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Reset the Netgear Nighthawk R6900

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 3 minutes

This guide shows you how to reset your Netgear Nighthawk R6900 router to factory default settings. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. Rebooting a router is simply turning it off and back on again. However, when you reset a router you, return it back to its factory default settings.

Warning: Proceed with caution; resetting your router can be a major headache. The following settings in your router will be changed:

  • The router's username and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • Any ISP settings saved in your router will be removed. You may have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other Netgear Nighthawk R6900 Guides

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk R6900. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk R6900

If the only reason that you are resetting your router is because you forgot your router password, then you may want to try running our Router Password Finder instead of resetting your router.

Router Password Finder is designed from the ground up to help you recover your forgotten router username and password, which can save you a lot of time.

Router Password Finder - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Just keep in mind that a router reset should be done as the last resort when you are unable to login to your router.

Reset the Netgear Nighthawk R6900

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You can usually find a small reset button on either the back or the bottom of a router. Most reset buttons look like this:

Router Reset Button

Yours may look slightly different, but they are usually tiny. Sometimes the reset button is under a pinhole on the back of the router, and you need a paper clip to push it.

Hold the reset button down for 10 seconds and watch the lights. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. You cannot hold the button too long, and it will not hurt the router to hold the reset button down for longer than 10 seconds.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk R6900 router.

Be sure to only reset your router if you have tried everything else, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can find your lost or forgotten router password for you.

Login to the Netgear Nighthawk R6900

After you are finished resetting your router, you need to login in using the original factory username and password. Just follow our Nighthawk R6900 Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

You need to change your router's default password after you log in for the first time. Leaving a router password set to default is a very serious security risk. You can follow our Choosing a Strong Password guide to help you pick a solid password for your router.

Tip: A great place to write your new password down is on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of your router.

Other Netgear Nighthawk R6900 Guides

If you want additional help with your Netgear Nighthawk R6900 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk R6900. We also have the following guides for the same router: