I forgot the password for the router web interface. How to find out the forgotten password of a D-Link router. How to log into the router if you forgot your password
I have already encountered several questions with problems that arise when entering the settings of different router models. (and different manufacturers: TP-Link, Asus, D-Link, Netgear, etc.). The problem was not that there was no access to the settings page at one of the addresses (192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1), but that the password or login did not match. Which must be entered in order to access the router settings.
Almost everyone was sure that they were entering the correct password and login. But the window asking for a password/login simply reboots and that’s it, it’s impossible to enter the settings. Standard (usually admin and admin), also did not work, and people claimed that the parameters for logging into the control panel had not changed.
You are trying, for example, to configure it (if you just bought it), or you need to change some settings. Enter the IP address of the router, and a window will appear asking for a username and password. We enter the username/password, and the page simply reloads (the fields are cleared) and that’s it.
If you press Cancel, then a window will appear with an error and some recommendations (this is using TP-Link as an example). The error usually appears in English, I translated (more precisely Chrome translated :)).
The problem is clear, let's move on to advice on solutions.
We clarify the default password (login), try another browser
If you have not yet changed the username and password in the router settings, then first of all, I recommend clarifying what default data is used on your network device. Typically, this data is indicated at the bottom of the router (or somewhere behind, there should be a sticker with the necessary information).
You see in the screenshot above, the default data is admin and admin. Such data is used on almost all routers. Only in Zyxel, if I'm not mistaken, the password is 1234.
Try logging in using the default settings. Does not work? Ok, let's move on.
Try logging in through a different browser, or from a different computer.
If, for example, you access it from the Chrome or Opera browser, and nothing works, then try Internet Explorer (or vice versa). You can also try clearing your browser cache.
If changing the browser also did not help, then try logging into the settings from another computer, or even from a tablet (smartphone), via Wi-Fi.
Is your router still not accepting your login/password? Let's continue.
Have you changed your default username/password and forgotten it?
It happens (I know firsthand 🙂). In such a situation, the most normal and correct way out is to reset the router settings. After resetting the settings, the password and login will be those indicated on the device body (those by default).
I wrote about how to reset all parameters in a separate article. Everything is very simple there. You only need to press a certain button for a few seconds.
Before you reset the settings, you should understand that the router will have to be configured again. Set parameters for connecting to the Internet, configure Wi-Fi, etc.
Universal method
I would call the universal method the same reset of parameters. It happens that the router is simply malfunctioning, or something else; resetting all settings should revive it. But there are cases when, even after resetting all parameters, the router refuses to accept the password to enter the control panel. In this case, there may be some technical problems.
Almost every person has had a situation where they forgot their Wi-Fi password. There are several ways to restore access to a wireless network. Depending on the situation, actions may vary.
If you have forgotten your wi-fi password, first try to find a service agreement from your provider; very often you can find the login/password for connecting to a wireless network there. Also look at the back of the router, in most cases you will find a sticker with a password.
If you still cannot find the paper with the password or it is not written on the back of the router, you will have to spend a little time and effort to recover it.
If there is a device connected to Wi-Fi
If the router is used at home, it will usually automatically connect to the wireless network, and a password will be required if a new device is connected. In this case, to restore access you will need a computer that was previously connected to wi-fi.
First you need to go to your network settings. To do this, you can right-click on the network icon, which is located in the lower right corner of the taskbar and select “Network and Sharing Center” from the drop-down list. Or you can access these settings through the computer control panel.
In the window that opens, click on the image of your network, a small window will appear. Next, find the “Wireless Network Properties” button and switch to the “Security” tab.
The Wi-Fi password is written in the “Network Security Key” field, but it is hidden behind the dots. To see it, you need to check the box next to “Display input icons”.
Using a router
If there is not a single device already connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi and it is impossible to see the password, you can try to restore it using the router’s control panel. To do this, connect it to your computer using a cable (it comes with the router), then you need to open any Internet browser and type the combination of numbers in the address bar: 192.168.1.1.
By the way, this works on all devices that can connect to wireless networks and have a browser installed, so you can open the router control panel not only on a PC, but also on a tablet or phone. It’s just more convenient to do this on a computer.
After you go to the router’s management page, the first thing you will need is a username and password to log in. Usually this is admin/admin, unless you have previously changed this data yourself.
Next, you need to go to the Wireless and Wireless Security tabs. This section contains the password for the wireless network. Most likely it will be displayed in the PSK Password line.
If you are unable to log in, look for instructions from your router. It will tell you exactly how to do this. Or look at the sticker on the bottom of the router. It may contain the address of the admin panel.
Special programs
There are many programs that scan the system and show all the passwords stored on the computer. Most likely, among them there will be a password for wi-fi.
For example, you can use WirelessKeyView, Dialupass, Remote Desktop PassView, RouterPassView, Wireless Password Recovery. They are very easy to use. Just download any utility and run it as administrator. If you download a program from unverified sources, do not forget to enable your antivirus.
The program displays a list of passwords in a text document and can be printed so that the information is not lost.
How to find out the password on an Android tablet
If you have forgotten your password and it is not saved on your computer, you can try to find it using your tablet. To do this you must have root rights. Next you will need the Root Browser program. It can be downloaded on Google Play.
After launching the program, you need to go to the root of the folder and open one by one data – misc – wifi. In the wifi folder, find the wpa_supplicant.conf file and open it using any text editor, such as notepad. This file stores information about wireless connections, including passwords.
This is the most drastic method, and it is better not to use it unless absolutely necessary and resort to it only if you are an advanced user and can restore all settings.
Each router has a “Reset” on the back panel. This button is prudently hidden from users. In order to restart the router and return it to factory settings, you need to press the button with a toothpick, knitting needle, paper clip or other thin object. 
After resetting the settings, you need to go to the control panel of the router and re-set their values, including the password. Despite being forgetful, try to come up with a complex password so that cunning neighbors cannot connect to your distribution. Avoid common and banal combinations such as 12345, qwerty, admin and the like.
In the future, in order not to look for the password, write it down on a piece of paper and stick it on the back of the router with tape. This will eliminate the need to tinker with the settings of your computer or router and will significantly save time. You can also save the data in a text file on your computer, but this is not very reliable because you can accidentally erase the information or your computer will break down.
A password and username are one of the most effective and widespread methods of protecting against access by intruders and simply uninvited guests. Passwords in routers are set to enter the settings menu, connect to a wireless Wi-Fi network, and to authenticate the user access to the Internet. But it often happens that the user has forgotten the router password, and in such cases there are several ways to restore it.
This article will discuss two options for password recovery:
Physical, that is, you will have to get up, go to the router, and carry out some manipulations with it;
Software-based, that is, only using specialized programs, without touching the router.
Method one
The easiest and fastest way is to simply reset all settings to factory settings using a special button.
Reset button
As a rule, the button is designated “Reset”, is located on the back of the router, and is recessed into the case to avoid accidental pressing. Simply pressing and releasing the button is not enough; depending on the manufacturer and model of the device, you need to keep it pressed for up to 15 seconds, after which all the indicator lights will blink and the router will reboot itself with factory default settings. Next, open the documentation and look at the default password (mostly “admin”, and for the ZyXEL router “1234” or “12345”).
But you should remember that with this method, absolutely all settings will be reset, and you will have to configure everything from scratch.
Method two
The second option on how to find out the password from the router is more likely not a recovery method, but a preventative tip - as a password, indicate either the mac address of the router or its serial number, which are indicated on the label under the bottom of the router.
Label on the bottom of the router
Now you don’t even have to remember the password, just look at the label and you’re done.
The methods described above are physical in nature, without the participation of a computer. But you can recover the password without getting up from your computer chair and without touching the device itself using special utility programs. Let's look at two programs and a description of how to crack a router password using them.
Software recovery methods
Method three
The first program will require a configuration file, which had to be done from the router settings menu before the password was forgotten.
Saving a Settings Configuration File
Depending on the router, you need to look for the menu item “System”, “System Setup”, “Configuration”, “Recovery”, or something similar. On the page that opens there will be at least two buttons - create a file with the current configuration, and upload a file with the saved configuration to the router (restore settings, backup). But there may also be additional items, such as “Factory settings”, etc.
By the way, saving backups is useful not only for the potential need to recover a password, but also for many other cases, for example, after a hardware failure, the settings may be lost, after which it will be necessary to perform the entire setup again. If there is a saved copy, then simply upload it to the router, and you’re done.
If, fortunately, we have a saved copy, then we will then need the “router passview” program.
Program window
The principle of operation is that all passwords and logins are stored in the saved router configuration file. But they are stored in encrypted form; simply opening the file in Notepad and viewing the information will not work. The Router Passview program analyzes this file, and with its help there is a very high chance of pulling out the password, and this chance is much higher if the router model is common. The fact is that there are a huge number of models and brands of routers in the world, and it is simply impossible to support them all. The list of supported models is given below:
List of supported router models
To start processing the configuration file, launch the program, click the “Open file” icon and specify the path to the file. You can also simply drag and drop the file into the program window.
