How to Change or Reset Your WordPress Password (8 Ways) ⚠️

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Oh the dreaded forgotten WordPress password! We’ve all been there staring at the login screen our minds drawing a blank.

It’s a real head-scratcher especially when you’re in the middle of a project and need to access your website.

But fear not my friend! There are several ways to change or reset your WordPress password and I’m going to share my tried and true methods with you.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of password recovery let’s talk about why strong password security is so crucial.

Think of it like this: Your WordPress site is your digital storefront.

If your password is weak it’s like leaving your front door unlocked with a sign that says “Welcome hackers!” You wouldn’t do that in real life right?

Feeling lost in the WordPress password wilderness? 😩 Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

Get back in the saddle and recover your WordPress account now!

The Importance of Strong Passwords:




Feeling lost in the WordPress password wilderness? 😩 Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

Get back in the saddle and recover your WordPress account now!

WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world which unfortunately makes it a prime target for hackers.

One of their favorite tricks is using bots to try and guess passwords which is why WordPress has been constantly upgrading its security practices over the years.

You see WordPress stores user login information and authentication cookies on the server-side which makes it safer than a typical login process that might be handled on the client-side but they still rely on users following best security practices.

Now even with strong security practices there are still common passwords that can be cracked in less than a second.

It’s important to use a random combination of letters numbers and symbols – the more complex the password the harder it is for hackers to guess.

Changing vs. Resetting Your WordPress Password:

Before we get into the different methods let’s quickly clarify the difference between changing and resetting a password.

Changing your password is a simple process you can do yourself when you know your current password and want to update it. It’s like changing your locks on your front door. You have the key and you just want to make sure the key fits a new lock.

Resetting your password is what you do when you’ve forgotten your current password. It’s like having lost your key and now you need to get a new one made. You can’t do this yourself – you need someone with the authority to help you out.

8 Ways to Reset or Change Your WordPress Password:

Alright let’s get down to business! Here are eight reliable methods you can use to reset or change your WordPress password whether you’ve forgotten it or just want to update it:

1. Use the “Lost Your Password?” Link:

This is probably the most common method and it’s pretty straightforward.

  1. Navigate to your website’s login page. This is usually at https://.com/wp-admin. (Remember to replace with your actual domain name).
  2. Look for the “Lost your password?” link at the bottom of the login form. Click on that link.
  3. Enter your WordPress username or email address. This is important so make sure you enter the correct information.
  4. Click the “Get New Password” button. A password reset link will be sent to your email address.
  5. Click the link in the email. This will take you to a page where you can create a new password.

Remember: This method requires access to your email account so make sure you can access it!

2. Use the WordPress.com Account Recovery Form:

If you can’t access the email address associated with your WordPress account you can try the WordPress.com Account Recovery Form.

This is a handy option if you’re using a WordPress.com site.

  1. Go to the WordPress.com Account Recovery Form.
  2. Provide information about your account including your username email address and any additional details you remember.
  3. Click the “Recover my account!” button.
  4. A WordPress.com Happiness Engineer will contact you to guide you through the next steps.

This method is a little more time-consuming as you’ll need to wait for a response from the Happiness Engineers but it’s a good option if you can’t access your email.

3. Ask Another Administrator:

If you have multiple administrators on your site you can ask one of them to change your password.

This is a simple and efficient way to recover access to your site.

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard as an administrator.
  2. Go to Users → All Users.
  3. Click the “Send password reset link” button next to the username of the user whose password you want to reset.

This will send an email to the user with a link to reset their password.

4. Use phpMyAdmin:

If you have access to your cPanel account you can also reset your password through phpMyAdmin.

This is a more technical method so it’s best if you’re comfortable working with databases.

  1. Log in to your cPanel account.
  2. Click on the phpMyAdmin option under the Databases section.
  3. Select your WordPress database from the list.
  4. Go to the wp_users table and click the Browse icon.
  5. Locate the username you want to reset the password for and click the Edit button.
  6. Find the user_pass field and replace the current encrypted password with your new password.
  7. Select MD5 from the dropdown menu to encrypt the new password.
  8. Click the Go button to save your changes.

You should now be able to log in to your WordPress admin using your new password.

Remember: Always back up your database before making any changes!

5. Use an SQL Query in phpMyAdmin:

Another option in phpMyAdmin is using an SQL query.

  1. Click the SQL tab in phpMyAdmin.

  2. Paste the following SQL query into the text field: 

    UPDATE `wp_users` SET `user_pass` = MD5('new_password') WHERE `user_login` = 'admin_username';

  3. Replace “new_password” with your new password and “admin_username” with the username you want to change.

  4. Click the Go button to execute the query.

6. Connect to Your Site via FTP:

If you don’t have access to cPanel you can use an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to your website and edit the functions.php file.

  1. Connect to your website using your FTP credentials.

  2. Navigate to the root directory of your website (public_html) then to your themes folder (wp-content → themes).

  3. Open the folder of your current theme (e.g. twentytwentyone) and locate the functions.php file.

  4. Download the functions.php file to your computer.

  5. Open the functions.php file in a text editor.

  6. Add or edit the following line of code:

    wp_set_password( 'password' 1 );
    • Replace “password” with your new password.
    • Replace “1” with the user ID of the user you want to change the password for.

  7. Save the functions.php file and upload it back to your theme’s folder via FTP.

You should now be able to log into your WordPress site.

Important: After you’ve successfully logged in remember to remove the line of code you added to the functions.php file to avoid any potential security risks.

7. Use cPanel’s WordPress Manager:

If your hosting provider uses cPanel you might be able to reset your password using the WordPress Manager.

This is a good option if you installed WordPress using an auto-installer in cPanel.

  1. Log in to your cPanel account and navigate to the WordPress Manager.
  2. Find the installation you want to reset the password for and click the pencil icon.
  3. Navigate to the Admin Password field under the Admin Account section.
  4. Enter your new password and save your changes.

Now you can log into your WordPress site using your new password.

8. Use WP-CLI:

If you’re a developer or comfortable working with command-line tools you can use WP-CLI to reset your password.

  1. Access your site via WP-CLI and navigate to the root directory.

  2. Run the following command to obtain a list of users:

    wp user list

  3. Find the user ID of the user you want to change the password for. The admin user ID is usually “1.”

  4. Run the following command to set a new password for the user:

    wp user update 1 --user_pass=password
    • Replace “1” with the user ID.
    • Replace “password” with your new password.

Emergency Password Reset:

If you’ve tried everything else and you’re still stuck there’s one last option: creating a PHP file with a pre-written script.

Warning: This method should only be used as a last resort because it involves editing your website’s files and if you’re not careful you could potentially damage your site.

  1. Copy the emergency password reset script from the WordPress Codex.
  2. Create a new file called “emergency.php” in a text editor.
  3. Paste the script into the file and update the values to match your admin credentials.
  4. Save the “emergency.php” file and upload it to your website’s root directory using FTP or your hosting control panel.
  5. Open a new browser tab and go to “https://.com/emergency.php“.
  6. Enter your admin username and create a new password.
  7. Click the “Update Options” button.
  8. A confirmation email with your new password will be sent to your admin email address.

Once you’ve successfully logged into your website make sure to delete the “emergency.php” file from your server.

Troubleshooting Common Password Reset Issues:

Even if you’ve followed these steps carefully you might still run into some issues.

Here are a few common problems and how to fix them:

1. WordPress Doesn’t Recognize Your New Password:

If you recently changed your password but WordPress doesn’t recognize it try clearing your browser cache or deleting the password from the autofill form.

2. Your Site is Broken After Using phpMyAdmin:

If you’re having trouble after resetting your password using phpMyAdmin first double-check your steps and make sure you entered all the information correctly.

If that doesn’t work try restoring your site from a backup.

3. Your Site Is Broken After Using FTP:

If your site is broken after editing the functions.php file check to ensure you edited the correct file and entered the information correctly.

If you’re still having problems delete the theme’s folder and redownload it from WordPress.

4. You Didn’t Receive a Password Reset Email:

Check your spam folder as the email might have gone there.

If it’s not in your spam folder double-check that you’re using the correct email address associated with your WordPress account.

Pro-Tips for Maintaining Strong Password Security:

Now that you’ve learned how to reset your password let’s talk about how to prevent forgetting it in the first place and how to keep your website safe from hackers.

  • Use a Strong Password: Create a password that’s difficult to guess and includes a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters numbers and symbols. Aim for a password that’s 12 characters or longer.

  • Don’t Use the Same Password for Multiple Accounts: Keep your WordPress password separate from your email social media and banking passwords.

  • Change Your Password Regularly: It’s a good idea to change your password every few months even if it’s a strong password.

  • Use a Password Manager: Password managers like LastPass can help you generate and store complex passwords making it easier to remember them and keeping your accounts secure.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your WordPress site making it more difficult for hackers to gain access even if they know your password. Jetpack provides this feature at no cost.

  • Limit Login Attempts: Plugins like WP Limit Login Attempts can help prevent brute force attacks by limiting the number of login attempts allowed before locking a user out for a set period.

  • Use a Comprehensive Security Solution: Consider using a security plugin like Jetpack to provide comprehensive security for your WordPress site. It offers features like real-time backups a web application firewall malware scanning and spam protection.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What if I don’t know my username or password?

If you don’t know your username or password you need to know the email address associated with your WordPress site.

Use the “Lost your password?” link to receive a password reset link to your email address.

2. How can I find my username?

If you’re already logged into your WordPress dashboard you can find your username by going to Users → Profile.

Your username will be listed under the Name section.

3. What if I don’t know my admin email?

You can use FTP phpMyAdmin or cPanel to reset your password.

If you’re not comfortable editing site files you can submit an Assisted Account Recovery form or ask an administrator to reset it for you.

4. How do I change another user’s password?

If you’re an administrator you can change any other user’s password by going to Users → All Users and selecting the user you want to edit.

Then click the “Set New Password” button and click “Update User.”

Conclusion:

Keeping your WordPress website secure is essential and remembering your password is an important part of that.

If you ever find yourself locked out remember that there are plenty of ways to reset or change your password.

Always use strong passwords practice good security hygiene and consider using a comprehensive security solution like Jetpack to keep your website safe.




Feeling lost in the WordPress password wilderness? 😩 Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

Get back in the saddle and recover your WordPress account now!

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