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Reset the TP-Link TL-WR740N

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

This guide shows you how to reset your TP-Link TL-WR740N router to factory default settings. Resetting a router is different than rebooting a router. 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: This is not a step to be taken lightly. The following settings in your router will be changed:

  • The router's login credentials 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.
  • 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 TL-WR740N 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 TL-WR740N. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TL-WR740N

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, 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 - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Do not do a full router reset until after you have tried every other option to log in to your router.

Reset the TP-Link TL-WR740N

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On most routers you can find a small button on the back or the bottom labeled reset. What you are looking for is something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. 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 about 10 seconds while watching the lights on the front of your router. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. 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 TP-Link TL-WR740N 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 TP-Link TL-WR740N

Now that you have finished resetting the router, you need to login to the router interface using the default username and password. We have a TL-WR740N Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

Change Your Password

After logging in to your router for the first time, you need to change your router's password. It's a very bad idea to leave your router's password set to the factory default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong 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 TP-Link TL-WR740N Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the TP-Link TL-WR740N router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TL-WR740N. We also have the following guides for the same router: