Recover or Reset Your Wi-Fi Password

Everyone misplaces the Wi-Fi password eventually. Often it’s recoverable in a minute — and if it isn’t, a quick router reset gets you back in.

Try the recovery steps first: a full reset erases your custom settings.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Check the sticker on your router for its default Wi-Fi password (often labelled “Wi-Fi Password”, “Wireless Key”, or “WPA Key”).
2. Look for the saved password on a device that’s already connected: on Windows, open the network’s properties; on a Mac, find it in Keychain Access; on Android or iPhone, view it in the saved-network or saved-passwords settings.
3. Sign in to your router’s admin page (the address and login are usually on the same sticker) and read the password from the wireless settings.
4. If you changed the password and can’t recover it anywhere, contact your internet provider — they can often resend it.
5. Last resort: reset the router to factory settings with the reset button, then use the default password from the sticker. You’ll need to reconfigure any custom settings.

Helpful tips

• After recovering it, store the password somewhere you’ll actually find it — a password manager is ideal.
• A factory reset also resets your network name, so neighbouring devices won’t see your old network either.
• When you set a new password, make it at least 12 characters — length matters far more than clever symbols.