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Restoring the FRITZ!OS of your FRITZ!Box

The recovery program can be used to restore your FRITZ!Box to working order. The recovery program resets the FRITZ!Box to its factory settings and deletes all of the settings preventing it from working correctly.

Requirements / Restrictions

  • Windows 11 / 10 / 8 / 7 is installed on the computer.

1 Downloading the recovery program

  1. Call up download.avm.de/fritzbox/ in your web browser.
  2. Switch to the folder for your FRITZ!Box model, then to the subfolder "deutschland" or "other", and then to the folder "recover".

    Note:The complete model name of your FRITZ!Box is shown in the FRITZ!Box user interface on the "Overview" page and is also printed on the sticker on the bottom of the device.

  3. Download the recovery program for your FRITZ!Box to the computer; it has the file extension ".exe".

2 Connecting the FRITZ!Box with the computer

  1. Use the network cable included with delivery to connect the computer directly to a LAN port on the FRITZ!Box.
  2. Clear all other connections between your FRITZ!Box and network devices or USB devices.

3 Disabling firewalls

ATTENTION!Only disable firewalls to run the recovery program and re-enable them before connecting to the internet. This software protects your computer from attacks from the internet and prevents other threats (for example computer viruses) from being executed.

  1. Disconnect the FRITZ!Box from the internet and do not reconnect it until the firewall is restarted.
  2. Configure all firewalls on your computer (for example, Zone Alarm, Norton Security) so that they are not automatically re-enabled when your computer restarts.
  3. Close any active firewall applications.
  4. Disable the Windows firewall:

    Windows 11 / 10

    1. In the Windows task bar, click (Start) and then "Windows Security" or "All apps" and then "Windows Security".
    2. Click "Firewall & network protection" in the menu "Windows Security".
    3. Click on the active network (normally "Private network").
    4. Disable the Microsoft Defender Firewall.

    Windows 8

    1. Press the keyboard shortcut Windows key + X and select "Control Panel" from the context menu.
    2. Click "System and Security" and then "Windows Firewall".
    3. Disable the Windows firewall.

    Windows 7

    1. In Windows, click "Start" and then "Control Panel".
    2. Select "Category" from the drop-down list "View by:" on the top right ().
    3. Click "System and Security" and then "Windows Firewall".
    4. Disable the Windows firewall.

4 Running the recovery program

  1. Run the file "fritz.box_...recover-image.exe" and click on "Next".
  2. Follow the instructions.

    Note:It is not an error if the program does not search for the FRITZ!Box under its IP address 192.168.178.1, but under a different IP address instead. This does not affect the process.

  3. If you are asked to do so, select the network adapter that the FRITZ!Box is connected to. Normally the correct network adapter is already selected.
  4. If the program displays an error message such as "Recovery failed due to an error", run it again. If recovery fails after several attempts, run the recovery program on a different computer.
    • If the recovery program displays the message "Complete - FRITZ!Box successfully restored!", recovery was successful.

5 Error when running the recovery program

Recovery program cannot find the FRITZ!Box

The recovery program cannot find the FRITZ!Box and keeps giving you the error message "FRITZ!Box [model] searching at: [IP address]".

  1. Do not click "Next," click "Cancel" twice instead.
  2. Close any active firewall applications again.
  3. Run the recovery program again.

Error message "Could not determine the version!"

  1. Abort the recovery procedure.
  2. Press the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Pause key.
    • A window with the specifications of the computer opens.
  3. Click "Device Manager" in the section "Related settings".
  4. Under "Network adapters", double-click the LAN network adapter that is connected to the FRITZ!Box. Select the tab for the advanced settings (for example "Advanced" or "Advanced Settings").
  5. Select the property for setting the transmission rate (for example "Transmission Rate", "Connection Type", "Media Type").
  6. Select the value "10 Mbit/s, half-duplex" or similar and click "OK".
  7. Run the recovery program again.