Is it your first time using a printer, and are you wondering how do I find the password on my HP printer? HP printer is among the most popular printer brands in the market. You’ll come across various models with modern features, high performance, incredible printing quality, and catchy design.
But sometimes, your HP printer might need a password, but you can’t remember exactly how to find the ever-elusive password. Do not worry; the article has a comprehensive guide that’ll show you how to find the HP printer password. So,
How Do I Find Password On My HP Printer?
You’ll need the wireless network PIN or password to connect your HP printer to your Wi-Fi. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to find the password:
1. Turn Your HP Printer On
Please do this by simply plugging your HP printer into a socket and then pushing its power button. Its signal light should turn on; ensure the printer has an ink cartridge.
2. Find The “Wireless Direct” Button
The control panel has the power button and the other two buttons. One of the buttons shows a connection to your home/ office Wi-Fi network; it has a Wi-Fi symbol. The other button has a printer icon, and it is for wireless direct printing.
You should hold the wireless direct printing button for seconds until its bulb lights up. Wait for your HP printer to print your Wi-Fi password.
3. Connect The HP Printer To Your Wi-Fi Network
You’ll need your PC/ laptop, open the control panel and go to the printers and scanners option. Tap on Add a printer or scanner. A list of all printers available within the vicinity will appear; your printer should be on it.
Ensure your computer device and printer are on the same Wi-Fi network. Navigate to your printer setting through the control panel and tap on your printer’s model or name. It will prompt you to key in the password; the prompt period is only 90 seconds.
Fill in the password your printer gave earlier. By now, the printer should be on your Wi-Fi network.
How Can One Connect To Wireless Direct?
1. Choose The Wireless Direct Option On Your HP Printer
Hold the HP wireless direct button icon. After this, go to the wireless settings menu or network set up. You then select the wireless direct option and power on the connection. The system will ask you to go to HP EWS (Embedded Web Server).
You will have to turn on security. Make sure you note the security passcode it gives and clicks okay.
2. Connect Your HP Printer To Device
Open Wi-Fi on your device through settings. A list appears; choose your printer model. If your printer model/ name isn’t on the list, move it nearer to your device. If prompted, type in the security passcode you got from the printer control panel.
3. Print
You need to print a document to ascertain the connection is okay. Open a photo or document you want to print and select your printer model from the list. After printing the file, you should reconnect your device to its usual Wi-Fi network.
What Is The HP Default Password?
Like every other electronic machine/device, HP printers come with default login credentials. The default root or administrator password for most HP build plans is ChangeMe123. Note that HP highly recommends you reset it before using the printer on any servers.
You can also try 12345678 for your direct Wi-Fi connection. The password may be printed on your printer’s manual or at the back of your printer. You should consider resetting your HP printer to remove all wireless passwords if you can’t find them.
You can then set up a new password; the good part is if it still doesn’t work, there are many available options you can try. It would be best if you tried them before contacting HP.
How To Reset HP Printer Password?
Today hackers are all over the internet and are so notorious. Your PC, mobile phones, etc., are vulnerable to cyber criminals and intruders. Therefore you should note that your HP printer is not an exception. Cybercriminals can hack them too.
You’ll be surprised to learn how many printers get attacked, which applies to office and home printers. Because of this, most companies have been using effective measures to protect their printers. However, the solutions aren’t usually so successful.
Other than deploying powerful solutions for use on PC to protect your printer, there’s a simple measure. That is resetting or changing your password. It secures your printer from being an easy target to hackers. Here are the simple steps on how to reset your PC.
- Launch your HP printer home screen and open the setup menu.
- Choose the network submenu and scroll to restore network (default). You then click on yes and begin the restore process.
- Navigate to the control panel section and choose devices and printers. You then click on the wireless HP printer option.
- Open properties, click the password icon, enter a new password, and save changes.
The printer should display a success message saying the Wi-Fi password change is successful. Today HP printers are so popular, and many homes and offices depend on them for printing purposes. Despite being an amazing brand, hackers can compromise its security like other devices.
Therefore you need to reset your HP printer’s password to keep it secure. But again, resetting the password can be tricky for some people. The above steps will surely help you successfully reset your HP password, thus ensuring it’s secure.
How To Secure Your HP Printer
Today corporates/ companies are strengthening security around their devices like PCs etc. However, the printers do remain overlooked and rejected. Therefore they have become hackers’ gateway into most companies or home networks. Once cybercriminals enter your HP printing machine, they can do several bad things such as:
- Accessing your confidential data stored in your HP printing machine
- Doing print jobs, you didn’t authorize
- They can subscribe you to various YouTube channels
- Launch DDoS attacks
However, it’s possible to protect HP printers from attacks with these methods.
1. Secure Printing Ports
Your unsecured ports are the easiest ways for cybercriminals to get into your printer. Therefore only enable the protocols you need in your printing. Other rarely used services/ protocols such as AppleTalk etc., should be turned off. Or else they might expose your network and printer to cyber-attacks.
2. Check Your Network Printing and Disable or Limit It
It is dangerous to connect an unprotected HP printer to your Wi-Fi network. This is like leaving your office or room door open. Therefore you should always check and then disable things revolving around printing over the internet.
It can include configuring your Wi-Fi settings. Therefore, only allowing your router to answer commands sent through your network. You can do this by:
- simply Locating and turning off wireless printing settings. That can be through the printer’s control panel.
- Hold the Wi-Fi button on your HP printer.
- Disable and printing over HTTP.
Plus, do not forget to shut down your HP printer when it’s idle. If there isn’t a connection, cybercriminals can’t attack your network.
3. Use Firewall
You’ll need a standby and secure firewall to keep your printer safe. If you use Windows, note that your OS comes with a pre-installed firewall. All you need to do is always enable it.
It offers protection to your unused protocols. Therefore, cybercriminals won’t be able to attack your HP printer from the external network. For more protection, you can opt for the special firewall.
4. Update Your HP Printer Firmware
The manufacturers usually fix firmware issues for their printers in every update. Therefore you should ensure your printer is up-to-date, more so security-wise. Ensure all security holes are closed; buy using the latest firmware version to avoid basic problems.
Updating the firmware is more crucial for home printers. This is because business-class printers have advanced security features lacking in home printers. If you easily forget, then use a recurring reminder. It will notify you about updates from your calendar app.
5. Change Your Password
Printers do connect to Wi-Fi, which means you can access them remotely using a password. You should note that HP printers come with default administrator usernames and passwords.
However, the information is usually similar to specific models, and these hackers can easily access your printer. If you have yet to reset the default password, do it soon. You can access the resetting page from your printer’s menu. The new password should be long, strong, and unique.
Bottom Line
The article offers a guide on how do I find the password on my HP printer. There are two simple ways to find your password on your HP printer. It can be through your printer’s WPS or wireless direct.
Both methods will quickly produce your HP printer pin. If you are still in doubt, check your printer’s manual. It should have a step-by-step guide to your specific HP model.