
There is no way to recover a forgotten admin password from the router. A factory reset restores the default login from the label, but also erases WiFi and internet settings. See how to reset a router. The reset-erases-everything warning is the one I give before anyone reaches for the button.
Locked out after changing the admin password?
It happens to everyone eventually. You set a strong admin password, saved it nowhere, and six months later you need to log in. Before you reset anything, try these:
- Check your browser’s saved passwords. Search for the router IP, like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.
- Check your password manager for an entry named after the router brand.
- If your router has an app (TP-Link Tether, ASUS Router, Netgear Nighthawk, Deco, eero), try logging in there. Some apps let you manage the router with your account instead.
- Try the default from the router label, in case the change never saved.
If none of that works, a factory reset is the only way back in. Hold the reset button for about 10 seconds with the router on. You’ll lose your WiFi name and password too, so you’ll need to set them again and reconnect every device.
The try-everything-first order is the sequence I follow before I ever suggest a reset.
Lock down the admin page while you’re there
Changing the password is the big step. A few other settings on the same page close the door properly:
- Turn off remote management (sometimes called web access from WAN) unless you really need it.
- Change the username from admin, if your router allows it.
- Set a login timeout so the admin page logs out after a few minutes.
- Use HTTPS for the admin page if your router offers it.
- Switch off WPS on the wireless page.
The remote-access-off step is the one I never skip when I lock down an admin page.
Where the admin password setting lives on popular routers
The option is usually under a menu called System, Administration or Management. Here’s where to look on brands we get asked about most:
- TP-Link: Advanced, System, Administration (newer models) or System Tools, Password (older).
- Netgear: Advanced, Administration, Set Password.
- ASUS: Administration, System, Router Login Name and Password.
- D-Link: Management, Admin, or Tools, Admin.
- Linksys: Connectivity, Basic, Router Password.
- Tenda: Administration or System Settings, Login Password.
ISP-branded routers move things around, but searching the settings for “password” or “administrator” usually finds it. If the router is managed only through an app, the admin password may be your app account password instead. The search-for-password trick is the one I suggest first on an ISP-branded router.
Why default admin passwords are a real risk
Default logins like admin/admin or admin/password are published in manuals, on stickers and on sites like ours. That’s fine for the first login, but it means anyone who joins your WiFi, including a guest’s infected phone, can try them.
Once inside the admin page, someone could change your DNS settings to send you to fake banking sites, open ports to your devices, or simply lock you out. Malware that targets routers does exactly this, trying common default passwords automatically.
Changing the admin password takes two minutes and shuts all of that down. If your router label shows a unique random password rather than admin, you’re already in better shape, but it’s still worth setting your own and keeping the label out of view.
The two-minute change is the fix I suggest first to anyone still on a default login.
