In this guide, we’ll explain how to reset your WordPress administrator password if you can no longer log in to your website.

There are several ways to reset a WordPress password, depending on whether you still have access to your email account or hosting control panel.

Resetting Your Password From the WordPress Login Page

The easiest method is to use the built-in WordPress password reset option.

1. Go to your WordPress login page:

https://example.com/wp-admin

1. Click Lost your password?
2. Enter your WordPress username or email address.
3. Click Get New Password.
4. Check your email inbox for the password reset message.
5. Open the reset link.
6. Enter a new password.
7. Save the new password.

You can then return to the WordPress login page and sign in using your new password.

Check Your Spam or Junk Folder

If the password reset email does not appear in your inbox, check your spam or junk folder.

It can sometimes take a few minutes for the message to arrive.

If no email arrives, your WordPress website may be having difficulty sending email.

Make Sure You Are Using the Correct Email Address

WordPress sends the reset email to the email address associated with the user account.

If you have several email addresses, make sure you are checking the correct mailbox.

You can also try entering your WordPress username instead of your email address on the password reset page.

Resetting the Password Through phpMyAdmin

If you cannot receive the WordPress password reset email, you can reset the password directly in the WordPress database using phpMyAdmin.

This method should only be used if you are comfortable making changes to the database.

Before making database changes, we recommend creating a backup.

Open phpMyAdmin

Log in to your hosting control panel and open phpMyAdmin.

Select the database used by your WordPress website.

If you are unsure which database WordPress uses, open the wp-config.php file in your WordPress installation and look for:

DB_NAME

The value beside this setting is the name of your WordPress database.

Find the WordPress Users Table

Inside phpMyAdmin, locate the WordPress users table.

On many websites this will be:

wp_users

However, your WordPress database may use a different table prefix.

For example:

abc_users

or:

site1_users

Open the table ending in:

_users

Find Your Administrator Account

Locate the WordPress user account you want to reset.

You should see fields including:

• ID
• user_login
• user_pass
• user_email

Click Edit beside the correct user.

Set a New Password

Find the user_pass field.

In the function column, select:

MD5

Then enter your new password in the value field.

Save the changes.

WordPress will accept the new password and automatically replace the temporary MD5 value with its normal password hashing format after you log in.

Log In With the New Password

Return to:

https://example.com/wp-admin

Enter your WordPress username and the new password you created.

You should now be able to access the WordPress Dashboard.

Choose a Strong Password

Your WordPress password should be:

• Long
• Unique
• Difficult to guess
• Different from passwords used on other websites

Avoid passwords based on your domain name, company name or simple combinations such as:

password123

If You Still Cannot Log In

If the new password is accepted but you are still unable to access WordPress, another issue may be preventing the login.

Possible causes include:

• A security plugin
• A changed WordPress login URL
• Browser cookies or cache
• A damaged plugin
• A database problem
• An incorrect site URL

Try clearing your browser cookies or using a private/incognito browser window.

Conclusion

The easiest way to reset a WordPress password is through the Lost your password? option on the WordPress login page.

If email-based password resets are not working, the password can also be changed directly in the WordPress database using phpMyAdmin.

If you continue to experience problems accessing your WordPress website, please log in to your hosting account and submit a support ticket for assistance.