Here’s how to change your Wi-Fi password or recover it if you’ve lost it.
- The first thing to do is to open the configuration page of your router. To do this you have to enter the IP address in any browser, which is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.
- Now, log in with the router’s username and password. The username and password is usually “admin” or “userAdmin” by default, but this can vary and to find the information you should go to the bottom of the router to look at the label.
- When logging in, go to the “Wireless Security” option, which may also appear as “Wireless”.
- Click on the “Wi-Fi Password” or “Password” option and generate a secure password for your connection or, if you know what password you want to use, check how secure it is first. In this option you can also change the name of your Wi-Fi, which is how others will see it when they search for a network to connect to.
- Once you have made your changes, click on “Save changes” and you will have changed your password.
It is advisable to change your password from time to time. This will make it less likely to be hacked.
How to recover a Wi-Fi password
As there is also the possibility that you have forgotten or lost your password and would like to recover it and then change it, here are some ways to do this.
Router method
This method works only if you have not yet changed the default password that comes with the router. We mention it because many people don’t know that they can find the username and password on the router’s label.
Look on the label where you see these words: SSID or ESSID, and WPA, WPA2, etc. There you will find the default login information. To change the password follow the steps in the previous section.
Router reboot method
If you are unable to log in with the router information for any reason, you can always factory reset the router. But to do this successfully, you must have the router connected to a computer with a network cable.
Routers usually have a small button labelled “Reset”. In some cases you need a paper clip to press the button because it is in a small indentation.
Press and hold the button for about 5 seconds and release it. Allow about 5 minutes for a factory reset and log in to your router with your computer. This allows you to create a new password.
To create the new password go to our first section and follow the steps.
Windows method
If you have connected your Windows PC to that Wi-Fi network before, you will be able to find the password easily. Go to the “Start” menu and type “View network connections” in the search box and click on search.
There you will find the connection labelled “Wi-Fi”. Right click on that entry and choose the “Status” option, a menu will pop up and you will need to click on the “Wireless Properties” button.
The window that will open has a tab called “Security”, go to it and look for the box next to “Show characters” and you will be able to see the password.
Mac OS X method
If you have a MacBook or a computer with an Apple system, you can easily find the saved password if you are connected to the Wi-Fi network. To do this, go to the Finder application and click on the “Applications” entry.
From there open the “Utilities” folder and launch the one that says “Keychain Access.app”. Select “System” and “Passwords” in the left pane and then locate your router in the list. Double-click on it and in the window that appears check the “Show password” box so that you can see the password. You may need to enter your administrator username and password to see it.
