Before you start
- Permission to manage this printer, and access to its rear label and LCD.
- Before a Factory Reset, the home Wi-Fi details and a record of printer settings needed afterwards.
Try the correct password before resetting
The default administrator password is beside Pwd on the rear label of the demonstrated HL-L2445DW. Use the label on your own printer. This is not the home Wi-Fi password.
If someone changed the administrator password, use that current password instead. Ask the person who manages the printer before resetting it. When you still know the current password, Brother documents changing it through Administrator → Login Password in Web Based Management; a factory reset is unnecessary.
Understand a forgotten-password reset
Brother recommends printing current settings reports before a reset where possible. On this model, Print Reports includes Printer Settings and Network Config. Keep those reports private because they describe your network configuration.
Step 1:Choose Factory Reset on the LCD
For the full reset documented by Brother, disconnect interface cables such as USB or Ethernet first. Keep the power connected. Use up/down to choose Initial Setup → OK, then Reset → OK, then Factory Reset → OK. Check that the LCD actually says Factory Reset before confirming.
Step 2:Confirm Reset and the restart
Use the down button for the displayed Reset choice, then confirm the reboot with the down button when asked. Allow the restart to complete. These are the manufacturer’s full-reset instructions, corroborated by the source’s Factory Reset selection.
Step 3:Reconnect and set a new administrator password
Set up the printer on your home Wi-Fi again. Once your phone or computer can reach the printer’s own management page, sign in using its default Pwd value. Set a new administrator password when prompted and store it securely.
Confirm the printer is reachable in the app and check a small print job. An old computer entry may need to be added again if it no longer finds the printer. Do not force an old IP address into the printer merely to preserve a stale entry.
Questions & troubleshooting
Is Pwd the wireless network password?
No. Pwd identifies the printer’s default administrator password. Your router’s Wi-Fi password is separate.
Does Network Reset restore the password?
Brother explicitly excludes the administrator password from Network Reset on this model. Choose the action for your actual task; a network reset alone cannot recover a forgotten admin password.
Will every reset restore the label password?
No. Machine Reset preserves security settings and Network Reset preserves the administrator password. This guide distinguishes the full Factory Reset from those other choices.
