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Reset the Netgear WNDR4500

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 4 minutes

If you need to reset your Netgear WNDR4500 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Unplugging a router from the wall reboots it. This is different from a reset because a reset completely erases all settings from the router.

Warning: Before you proceed, there are a few things you need to know. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login credentials are reset to factory defaults.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • Any firewall settings, parental controls, or port forwards that you have configured 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 WNDR4500 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 WNDR4500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear WNDR4500

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

Router Password Finder can save you a ton of time by recovering your lost or forgotten router password instead of doing a full router reset.

Router Password Finder - Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Only after you have tried to recover your missing router username and password should you perform a full router reset.

Reset the Netgear WNDR4500

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NordVPN faster than ever deal!

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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. This is what a typical reset button looks like:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. If you find a pinhole on the back of the router then that may be the reset button. You will need a paper clip to push it.

Watch the lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Don't forget, this step will totally reset your Netgear WNDR4500 router back to factory settings.

Only do this once you have exhausted all other troubleshooting options, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can recover a lost router password for you.

Login to the Netgear WNDR4500

After you are finished resetting your router, you need to login in using the original factory username and password. Just follow our WNDR4500 Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

Do not forget to change your router's default password when you log back into it. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong 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 WNDR4500 Guides

If you want additional help with your Netgear WNDR4500 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear WNDR4500. We also have the following guides for the same router: