Reset the Netgear Nighthawk R7000

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 6 minutes

This is the reset guide for the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. This is very different from a reset, which erases a router completely and returns it to factory default settings.

Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login credentials are reset.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • Your ISP settings are reset, which means you will have to contact your ISP to get them back.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

A router reset is the last step you should take in recovering your router's password. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other Netgear Nighthawk R7000 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 R7000. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk R7000

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

Our Router Password Finder can recover your lost or forgotten router password without doing a full router reset, which can save you lots of time.

Router Password Finder - 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 R7000

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There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. This is what a typical reset button looks like:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. You might find a pinhole on the back of the router that requires a paper clip to push the button hidden under it.

Keep an eye on the lights on the front of your router while holding the reset button down for about 10 seconds. Notice how the lights on the front of the router are blinking. When the lights do something different, the router is reset. You can hold the button down as long as you like, it will not hurt anything.

Don't forget, this step will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router back to factory settings.

This last step should only be taken if you have tried everything else, such as using our Router Password Finder software, which can recover lost or forgotten router passwords.

Login to the Netgear Nighthawk R7000

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. We have a Nighthawk R7000 Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. 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: After creating this new password, we highly recommend writing this down on a post-it note and attaching it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Netgear Nighthawk R7000 Guides

If you want additional help with your Netgear Nighthawk R7000 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk R7000. We also have the following guides for the same router: