Default Printer Passwords: HP, Brother, Canon & Epson (Where to Find Yours)

Quick answer: most printers made since about 2020 don't share one universal default password. The password is printed on a label on the printer itself. On HP, sign in with the username admin and the 8-digit PIN on the label inside the cartridge door or on the back (older HP models: leave the password blank). Brother prints it on the back label next to "Pwd" (older Brother models use initpass or access). Canon PIXMA and MAXIFY use the printer's serial number, and Canon imageCLASS lasers use 7654321. Epson uses the password on its label or, if there's only one label, the serial number.

Updated October 10, 2026 · By William Elward, founder of Castle Ink (helping people with printers and ink since 2005)

What Is a Printer's Default Password For?

Every network printer has a small built-in website for its settings. You reach it by typing the printer's IP address into a web browser. That page controls things the little touchscreen can't always reach: Wi-Fi and network settings, scan-to-email, firmware updates, security options, paper and tray defaults, and on many models whether the printer accepts third-party cartridges. To change anything important, the printer asks you to sign in as the administrator, and that is the "default password" people are searching for.

Each brand calls the page something different:

• HP: Embedded Web Server (EWS)
• Brother: Web Based Management
• Canon: Remote UI
• Epson: Web Config

It is not your Wi-Fi password. If the printer is asking for a password while you're connecting it to your network, it wants your router's Wi-Fi password. That's printed on the router (or you set it yourself). Our Wi-Fi setup guide for HP, Canon, Epson and Brother walks through that part.

Why Don't Printers Use "admin / admin" Anymore?

Shared factory passwords made it easy for anyone on a network, or on the internet if the printer was exposed, to take over a printer. Laws such as California's connected-device security law (SB-327, in force since 2020) require each device to ship with a unique password or force you to create one. So manufacturers switched to a per-printer password printed on a sticker. That's why the answer for newer printers is "look at the label," not a single word you can type.

How Do I Open My Printer's Settings Page?

1. Find the printer's IP address. Print a Network Configuration report from the printer's menu, or look under the Wi-Fi or network settings on its screen. It looks like 192.168.1.45. Our guide to finding your printer's IP address covers every brand, including printers without a screen.
2. Type the IP address into a browser on a computer or phone connected to the same network as the printer.
3. Click past the security warning. Printers use a self-signed certificate, so Chrome, Edge and Safari show "Your connection is not private." Choose Advanced, then Proceed (or Visit this website).
4. Click Sign In / Log in / Administrator Login and enter the default password for your brand, below.

What Is the Default Password for an HP Printer?

For most HP printers made in the last several years (OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro, ENVY, DeskJet and LaserJet), the login is:

• Username: admin (all lowercase)
• Password: the printer's unique 8-digit PIN, printed on a sticker

Where to find the HP PIN:

• Inside the cartridge access door. On most inkjets, the label sits where you change cartridges. On LaserJets, look near the toner area.
• On the back or bottom of the printer.
• On a network report. HP's support team says that on newer firmware, the EWS password is the WPS PIN, which appears in the "WPS Information" section of the Network Configuration Report. On printers without a screen, holding the Wireless and Information buttons together for about 3 seconds prints that page on many models. More on that PIN in our explainer on the WPS PIN and where to find it.

Older HP printers (roughly pre-2020 firmware) usually have no password at all. Leave the field blank, or use admin with a blank password. If the HP Smart app asks for a password before it lets you change a setting, it's asking for this same EWS PIN.

A word of caution on HP firmware updates: the HP Embedded Web Server is also where automatic firmware updates are switched on. HP has used updates to block non-HP cartridges, so while you're signed in, read how to stop HP firmware updates from blocking your ink before you click "Update."

What Is the Default Password for a Brother Printer?

Brother's own manuals say the default password "is located on the back of the machine and marked 'Pwd'." So for any recent Brother laser or inkjet:

• Username: none (the login screen only asks for a password)
• Password: the code printed next to Pwd on the label on the back of the machine

Brother's network-security notice lists the previous default passwords for older models as initpass or access. If a very old model has no default password at all, leave the field blank. Brother strongly recommends changing the default the first time you sign in.

Brother's label is usually a white sticker near the power cord or USB port. On compact lasers like the Brother HL-L2460DW, you may need to slide the printer forward to read it. While you're signed in, Web Based Management is also where you can check toner and drum life before ordering supplies like a TN760 or TN660 toner.

What Is the Default Password for a Canon Printer?

It depends on which Canon family you own.

