A factory reset puts your Huawei router back to the settings it shipped with. It's the way back in when you've forgotten the password, and the way to clear out settings that have stopped working.
Read This First
A reset erases everything you've set up on the router. A reboot (turning it off and on) doesn't. Before you reset, note down:
- Your WiFi name and password.
- Your Internet settings. Many Huawei routers come from an ISP, and after a reset you may need the PPPoE username and password, the VLAN ID or the APN to get back online.
- Any port forwards or other changes you made.
If your ISP supplied the router, a reset can remove its settings. Some ISPs re-send them automatically. Others need you to call them.
Method 1: The Reset Button
Look for a small RESET hole or button. It's on the back on most models, and on the side of many fiber ONTs (often next to the WLAN and WPS buttons).
- Keep the router switched on.
- Press and hold RESET with a pin:
- Fiber ONTs and DSL gateways: about 10 seconds.
- 4G / 5G routers and mobile WiFi: about 3 to 5 seconds, until the lights flash.
- Let go and wait two to three minutes while the router restarts.
Don't switch the router off while it resets.
Method 2: Reset From the Web Interface
- 4G / 5G routers (HiLink): Settings > System > Reset (on some models, Advanced > System > Restore Defaults), then click Restore.
- Fiber ONTs: System Tools > Configuration File (or Restore Default Configuration), then click Restore Default Configuration.
- DSL gateways: Maintenance > Device > Reset (or System Tools > Restore Default).
After the Reset
- Connect with the default WiFi details on the label, or with a cable.
- Log in with the default address and password. See the Huawei login guide and the Huawei passwords list.
- Put back your Internet settings, or call your ISP.
- Change the admin password and set up your WiFi.