Changing a Wi-Fi password is usually a five-minute router setting followed by the slower job of reconnecting phones, televisions, cameras, printers, and other devices. Prepare first, make one controlled change, and keep a wired connection available if possible.
Quick path: Connect to your router → open its official app or local admin page → find Wi-Fi, Wireless, or Network settings → replace the password → apply the change → reconnect devices.
Before you change anything
Confirm that you control the network and collect three pieces of information:
- The router brand and model, normally printed on its label
- The router administrator login, which is different from the Wi-Fi password
- The current network name, also called the SSID
If your internet provider supplied the router, its app or customer portal may be the correct place to make the change. Check the provider’s instructions before using a generic router address.
1. Connect to the router
Use a device already connected to the network. An Ethernet connection is ideal because changing the Wi-Fi password will disconnect wireless devices immediately.
Open the router manufacturer’s app, or enter the management address printed on the router label or shown in its manual. Avoid router-login links from ads or unsolicited messages; use the address locally or navigate from the manufacturer’s official support site.
2. Sign in as the router administrator
Enter the router’s admin credential—not the Wi-Fi password guests use to join the network. If the default admin credential still works, change it after updating Wi-Fi. Store both credentials separately in a password manager.
If you cannot sign in, do not factory-reset immediately. First try the manufacturer’s account recovery flow, your provider’s app, or a device where the admin session is still active.
3. Find the wireless settings
Look for a menu named Wi-Fi, Wireless, Network, or Main network. Menu names differ by model and firmware. For example, current ASUS instructions use Network → Main network profile on newer firmware and Wireless → General on older versions. TP-Link documents similarly show different paths across models.
If your router shows separate 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz networks, determine whether they share one network name and password. Update every band you intend to keep available.
4. Create a strong new Wi-Fi password
Use a unique random password that is not used for email, banking, the router admin account, or any website. A 20–24 character value is a practical default for WPA2 or WPA3 home networks.
Our Wi-Fi password generator uses a device-friendly character set and creates the result locally. Save the new value in a password manager before applying it.
Choose WPA3-Personal when all important devices support it, or the router’s WPA2/WPA3 transition option when older devices need compatibility. Do not deliberately select an open network or obsolete WEP security.
5. Apply the change and reconnect
Select Apply or Save. The router may restart its wireless radios. Your current Wi-Fi connection will drop; that is expected.
Reconnect your primary phone or computer with the new password, then work through household devices. If a device repeatedly tries the old credential, forget the saved network on that device and join again.
What to update after the change
- Phones, tablets, laptops, and password managers
- Smart televisions, speakers, cameras, doorbells, and thermostats
- Printers, consoles, streaming boxes, and network storage
- Guest-network credentials, if you changed that network too
- A secure offline recovery note, if your household uses one
Do not put the password on a public-facing label or send it through a group chat with long-lived history. For visitors, a separate guest network is easier to rotate and limits access to home devices.
If the internet does not return
First check whether the device joined the correct network with the new password. Then restart only the affected device. If every device is offline, inspect the router’s status lights and admin page before resetting anything.
Changing the Wi-Fi password should not normally alter the internet provider configuration. A factory reset can erase that configuration, so reserve it for a router you cannot recover by any other supported method.
Next steps
If you need the existing credential before replacing it, see how to find a saved Wi-Fi password. To connect another device without reading the password aloud, see how to share a Wi-Fi password.