Reset a CP Plus DVR PasswordEvery Official Route, and the Footage Shortcut
Locked out of a CP Plus recorder is one of the most common support calls in India, because the password was set once by an installer years ago and nobody wrote it down. The good news is that the recorder has several built-in ways back in. The better news is that the recordings on the disk do not depend on the login at all.
To reset a CP Plus DVR password, open Forgot Password on the recorder's login screen. The official routes are the security questions, a code sent to the email registered on the unit, a QR code reset through the mobile app and the reset button on the main board, which restores factory settings. Customer care can also issue a master password that works only at the monitor. The recordings never need the login, since they are read straight off the disk.
Modern CP Plus recorders do not ship with a fixed default password. On first boot the unit makes you set one for the admin account, so the password on your DVR is whatever the installer or the previous owner typed that day. When it is gone, you work through the reset options in the order below, starting with the routes that leave your settings alone and ending with the one that wipes them.
What is the CP Plus DVR default password?
There is no single default on current firmware. The user manual states that when the recorder boots for the first time you must configure a password for the admin account, between 8 and 32 characters long, mixing at least two kinds of character from numbers, letters and symbols. So the username is admin, but the password was chosen at setup. Older units sold years ago shipped with simpler logins, and a few online lists quote admin as the password, but that varies by model and firmware and is not something to rely on.
Before any reset, try the obvious: the installer's usual password, the dealer's phone and the quick start card that came in the box, where installers sometimes write it down.
How do you reset a CP Plus password with security questions or email?
These two routes keep every setting and every recording. Both rely on details entered during device initialisation, so they only work if that step was completed at the time.
- Open Forgot Password. On the recorder's login screen, select the forgot password or reset option and choose the reset mode.
- Security questions. Answer the questions that were set at first boot. A correct set lets you enter a new admin password at once.
- Email code. Pick the email reset mode. A security code goes to the email address registered on the unit. Enter it within 24 hours, after which the code expires and you request a new one.
- Set the new password. Choose one that meets the 8 to 32 character rule and store it somewhere safe this time.
How does the QR code reset work on a CP Plus DVR?
Newer firmware adds a reset mode called QR code for binding the device. The Forgot Password screen shows a QR code on the monitor. You scan it with the password reset tool in the recorder's mobile app, the app sends a code to the email bound to the unit at setup, and you type that code into the recorder. On the Dahua platform that CP Plus uses, this bound email is the key: if no email was entered at initialisation, the QR route cannot complete, and you move on to the reset button or customer care.
What does the reset button on a CP Plus DVR do?
Inside the case, on the main board, is a small reset button. Press and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds with the recorder powered, and the unit reboots with its settings restored to factory default. After that reboot you set a fresh admin password as if the recorder were new. Every camera name, schedule and network setting is gone and has to be entered again.
Treat the reset button as the last step, and recover the footage before you press it. The manual describes the button as a factory restore and does not say what happens to the recordings. Do not find out the hard way. If the video on the disk matters, read it off on a PC first, then reset the recorder.
Can CP Plus support give you a master password?
Yes. CP Plus customer care can issue a master password after you confirm you own the recorder, and the official FAQ is clear on one point: the master password works only from the monitor and display, not through the gCMOB app, which cannot reset a DVR password at all. Have the model number and serial ready when you call. For recorders registered on the Indigo cloud, the CP Plus support FAQ notes a forgot password option on the Indigo portal itself. On very old units, support has been known to ask for the recorder to be sent in, which is one more reason to get the footage off the disk first.
"Every CP Plus lockout call ends the same way: the password opens the menu, the disk holds the video. We go to the disk."
Rollins Duke, video forensics, RecoveryTools
Can you get the footage without the CP Plus password?
Yes, and this is the part most reset guides skip. The password protects the recorder's menu, not the hard disk. Take the disk out, connect it to a Windows PC and read it with software that understands the CP Plus storage layout, and every recording on it is available, including ones the recorder had already deleted. No login, no reset and no call to support. The full steps are in our guide to recovering CP Plus DVR footage, and the same approach works on a unit that is dead or will not boot.
Which CP Plus reset route should you use?
Pick by what you still have, and by what you are willing to lose.
| Route | What it needs | Keeps settings | Keeps recordings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security questions | Answers set at first boot | Yes | Yes |
| Email code | Email registered on the unit, code valid 24 hours | Yes | Yes |
| QR code | Mobile app plus the bound email | Yes | Yes |
| Master password | Customer care, entered at the monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Reset button | Open the case, hold 5 to 10 seconds | No, factory default | Not stated by the manual |
In short
- Current CP Plus recorders have no fixed default password. The admin password is set at first boot.
- Security questions, the email code and the QR code reset all keep your settings and recordings.
- The reset button restores factory settings, so use it last and get the footage off the disk first.
- Customer care can give a master password, entered at the monitor only, never through the app.
- The recordings do not need the login. Reading the disk on a PC recovers them with no reset at all.
Common questions
Is there a default CP Plus DVR password?
Current CP Plus recorders have no fixed default. The manual says you must set a password for the admin account at first boot, between 8 and 32 characters long with a mix of character kinds, so the password is whatever was chosen at setup. Older models shipped with simpler logins that vary by firmware, so a guessed default is not something to rely on.
How do I reset my CP Plus DVR password if I forgot it?
Open Forgot Password on the login screen and use the security questions, the email code sent to the registered address or the QR code reset through the mobile app. If none of those were set up, call CP Plus customer care for a master password entered at the monitor, or press the reset button on the main board for a factory restore.
Can I reset a CP Plus DVR password from the gCMOB app?
No. The official CP Plus FAQ states that a DVR password cannot be reset through gCMOB and that the master password works only from the monitor and display. The app's role in a reset is the QR code tool on newer firmware, which still finishes with a code typed into the recorder itself.
Does the reset button delete recordings on a CP Plus DVR?
The reset button restores the recorder to factory settings and clears cameras, schedules and network details. The manual does not state what happens to the recordings, so do not count on them surviving. If the footage matters, read the hard disk on a PC before you press the button.
How long is the CP Plus email reset code valid?
The security code sent to the registered email address is valid for 24 hours. After that it expires and you request a fresh code from the Forgot Password screen. The email route only works if an address was entered when the recorder was first initialised.
Can I get footage off a CP Plus DVR without the password?
Yes. The password guards the menu, not the hard disk. Remove the disk, connect it to a Windows PC and read it with software that understands the CP Plus layout. Every recording on the disk is available this way, including deleted ones, with no login, no reset and no call to support.
Locked out, but the footage is what matters?
DVRXaminer reads the CP Plus hard disk directly and exports the recordings as playable video, no password required. Run the free trial and preview the clips before any reset.
Sources
- CP Plus AI Digital Video Recorder user manual V2.3.4, sections 5.1.2 and 5.1.3
- CP Plus official support FAQ on master passwords, gCMOB and Indigo devices
- Dahua platform documentation on QR code and email password resets