How to Reset Admin Password in WordPress
The admin password is very essential because it grants access to the dashboard. The dashboard is the back-end where the admin can make changes to the front-end of the website. Therefore, it is important to back up your admin password safely.
In this post, I will show you how to reset your admin password with and without email access.
Reset Admin Password in WordPress:
In order to use this method, you need access to the admin email.
Try the password! You might get lucky!!
If you get the error above, click the ‘Lost your password’ link. Type the admin email on the text box that appears.
Now, check your email for a link to reset your password. Create a password or use the one automatically generated then click on ‘reset password. You can now log in using your new password.
Using PhpMyAdmin to Reset WP Admin Password
This second method is applicable when you have no access to the admin email. To use this method, you need access to your website’s root directory and PhPMyAdmin of course.
You need to know the name of your WordPress database. In case you don’t remember, here is a quick way to view your database name. The database name is located within the wp-config.php file.
You need to know the name of your wordpress database. In case you don’t remember, here is a quick way to view your database name.
The database name is located within the wp-config.php file. You can download the file using an FTP client and view the contents on your local machine.
Once downloaded, find the database name in the Mysql settings. Note the database name because we will use it later on.
Alternatively you can view the wp-config file using the nano editor (ubuntu). Once logged into your server, type the following command.
Note: Replace the blocked out name with your website’s folder name.
nano /var/www/"YOUR WEBSITE FOLDER NAME"/wp-config.php
Once the file opens in the editor, scroll down to MySQL settings to find your database name.
In this step, we are going to change the admin password using PhpMyAdmin. If your hosting provider provides a Cpanel, the PhpMyAdmin should be located here.
In the case where you are using a server installed with PhpMyAdmin, go to ‘server-IP-address/PhpMyAdmin’ to login. Once logged in, locate the database name on the left panel and expand it. Select the ‘wp-users’ table at the bottom to see all the users.
Click on the ‘edit’ option beside your preferred username to edit your password. Remember to choose an encryption method beside the password field. I have used MD5 for this tutorial.
Click on the ‘go’ button at the bottom to save changes. You can now log in using your new password. If you followed all the steps, you will have successfully reset your admin password.