Canon PIXMA and MAXIFY (home inkjets)

• Username: usually none; some screens show ADMIN
• Password: the printer's serial number

Canon's PIXMA manuals state that the administrator password is set to the printer's serial number at the time of purchase. It's 9 letters and numbers on a sticker on the printer, usually underneath or inside the rear/scanner area. Type it exactly, in capitals. Some older PIXMA models use canon as the default instead, so try that if the serial number fails on a printer from before about 2017.

Canon imageCLASS (lasers)

• System Manager ID: 7654321
• System Manager PIN: 7654321

Canon's imageCLASS and imageRUNNER manuals list both values as 7654321 by default and recommend changing them. Some newer imageCLASS models also ask for a separate "Administrator" password printed on the machine, so check the label if 7654321 doesn't work.

What Is the Default Password for an Epson Printer?

Epson's administrator instructions say the default password "is printed on the product's label," and add:

• If your printer has more than one label, one of them shows the default administrator password.
• If it has only one label, the default password is the printer's serial number.

The label can be inside the cover, on the back or underneath, depending on the model. If Web Config asks for a username, use admin. Many Epson printers made before about 2020 have no administrator password set, so try leaving it blank. EcoTank owners: Web Config is also where you'll see ink levels and the maintenance box status. If you're getting an "end of service life" message, see Epson service required: waste ink pad full.

What If the Default Password Doesn't Work?

1. Check you're on the right page. Make sure you typed the printer's IP address and not your router's (router addresses usually end in .1).
2. Re-type the label exactly. Passwords are case-sensitive. Watch for 0 vs O and 1 vs I. On HP, try both the label PIN and the WPS PIN from the network report.
3. Someone may have changed it. If an IT person, family member or a previous owner set a new password, the label won't work any more.
4. Reset the network settings. On many printers, "Restore Network Settings" (Brother, Epson) or "Restore Network Defaults" (HP) returns the admin password to the label default without erasing everything else.
5. Factory reset as a last resort. It restores the default password but wipes Wi-Fi, fax numbers, address books and preferences. Step-by-step guides: reset an HP printer, reset a Canon printer, and reset an Epson printer.

How Do I Change My Printer's Admin Password?

1. Sign in to the printer's web page with the default password.
2. Find the security or administrator section: Settings > Security > Password Settings on HP, Administrator > Login Password on Brother, Security > Administrator password setting on Canon, and Product Security > Change Administrator Password on Epson.
3. Enter the current password, then a new one you'll remember: at least 8 characters, not your Wi-Fi password.
4. Save it in your password manager, or write it on masking tape inside the printer's ink door.

Is It Safe to Leave the Default Password?

On a home network behind a router, a label password is far safer than the old shared defaults, because someone would need physical access to read it. But change it anyway if:

• You're in an office, dorm, apartment building or anywhere others share the Wi-Fi.
• The printer has scan-to-email or fax address books with names and numbers in them.
• You've ever enabled remote printing or port forwarding to the printer.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's strong password guidance (long, unique, stored in a password manager) applies to printers just as much as to your email.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default username for an HP printer?

admin, in lowercase. The password is the 8-digit PIN on the printer's label, or blank on older models.

What is the Brother printer default password "initpass"?

initpass is the factory password on many Brother printers made before Brother switched to unique passwords printed next to "Pwd" on the back label. access is an even older default.

Where is the serial number on a Canon or Epson printer?

On a sticker, usually on the bottom, the back, or inside the scanner lid or front cover. It's also printed on the box and in the printer's settings menu under device or printer information.

Will a factory reset delete my printer's password?

Yes. A full reset returns the admin password to the default on the label, along with all other settings.

Do I need the admin password just to print?

No. Printing, copying and scanning from the printer work without signing in. You only need it to change protected settings.

The HP Smart app is asking for a printer password. Which one is it?

It's the same EWS PIN printed on the label (or shown as the WPS PIN on the network report), with the username admin.

Keep Your Printer Running

Once you're signed in, check the supply levels page and order before you run out. Find the right cartridges for your model on our Find Ink by Printer page, or shop HP ink, Canon ink, Epson ink and Brother toner. Setting up a printer from scratch? Start with how to set up a new printer. Something else wrong? The printer troubleshooting center has a fix for nearly every printer problem.

Sources

• Brother Online User's Guide: Find the default password
• Brother: Important notice for network security: default login password change (PDF)
• HP Support Community: HP laser printers: locate the EWS administrator password
• Canon PIXMA online manual: Setting the administrator password
• Canon imageCLASS manual: Setting the System Manager ID
• Epson: Administrator password instructions
• CISA: Use strong passwords