How to change wifi password on your router

The short answer: to change your wifi password, sign in to your router's admin page or app, open the wireless settings, enter a new password and save, then reconnect your devices.

• Two passwords to change: the network password and the router admin password
• Find your router's login details on its label
• Find a saved password on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android
• Keep a record of your network details
• Next step: Plan it with the Password & Accounts Log ($3.99).

To change your wifi password, sign in to your router's settings through its admin web page or app, open the wireless settings, enter a new password and save, then reconnect your devices. The FTC's guide to securing your home Wi-Fi network points out that there are really two passwords to change: the Wi-Fi network password and the router's admin password. Below is how to change both, how to find wifi password details you have forgotten, how to share access safely and what else to check while you are in the settings.

How to change wifi password in 7 steps

The menus vary by brand, but the steps are the same on almost every router.

1. Find your router's login details. CISA notes in its home network security guidance that default settings are often printed on a label on the device. Look for an address such as 192.168.1.1, or an app name.
2. Connect to the network. Use a computer or phone on your Wi-Fi, or plug in with a cable.
3. Sign in. Type the address into a browser or open the app, and enter the admin username and password.
4. Open the wireless settings. They may be called Wireless, Wi-Fi, WLAN or Security.
5. Enter the new password. It may be labeled password, passphrase, network key or pre-shared key. Pick WPA3 Personal, or WPA2 Personal if WPA3 is not offered.
6. Save and restart if asked. Your devices will disconnect.
7. Reconnect every device with the new password.

If your internet provider supplied the router, its app or account page may have a "change Wi-Fi password" option. The FTC suggests searching for how to change your router manufacturer's Wi-Fi password if the menus do not match.

Choose a strong wifi password

CISA's advice on strong passwords is to make each one long, random and unique. For Wi-Fi:

• use at least 16 characters, such as four or five unrelated words;
• do not use your address, pet's name or phone number;
• do not reuse your email or banking password;
• use a different password for the guest network.

Once you've picked the new password, write it down somewhere private at home along with the router's admin login. Our printable password tracker guide shows how to log Wi-Fi and device logins next to your other accounts.

How to find wifi password on each device

If you forgot the password, a device that is already connected can usually show it.

You may need to confirm with your device passcode, Face ID or fingerprint. If none of these work, most routers can be reset to factory settings with a reset button, and then you set everything up again from the label.

How to share your wifi password

• QR code: Android and many router apps show a QR code that a guest scans with their camera.
• Apple devices: an iPhone can usually offer to share the password with a nearby Apple device that has you in its contacts.
• Guest network: the FTC suggests a separate guest network so visitors and smart gadgets stay off your main network. Share that password instead.

What else to change while you are in the settings

The FTC and CISA suggest a short list of extra steps:

Troubleshooting after a password change

A few problems come up often after changing the password:

• A device will not reconnect. Tell it to "forget" the network, then join again and type the new password carefully. Passwords are case-sensitive.
• Smart home gadgets drop off. Plugs, cameras, doorbells and thermostats usually need their own app to rejoin. Some need a reset first.
• The printer stops printing. Most printers have a Wi-Fi setup menu on the control panel or in the maker's app.
• You are locked out of the admin page. If you changed the admin password and forgot it, a factory reset is usually the only way back in. Afterwards, set up the network name and password again.
• Two networks show up. Many routers broadcast separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. Update the password on both, or turn on a single combined network if your router offers it.
• The internet provider's app still shows the old password. Refresh the app or sign out and back in. Some apps take a few minutes to sync.

Make a list of every connected device before you start. It turns a frustrating evening into a ten-minute job.

How to change wifi name (SSID)

The network name, also called the SSID, is usually on the same settings screen as the password.

1. Sign in to the router's admin page or app.
2. Open the Wireless or Wi-Fi settings.
3. Find the Network Name or SSID field. Some routers show one for 2.4 GHz and one for 5 GHz; others have a single combined network.
4. Type the new name. CISA suggests a name that does not reveal your identity or address. Skip your surname, house number and router brand.
5. Save. Every device drops off and has to join the new name.

Tip: change the name and the password at the same time, so you only reconnect your devices once. The reverse also works: if you replace your router and give the new one exactly the same network name, password and security type as the old one, most devices reconnect on their own.

How to reset router: restart or factory reset?

"Reset" can mean two very different things. Pick the one you actually need.

After a factory reset, sign in with the details on the label, change the admin password, set a new network name and wifi password, and check for a software update. Some gateways supplied by an internet provider need the provider's help to get back online after a factory reset, so check its support page first.

How to see wifi password on iPhone and Android

• iPhone or iPad (iOS 16 or later): open Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to the network, then tap Password and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. You can copy it from there.
• iPhone with iOS 18 or later: the Passwords app also has a Wi-Fi section listing networks you have joined, with the option to show the password or a QR code.
• Android: open Settings > Network & internet (or Connections) > Wi-Fi, tap the gear or the network name, then Share. After you confirm your screen lock, a QR code appears, and many phones show the password in text below it.

These only work for a network the phone has already joined. If no device remembers the network, plug a computer into the router with a cable and read the password from the admin page.

When to change your wifi password

• When you set up a new router or move into a home with an existing one.
• When a roommate, former partner or tenant who had the password moves out.
• After giving the main password to a contractor, babysitter or visitor instead of the guest network.
• If your router's device list shows something you do not recognize.
• If the password is short, or it is the default from the label.

Keep a record of your network details

Most households only touch router settings every few years, which is exactly why the login details get lost. The Password & Accounts Log ($3.99, printable PDF) has 15 pages, including a Home Wi-Fi & devices page where you can note your network name, guest network and the devices you will need to reconnect after a change. If you would rather have a bound book, the Password Logbook (Paperback) ($9.99, sold on Amazon) is a 6 x 9 inch, 120-page large-print book with A to Z tabs, 312 entries and extra pages for home Wi-Fi and devices. Many people write hints rather than full passwords and keep the book somewhere private.

For more, see our page on the large print password book for seniors, the emergency binder checklist for where to keep it, and the printable home inventory list for recording your devices.