The program is in English, but there are also excellent localizations, Freeware license, that is, free, program version 1.47.
http://soft.mydiv.net/win/files-RouterPassView.html
Russifiers are also located there.
Method four
The fourth, and last for today, way to try to recover your router password is the Router Password Kracker program.
Program window
This program, unlike the previous one, no longer requires a saved configuration file. For it to work, you only need a connection to the router (wired or via Wi-Fi, it doesn’t matter).
The principle of operation of “router password kracker” is to search for a password using a dictionary, in other words, brute force is performed, selecting a password by brute force. This method is very long, but in some cases there is no other way.
You can clearly see how the program works in the video lesson:
The stability of the Internet connection largely depends on the settings of the router. On what to do if you forgot your router password? You can perform several operations that will allow you to restore access to the router and data via an Internet connection, local network, etc.
Connecting to a local and wireless network and the Internet can only be done if the correct router settings are set, where logins, passwords, and keys must also be specified. As a rule, such operations are carried out by the provider when it begins to provide services to the user. Logins and passwords are used extremely rarely if no reinstallations have been made. But what if a situation arises when this data is needed, and the user has forgotten the router password? What to do? These issues can be resolved independently and without much effort.
As a rule, ordinary users, in order not to delve into the intricacies of settings, use the disk supplied with the equipment for quick setup. At one stage, as a rule, you will be asked to change your identification data, including the login and password for the router, the security key for connecting to Wi-Fi, etc. And if the loss of access data to a LAN network or Wi-Fi distribution does not cause much difficulty during recovery, then the loss of data to log into the router’s Web interface is a rather significant loss. In this case, you will need to completely reset the settings to factory settings, and then you will need to completely restore the necessary parameters that will ensure stable and reliable local communication and Internet access.
Recovering your Wi-Fi password
To recover your wireless network password, follow these steps:
- Look in the lower right corner for an icon indicating a wireless network connection or an icon representing a monitor. Click on one of them;
- in the list of connections displayed, right-click on the line that indicates your connection to the local network and select properties;
- go to the security tab and check the box next to " display entered characters", after which, a little higher (field " network security key"), instead of circles, the actual password will be displayed, which is used to connect via a wireless network.
Recovering Internet connection credentials
To restore, follow these steps:
- and if you have not previously changed the access data on the router, enter the following address: 192.168.1.1 (this address may differ depending on the model, therefore, look at this address on the back of the device and enter it in the address bar of the browser).
- Enter the login and password for the router (it was already mentioned above that the default login and password in most cases is admin, but it’s better to view this data again on the back of the router).
- Go to the Internet tab (this tab may also be called WAN Settings).
- Your login will be entered in the select SSID field, and the password can be seen in the WPA PRE-Shared Key field by checking the box next to the field that will allow it to be displayed.
Thus, this data can be obtained without asking for help and without visiting the office of the Internet provider.
Restoring access to the router
There are times when a user cannot access the router’s Web interface because he changed the router’s credentials and forgot them. In this case, there is no point in looking for any methods; the best option would be to reset all settings to factory settings. To do this, on the back panel of the router, while it is turned on, press and hold the reset button for several seconds (you may need a thin object for this).
The reset will be carried out when all the indicators on the router go out for a couple of seconds, and then the power and LAN connection indicators (if the network cable is connected) light up.
By and large, this is the only and easiest way to regain access to the router.
Restoring access if passwords are lost
There are times when the user cannot remember either the login or password for the local network, Internet access, or Wi-Fi security key. In this case, you can restore all data in two ways: hardware, software.
The first method involves visiting the Web interface, while the second is used using special programs that check registry entries and provide all the necessary information in full. For the first method, you must know at least the address, login and password for the router. If you haven’t changed them, then the address for almost all routers looks like: 192.168.1.1. The exception is where this address is written as follows: 192.168.0.1.
Also, the login and password are the same in almost all cases: admin. In order not to guess and not waste time, if you have not changed this data, you can take it from the back of the router or see it on the box.
Once you are on the router settings page, you can easily find all your personal logins and passwords for access.
To find the password for, you need to go to its settings and view the data. The same applies to the access key to the Wi-Fi network.
