HP Office Jet Pro 6978 Locked by person setup. How do you unlock?

[wally995]

This is a similar problem to several other users when I moved to a different router and the printer became locked. How do I unlock the printer since I can't restore network settings?

[Max3Aj · Accepted solution]

@wally995, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 

It sounds frustrating to have your printer locked like that. Here are some steps you can try to unlock your HP OfficeJet Pro 6978:

Restore Network Settings to Default

1. Access the Printer Control Panel: From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe down to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Wireless icon (it looks like a signal bar).
2. Restore Network Settings: Touch the Settings icon (gear icon). Go to Network Setup or Wireless Settings. Select Restore Network Settings or Restore Defaults. Confirm any prompts to proceed.

Perform a Full Reset (if needed)

If restoring network settings does not unlock the Wi-Fi setup wizard, you may need to perform a full factory reset:

1. Access the Secret Menu: Turn off the printer. Press and hold the Back button (located at the bottom left of the screen) and the Cancel button at the same time. While holding these buttons, turn on the printer. Continue holding the buttons until a secret menu appears on the screen.
2. Reset to Factory Settings: Navigate through the secret menu to find Reset Menu. Select Partial Reset or Semi-Full Reset (this will not delete everything but will reset most settings). Confirm and wait for the reset to complete.

Set Up the Printer Again

After the reset, you will need to set up your printer again, including connecting it to your Wi-Fi network:

1. Turn on the Printer: Ensure the printer is on and the initial setup screen is displayed.
2. Select Language and Region: Follow the on-screen instructions to select your language and region.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support