Can't sign in to your NETGEAR switch? Many Smart and Plus models use password, but fully managed switches have different factory credentials. Here's how to choose the correct login, find the switch's address, and regain access after a password change.
Try the factory password for your switch
For NETGEAR Easy Smart Managed switches, also called Web Managed Plus or Smart Managed Plus, the factory password is password, all lowercase. NETGEAR also specifies it for Smart Switches covered by its access instructions, including GS310TPv2, GS324TPv2, and GS348TPv2.
From a computer on the switch's network, open the switch's IP address in your browser.
Submit password using Login. On Plus interfaces that show only a password field, there's no username to enter.
These credentials apply while the switch retains its factory password. Fully managed models have separate initial-login instructions below. A genuinely unmanaged switch has no configurable management interface and no admin password to find; check the exact model so you don't confuse it with a similarly named Plus switch.
Check the model when password fails
A password changed during setup stops the factory password from working.
Use the credential created during setup if the switch has already been configured. A default password won't reveal or replace it.
Read the exact model and hardware revision from the switch's label. Match the complete designation, such as GS105Ev2; the label identifies the hardware, but it isn't a universal source of unique login passwords.
Search that exact model on NETGEAR Support.
Open Documentation on its product page.
Check the installation guide or user manual for its initial credentials and factory settings before trying another login.
Find and open the login address
This gets you to the login page when the switch's IP address is unknown.
Open your router's assigned-address list, often labeled Attached Devices. This route applies to switches receiving an address from the router's DHCP server.
Match the MAC address on the switch's label to an entry in that list.
Open the matching IP address in your browser.
If the switch isn't listed, install NETGEAR Discovery Tool from its official NETGEAR support page. It supports compatible Smart and Easy Smart Managed switches.
Open NETGEAR Discovery Tool.
Select the switch's network under Choose a connection. The computer and switch must be on the same local broadcast domain.
Click Start Searching.
Click ADMIN PAGE beside your switch.
Enter the appropriate switch password in the browser. Discovery finds the address; it doesn't reveal a changed password.
For an Easy Smart/Plus switch without DHCP, check its manual for the fallback address 192.168.0.239. Use the following direct connection only on models that specify this address.
Connect your computer to the switch by Ethernet.
Record the computer's existing IP configuration.
Set the computer's IP configuration to address 192.168.0.210 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0.
Open 192.168.0.239 in your browser.
Submit password using Login if the switch still has its factory credentials.
Restore the computer's previous IP configuration when you're finished.
Sign in to a fully managed switch
Fully managed models covered by NETGEAR's access instructions, including M4250 and M4350, initially use admin with an empty password. Open the switch's management address in your browser. NETGEAR's own documentation differs on this point, so expect one of two prompts: the M4350 installation guide and the manual's login steps say to enter admin and leave the password field blank on first login, while the same manual's "Credentials for the main UI" section says to enter the default switch admin password password. Try the empty password first, and use password if the switch rejects it.
Select AV Login or Main UI Login on interfaces offering those choices.
Sign in with username admin and the password field left empty.
Create the required local password when prompted. An already configured switch requires its current credential, including the applicable Insight network password or Engage site password on managed devices.
Retrieve the password used by Insight or Engage
Onboarding changes a managed switch's login credential, so its factory password stops working.
For a supported Insight-managed switch, sign in to the Insight Cloud Portal with an account that has the appropriate administrative rights.
Open Dashboard > Devices.
Select the switch's name.
Click the eye icon beside Admin Password in the device details.
Enter your Insight account password.
Click OK. The portal checks your administrative rights before revealing the device password.
For an M4350 managed through Engage, ask the administrator for the applicable Engage site password. Removing an M4350 from its Insight network or Engage site does not restore the factory password; the management-system password remains until changed locally.
Replace a known Plus switch password
On supported Plus models, including GS105Ev2, GS108Ev3, GS305E, and GS308E, open Maintenance > Change Password in your signed-in browser session. This changes a credential you know; it doesn't display a forgotten one.
Enter the current credential in Old Password.
Fill the replacement-password fields, New Password and Re-type New Password, with the same new password.
Click Apply.
Restore factory settings when the password is lost
For a Smart or Plus switch whose current password is unavailable, a factory reset restores its factory credentials. It also erases configured settings, so proceed only when you're prepared to configure the switch again.
Check the exact model's factory-reset instructions. Button timing differs across NETGEAR switches.
Locate the recessed Factory Default or Factory Defaults button specified in that manual. On models with a separate reboot-only Reset button, that button restarts the switch without restoring factory credentials.
Press the factory-default button with a paper clip for the model's specified duration. NETGEAR's general Smart Switch reset instructions specify three seconds; the Plus manual covering GS105Ev2, GS108Ev3, GS305E, GS308E, and its other listed models specifies at least two seconds. Follow the exact model manual when instructions differ.
Allow the switch to restart.
Open its login page.
Sign in with its factory credentials. For the Plus models covered by that manual, the restored password is password.
If the factory login still fails, recheck the initial credentials and reset procedure under Documentation on the exact model's NETGEAR Support page. For a workplace switch, ask its administrator for the applicable local or management-system credential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reset the switch through its browser interface if I forgot the password?
The browser factory-reset method requires a working login. It does not bypass a forgotten password.
What if I forgot my Insight account password too?
On the Insight Cloud Portal login page, click Forgot Password. Enter your registered email address, then click Reset Password. Follow the emailed link to set a new account password. This resets your Insight account credential, not the switch password; sign in afterward to view the device password.
Is EndGame a NETGEAR switch default password?
The M4500 manual specifies admin and EndGame for its outer login over serial console, SSH, or Telnet port 1224. The subsequent switch CLI initially uses admin with an empty password and prompts you to create one. EndGame is not a universal NETGEAR switch or web-interface password.