If you need a login and password for the Internet, go to the Internet tab and you can see the login and password.
You can also use special software. The most successful utilities in this area are:
- remote desktop pass view;
- router pass view.
Of course, this is an incomplete list of software products in this area; it all depends on the user which program to use. The interface is quite clear and will not cause any particular difficulties even for novice users. The only thing worth noting is that some little-known products may contain , which can harm your computer.
These programs check some files (many of them are hidden) that are responsible for network connections, etc. In order to view these files yourself, you need to have quite a lot of knowledge, so for many it will be very difficult and incomprehensible, but similar utilities will perform this operation quickly and without much difficulty.
Experts recommend saving logins and passwords for accessing the network in a separate text file, or, as a last resort, copying them into your notepad. This will allow you to avoid many difficulties and perform completely unnecessary actions that will take quite a lot of time.
Also, in order not to bother recording logins and passwords, you can save a settings log (this can be when setting up a router using a CD) and this data will be collected in one text file.
Each router has a utility that allows the user to manage this network device. Login to the utility is usually password protected. This is necessary so that the router’s system settings do not become accessible to an unauthorized person.
The secret word can be factory (standard) defined by default. Also, it can be changed by the user, since the standard version is very simple and easily accessible.
Forgotten default password
The factory secret word is usually simple and monosyllabic. Almost any user who has encountered a routing device at least several times can guess it, even the first time. However, if it's not a matter of guessing, then there is an easy way to find out through the Internet.
The figure above shows the entrance to the system utility of the TP-Link router
For the manufacturer D-Link, the steps are similar:
Below is the start page of the user account of the D-Link program.
We must remember that different models of routers, even from the same manufacturer, may have different secret keys, although their logins may be identical. Detailed information about such combinations as “Login-Password” for each type of routing device is available on the manufacturers’ pages. To obtain this information, just type in the search bar of any search engine website (Yandex, Google, Bing) the combination “Network device model + default password.”
For example, we can type "D-Link + password". The search engine will return a result in which you can find a page on the official website of the manufacturer D-Link, which will display combinations of logins and secret words for different types of devices. Among them you can find a suitable one. The same can be done for routers from other manufacturers. Typically, factory versions of login-password sets are made up of the following pairs: “admin-admin” or “admin-none”.
Above is the result for D-Link.
And below in the picture is the result for TP-Link.
Another method is even simpler. Often, network router manufacturers place the default credentials used in the management utility simply on the casing of the device itself. So just flip your router over and look carefully for this data. As a rule, they are posted along with the address of the site where this data can be found for this type of device.
Forgot your own password
If you managed to change the standard secret key to your own, then you will have to forget it forever. To restore access to your router utility, you will need to reset your credentials to factory defaults. This is quite easy to do. Each router is equipped with a number of physical buttons, including a special one.
This special button is called “Reset” and is usually recessed into the body of the network device itself. To press it, you will have to use something thin to penetrate deep into the case. This was done to protect the button from accidental pressing, since the same interface where it is located can have a whole range of functional connectors and buttons.
Accidentally clicking on “Reset” will cause the reset of not only your login and password. This button is responsible for completely restoring the router to factory settings. Pressing it will cause a complete reset of user settings. After completing this step, you will have to reconfigure the network. That is why they try to protect “Reset” from all accidents, so that careless movement does not cause a complete reset of user settings.
RouterPassView
Another way to “remember” a half-forgotten password is to restore data from the configuration file of the network device settings. Such a file is created in the system tools section as a backup copy of the settings in case of unforeseen consequences. It is obviously impossible to simply read such a file, since it is usually created in a binary format. To do this, first create a backup copy of the router settings using TP-Link as an example:
However, there is a way to obtain password and login information from the configuration file. To do this, we will use the RouterPassView utility. It does not require installation, and when downloaded from the Internet it can be identified as malicious, so you should ignore this behavior of the PC’s protective resources. You just need to open the configuration file using this application and you will get the desired data.
Let's open RouterPassView and the File option.
Let's find and open the configuration file:
As you can see, the program clearly identified identification data and even the secret key for Wi-fi.
Brief summary
A forgotten secret word from the router will definitely become an obstacle when trying to use it. There are several ways to recover a half-forgotten password. The user can use the Internet to search for a standard secret key or pay attention to the back of the case of their router.
In another case, if the standard key has been changed to a custom one, the “Reset” button will help and completely reset all device settings to factory settings, including login and password. It is also possible to use the RouterPassView application to read identification data from the configuration file.