You need to login to your router to port forward, set up a network drive, or change your IP address, but you can't figure out your router's login information. You've looked everywhere, and nothing you have found has worked. It's frustrating, and you're ready to just say forget it! Well, before you do that, be sure to read through this article as we are going to walk you through how to find your router's password, so you can continue working on getting your ports forward, changing your public IP address, or whatever else you need in your router to do.
Note: This is going to be a method based article. I'd suggest trying method 1, 2, 3, etc. Eventually, something should work. Unfortunately, every router is different, so there no one size fits all solution.
How To Find Your Router's Password
Method 1) Talk To The Person Who Setup Your Internet
I wanted to mention this method first as it can help reduce the headaches. If possible, contact the person who set up your internet. This could be your mom, dad, girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, brother, who knows. Most likely, it's the ‘techie' person in your family. Ask them if they know the username and password to login to your router. If they do, give it a shot; if they don't, no worries. We can move on to other methods, but sometimes getting your answer can be as simple as asking someone a question.
Method 2) Check Your Router For A Sticker
If the person who set up the network in your house doesn't know what your router's password is, it's time to check the router itself. Many routers have their default login info right on the back/bottom/side depending on the router you own. This is probably near the sticker that says your wifi password on it. If you find a sticker that lists both a username and password, go give it a try. If it doesn't work or you can't find a sticker at all, don't give up hope yet though. There are still more options we can try!
Method 3) Try The Default Username & Password
I debated making this method number one, but there is a bit more work involved in this than just asking someone a question. Thus, it made it to number three on our list. Router Passwords is a very helpful site that lists HUNDREDS if not thousands of different router models and gives you their default username and password. I would recommend checking on this site, and giving it a shot. The thing is, you need to know your router's brand and model number in order to find it on the site. This should be located somewhere on the router itself. If this doesn't work, move on to method number 4!
Click here to find your router's default username & password!
Method 4) Reset Your Router & Try The Default Info
Nobody wants to completely reset their router to default, but if you're having trouble logging in, this is most likely your best way to fix it. First, find your router's make and model on Router Passwords like we did in method 3. Once you've found it, go to your router. On the back, bottom, or side, you will have a little tiny button, it may even be just a little hole that you stick a paperclip in, that says ‘reset' or something similar. Press and hold it for 30 seconds. This will completely reset your router to default settings. It will even change your wifi password back to default, so before doing this, be sure everyone using the internet knows you are doing it. Once the router has completely rebooted, go try to login with the default username and password. At this point, it should work. If it doesn't, you have one more option.
Method 5) Contact Your ISP
I can hear the groans through the computer screen. I know that nobody wants to contact their ISP about anything, but if you've tried all the above methods and nothing has worked, it may be your only choice. Specifically, if you've got an ‘all-in-one' router/modem provided by your ISP, you will probably have to contact them in order to have anything done to your router. This is why I encourage not using ‘all-in-one' networking systems if at all possible. When talking to your ISP, ask if they know the login information for your router. If they set it up, they should have some information. Now, it's also worth noting that some ISPs do not allow you to login to their ‘all-in-one' systems making it nearly impossible to port forward, set up a hard drive, etc.
The Wrap-Up
There you have it. Hopefully, you now know how to find your router's password. Getting into your router's backend can be a stressful process, but once you finally do it, it opens up a ton of different possibilities. No matter what you are looking to do, it is always smart to keep this information handy. Once you find your login info, keep it somewhere safe. That way, the next time you have to login to your router, you've got it and don't have to go through all of this again. Thanks for reading, and if you do have any problems, post them in the comments below. We are happy to help!
