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The short answer: most routers have a small reset button, usually in a tiny hole on the back or bottom. With the router turned on, press it with a straightened paper clip and hold it anywhere from a second to 30 seconds, depending on the brand. Watch for the light change your brand describes below rather than counting. Mesh systems like eero and Google Nest Wifi are easiest to reset from their app.

Reboot or reset? Make sure you want a reset

These two words sound alike but do very different things.

  • A reboot just restarts the router. Your Wi-Fi name, password and settings stay the same. This is what fixes most “the internet is acting weird” problems.
  • A reset (or “factory reset”) erases everything and puts the router back the way it came out of the box. You’ll have to set it up again before anything can connect.

If your internet just stopped working, try a reboot first. Unplug the router, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in. Save the reset for when you’re giving the router away, recycling it, or you’ve forgotten its password.

Watch out on some Spectrum routers: the same button does both. A short hold restarts the router, and a long hold erases it.

Before you start

  • Is it yours or your internet company’s? If the box came from your internet company (an Xfinity or Spectrum gateway, for example) and you’ve only forgotten the Wi-Fi password, check the label first. A reset brings back the label’s default name and password, and every phone, speaker and camera in the house then has to be reconnected.
  • Write down anything you’ll need again. If your internet company gave you a username and password for your connection, save them, because the router forgets them too. ASUS specifically warns about this.
  • Expect to be offline for a while. If this is your only router, nothing in the house will connect until you set it up again.
  • Check for subscriptions. Extras like Netgear Armor or parental control plans have to be turned back on in the app afterward.
  • Home phone through your internet? On an Xfinity gateway, Xfinity Voice stops during the reset and comes back when the gateway restarts.
  • Giving it away? Remove it from the app or account you use to manage it first. That matters most for mesh systems.

Reset steps by brand

For every brand below, keep the router plugged in and turned on while you hold the button, unless the steps say otherwise. Then let go and leave the power alone while it restarts.

On a mesh system, be careful which unit you reset. Resetting the main unit, the one wired to your modem, can reset the whole network, not just that one box.

Netgear (including Nighthawk)

Find the button marked Reset or Restore Factory Settings on the back. With the power light on, press and hold it with a paper clip for about 7 seconds, then let go.

After the reset, the admin login goes back to the default shown in Netgear’s instructions, usually “admin” and “password.”

Netgear Orbi (mesh)

With the Orbi turned on, press the Reset button with a paper clip and hold it until the power light blinks amber. On wall-plug satellites, the ring light blinks amber instead.

Then set it up again in the Orbi app or a web browser.

TP-Link

The button is on the back or front, depending on the model. Check the label on the bottom. Hold it for more than 10 seconds, and let go when the system light switches from a slow blink to a fast blink.

If your button is marked WPS/Reset, hold it the full time. A press of under five seconds turns on WPS (a quick-connect feature) instead of resetting. You can also reset from the web settings under Advanced > System Tools > Backup and Restore > Factory Restore.

TP-Link Deco (mesh)

Press the reset button on the bottom of the unit for about one second. If that doesn’t work, unplug it, plug it back in, wait two minutes and try again.

In the Deco app, choosing a unit and tapping Remove also resets it. To reset the whole system, remove the extra units first and the main unit last, since the main unit runs the network.

Linksys mesh (Velop and others)

With the router on, hold the reset button for 10 seconds. The light flashes red, pulses a few times, then flashes red again.

There’s also a reset option in the web settings, under Router Settings > Troubleshooting > Diagnostics > Factory reset. These steps are for Linksys mesh routers. For other Linksys models, check your model’s support page, because the lights behave differently.

ASUS

Hold the Reset button for 5 to 10 seconds, until the power light starts to flash. The lights may go off while it restarts, so wait for them to come back on. ASUS warns not to switch the router off during the reset.

You can also reset from the ASUS Router app (Settings > System Settings > System reset to factory default) or the web settings under Administration > Restore/Save/Upload Setting.

eero (mesh)

The button is on the bottom or back, depending on the model. Make sure the eero has been on for a minute or two first. Hold it about 7 seconds (light flashes yellow) for a soft reset, which keeps the eero on your network. Hold it about 15 seconds (light flashes red) for a hard reset, which erases everything and removes it from your network.

A hard reset on the main eero, the one plugged into your modem, can remove your whole network. When the light flashes blue, it’s ready to be set up. If the eero is still online, removing it in the eero app does the same thing as a hard reset. The app can also transfer ownership to someone else.

Google Nest Wifi and Google Wifi

Google recommends resetting from the Google Home app: tap the device, open Settings, and choose factory reset. Note that the app resets your router and all its points at once, and also removes them from your Google account. To reset just one point, follow Google’s steps for a device that isn’t in the app.

To use the button instead, keep the unit on and hold it for about 10 seconds (12 on Nest Wifi Pro), until the light turns solid yellow. Nest Wifi points confirm with a sound instead. On the original Google Wifi, the light flashes orange and then turns blue, and holding it longer than 15 seconds will not reset it. Older Google Wifi units may need the button held while you plug them back in, as Google’s page explains. After a button reset, remove the device in the app too. A reset can take up to 10 minutes.

Xfinity gateway

Find the small hole on the back. Press inside it with a paper clip and hold for 30 seconds. The lights flash, then turn solid when it’s ready.

The default Wi-Fi name and password are printed on the label on the bottom. If you rent the gateway, read our guide to returning your internet company’s modem before you send it back.

Spectrum router

On Spectrum’s WiFi 6 router, the button is on the side. Holding it for 4 to 14 seconds only restarts the router. Hold it for 15 seconds or more to reset it.

The default network name and password are on the router’s label.

After the reset

The router comes back with its original network name and password, usually printed on a sticker on the bottom or back. To finish:

  1. Connect to that default network, or plug a computer in with a cable.
  2. Set it up again in the maker’s app or web settings.
  3. Choose a new Wi-Fi password and a new admin password. Don’t leave the default admin password in place.

For help rebuilding your network, see our guide to creating a smart home network.

Getting rid of it instead? Check that your old network name no longer shows up on your phone, then see what to do with an old router.

Common questions

Does a reset remove my information before I give the router away?

It erases your Wi-Fi name, password and settings, which Netgear and Linksys both spell out. For eero, Google and Deco, also remove the device from your app account, or the next owner may not be able to set it up.

Will I need my internet company after a reset?

Usually not. But if your internet company gave you a username and password for your connection, the router needs them again before it can get online. ASUS suggests saving them before you reset. If your Wi-Fi has been slow for a long time, a reset rarely helps. Here’s how to tell if your router is too old.

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