How do I reset my CCTV DVR or NVR properly?

Fault and fix guide

There are three completely different things people mean when they say they want to reset their CCTV recorder, and picking the wrong one can either fail to fix the problem or wipe settings you needed to keep. A soft reboot simply restarts the software, a password reset clears only the login without touching your cameras or footage, and a full factory reset erases everything back to the state it left the factory in.

This guide is aimed at homeowners who have either forgotten a login, inherited a system from a previous occupant, or have a recorder that has become sluggish, frozen or is behaving oddly on screen. Getting this right matters because a factory reset will remove your camera configuration, recording schedule and any custom settings, meaning you would need to set the whole system up again afterwards.

Hikvision and Dahua, the two most common recorder brands fitted in UK homes, each handle these three reset types slightly differently, and we will cover the practical steps and what you genuinely lose at each stage, along with when it is worth calling an engineer rather than risking your recorded footage.