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Reset the TP-Link TD-W9980

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

This guide shows you how to reset your TP-Link TD-W9980 router. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. A reboot happens every time a router loses power. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.

Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's login and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. You should be sure that you have tried to at least recover your router password using our Router Password Finder before resorting to a router reset.

Other TP-Link TD-W9980 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-W9980. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TD-W9980

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 - 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 TP-Link TD-W9980

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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.

Watch the lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. Do not be concerned about holding the reset button down too long. It will not hurt anything.

Remember, this will erase everything you have previously done to this TP-Link TD-W9980 router.

Only take this last step of fully resetting your router after 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 TP-Link TD-W9980

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 TD-W9980 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. 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 can help you pick a strong password for your router.

Tip: Write your new password down on a note and tape it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other TP-Link TD-W9980 Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the TP-Link TD-W9980 router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TD-W9980. We also have the following guides for the same router: