Forgotten Hikvision password

If a company installed your CCTV, they may still have the device on their Hik-Partner Pro account, or know the password. Ask them first. It is often the quickest fix, and it also tells you whether the recorder is still linked to someone else’s account.

Connect a monitor and mouse to the NVR or DVR. On the login screen, click Forgot Password. The recorder will show the reset methods that were set up when it was activated. The options usually include:

• Verify by Hik-Connect: if the recorder is linked to your Hik-Connect account, scan the QR code shown on screen with the app (logged in as the account owner) to get a verification code.
• Verify by GUID file: insert the USB stick holding the GUID file that was exported when the recorder was set up. A GUID file only works once. Export a new one after you have reset the password.
• Verify by security questions: answer the questions chosen at activation.
• Verify by reserved email: scan the QR code and send it to Hikvision. They will reply to the reserved email address with a code.

The exact wording and menus vary between firmware versions.

Download Hikvision’s free SADP tool onto a Windows PC connected to the same network as the device. Tick the device, click Forgot Password and export the request file (or take the QR code or screenshot, depending on the version).

Send it to Hikvision technical support for your region, along with a clear photo of the label on the device (showing the serial number). Hikvision may also accept or ask for your invoice. They will send back a reset file. Both the exported file and the reset file Hikvision sends back are valid for 48 hours. Keep the device powered on and do not reboot it or export a new file until you have imported the reply. Import the file in SADP and set a new strong password.

Hikvision’s step-by-step PDF: How to reset password on SADP.

Cameras plugged into the recorder’s own PoE ports are normally activated with the recorder’s password. After a reset some cameras may show as offline because they still hold the old password. In the camera management screen, edit each channel and enter the camera’s current password, or use the recorder’s option to set the password for connected cameras.

If a camera’s password is lost too, most Hikvision cameras can be factory reset with the reset button. Press and hold the reset button for about 10 seconds while the camera is powering on or restarting, then release. This wipes all settings, including the password and IP address. Check your camera’s quick start guide first, because some models differ. Then activate it again in SADP or from the recorder.

Once you are back in, set up at least two recovery methods: link the recorder to your own Hik-Connect account and export a fresh GUID file to a USB stick you keep safe. Write the admin password down somewhere secure, away from the recorder.