How to Change Your Wi-Fi Password

Updated 21 Sep 2026

Changing your Wi-Fi password takes about five minutes. You open the router's admin page in a browser, edit the wireless section, and reconnect your devices with the new password. This guide covers the exact steps, what to do when you cannot get into the admin page, and how to pick a password that is actually worth setting.

Contents

Before you start
Change your Wi-Fi password step by step
Where the setting sits on common routers
Change it from your provider's app instead
2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are two networks
If you cannot get into the admin page
Choosing a password that holds up
How often should you change it?
Frequently asked questions
More guides
Router login pages

Before you start

Two different passwords live inside a router, and people mix them up constantly:

	Wi-Fi password	Admin password
What it does	Lets a device join the network	Opens the router's settings page
Where you type it	The Wi-Fi list on your phone or laptop	The login box at 192.168.1.1 or your router's address
Also called	Network key, WPA key, passphrase	Router password, admin login

This page is about changing the Wi-Fi password. To do that you first need to sign in with the admin password, which is usually printed on the sticker underneath the router.

Change your Wi-Fi password step by step

Connect to the router. Use Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. On a phone, turn mobile data off, otherwise the browser will try to load the address from the internet and fail.
Open the admin page. Type http://192.168.1.1 in the address bar, not in the search box. Other common addresses are 192.168.0.1, 192.168.100.1 and 192.168.1.254. If none of them open, find your router's IP address.
Sign in. Enter the admin username and password. Many routers still use admin / admin; newer ones print a unique password on the label. Our default router password list has the logins by brand and ISP.
Open the wireless section. It is called Wireless, WLAN, Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Settings depending on the maker.
Set the new password. Look for Password, Pre-Shared Key, WPA Key or Network Key and type the new one. While you are there, set security to WPA2-PSK (AES) or WPA3.
Save. Press Save or Apply. The router restarts its Wi-Fi and every device drops off the network.
Reconnect your devices with the new password — phones, laptops, TV, printer, smart plugs and anything else that was connected.

Where the setting sits on common routers

Router	Address	Where to click
TP-Link	tplinkwifi.net	Wireless → Wireless Settings → Password
Netgear	routerlogin.net	Wireless → Security Options → Passphrase
ASUS	router.asus.com	Wireless → General → WPA Pre-Shared Key
D-Link	192.168.0.1	Settings → Wireless → Wi-Fi Password
Tenda	tendawifi.com	Wireless Settings → WiFi Password
Huawei	192.168.3.1	My Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi name and password
ZTE	192.168.1.1	Network → WLAN → Security → WPA Passphrase
Xiaomi	miwifi.com	Settings → Wi-Fi settings → Password

Change it from your provider's app instead

If the router came from your internet provider, their app is often the fastest route and it works even when you do not know the admin password: PLDT Home, GlobeOne, Converge GoFiber, My Viettel, Hi FPT, My IndiHome, Mi Movistar, Minha Claro, Meu Vivo, Orange et moi, SFR & Moi and Vodafone all expose the Wi-Fi name and password in their apps. Sign in with the account that pays the bill.

2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are two networks

Almost every modern router broadcasts two bands. If you only change one of them, the old password keeps working on the other — which is why people think the change "did not stick". Change both, and give them the same name and the same password so devices can move between bands on their own.

If you cannot get into the admin page

You are not on the router's network. Mobile data or a neighbour's Wi-Fi will never reach 192.168.1.1.
Wrong address. Check the sticker under the router, or look up your default gateway.
The address went into the search box. It has to go in the address bar, with http:// in front.
A VPN, proxy or private DNS is on. Turn it off while you configure the router.
The admin password was changed and forgotten. The only way back in is a factory reset, which also wipes the Wi-Fi settings and, on some ISP routers, the internet connection.

Choosing a password that holds up

Length beats symbols. Twelve characters or more; a short password with ! and $ in it is weaker than four random words.
No personal data. Names, birthdays, phone numbers and the house number are the first things guessed.
WPA2 or WPA3 only. WEP is broken and TKIP slows the network down.
Generate one with the Wi-Fi password generator and write it somewhere you will find it again.
Change the admin password too if it is still admin. A guest on your Wi-Fi can otherwise open the router's settings.

How often should you change it?

A strong password does not need changing on a schedule. Change it when someone you no longer want on the network knows it, when you shared it with a visitor or a technician, after a factory reset, or if devices you do not recognise show up in the router's client list. Some routers offer a guest network — a separate name and password for visitors that cannot reach your computers, printers and cameras. That is usually a better answer than handing out the main password.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the Wi-Fi password from my phone?

Yes. Connect the phone to the router's Wi-Fi, turn mobile data off and open the admin address in the browser, or use your provider's app if the router came from them.

How long should a Wi-Fi password be?

WPA2 accepts 8 to 63 characters. Twelve or more is the practical minimum today, and length matters more than special characters.

Will changing the Wi-Fi password disconnect my devices?

Yes, every device drops off the moment you save and has to be reconnected with the new password. Printers, TVs, cameras and smart plugs are the ones people forget.

Is the Wi-Fi password the same as the router password?

No. The Wi-Fi password joins a device to the network; the admin password opens the router's settings page. Change both if either is still the factory default.

I forgot the admin password — can I still change the Wi-Fi password?

Only through your provider's app, if the router is theirs. Otherwise the router has to be reset to factory settings, which erases the rest of its configuration too.