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How to Change Your Wi-Fi Password

The exact menu layout varies by router brand, but the underlying steps to change a Wi-Fi password are the same on nearly every router.

  1. Find your router’s admin address

    Most routers use a local address like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, often printed on a label on the router itself. Typing this address into a browser on a device connected to that network opens the admin login page.

  2. Log in with the admin credentials

    This login is separate from your Wi-Fi password — it’s often a default username and password printed on the router or in its manual, unless you’ve changed it before. If you’ve never logged in, check the router label first before resetting anything.

  3. Navigate to the wireless / Wi-Fi settings section

    Look for a menu labeled “Wireless,” “Wi-Fi,” or “Wireless Security” — this is usually where both the network name (SSID) and password fields live, sometimes separately for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

  4. Enter and save a new password

    Choose a password of at least 12 characters mixing letters, numbers, and symbols, then save or apply the change. Some routers apply the change instantly; others require a router restart to take effect.

  5. Reconnect every device with the new password

    Every device that was previously connected will lose its connection the moment the password changes and needs to be reconnected manually with the new password — this includes phones, laptops, smart TVs, and any smart home devices.

  6. Update any place the old password was saved or shared

    Update a printed guest network card, a shared notes app entry, or any smart home app referencing the old password, so guests and other devices aren’t stuck trying an outdated one.

Why the router login and the Wi-Fi password are two different things

It’s a common point of confusion — the admin login gets you into the router’s settings menu, while the Wi-Fi password is what a device needs to join the wireless network itself. Changing one has no effect on the other, and mixing them up is the most common reason someone gets stuck partway through this process.

Choosing between updating existing devices and just starting fresh

Because every connected device needs the new password anyway, some people use a password change as a natural opportunity to also rename the network (SSID) or remove old, unused device connections from the router’s device list, rather than treating the process as just a one-field edit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to devices connected to the network when I change the password?

They will disconnect and show a “wrong password” or “authentication failed” error the next time they try to reconnect automatically, until you manually enter the new password on each one.

I forgot my router’s admin login — what do I do?

Check the label on the router itself for default admin credentials first. If those have been changed and forgotten, most routers have a physical reset button that restores factory settings, though this also resets your Wi-Fi password and any other custom settings.