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Reset the TP-Link TD-W8961N

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

If you need to reset your TP-Link TD-W8961N router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. A reboot happens every time a router loses power. 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. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • All ISP settings will reset to default, and you may have to contact your ISP.
  • Any port forwards, firewall settings, or parental controls 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 TP-Link TD-W8961N 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 TP-Link TD-W8961N 3.0.0. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TD-W8961N

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

If you are unable to recover your lost router password, then you may have to proceed with a full router reset.

Reset the TP-Link TD-W8961N

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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. Look at your router and try to find something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. 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.

Hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds while watching the lights on the front of your router. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. You can hold the button down as long as you like, it will not hurt anything.

Keep in mind that this will completely reset your TP-Link TD-W8961N router.

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 TP-Link TD-W8961N

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. You can follow the TD-W8961N Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.

Change Your Password

Be sure to change your router's default password after you get logged back in. 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 TP-Link TD-W8961N Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the TP-Link TD-W8961N router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TD-W8961N 3.0.0. We also have the following guides for the same router: