How to Reset Your WordPress Password

WordPress can email you a link to choose a new password. That’s the safest method and takes a couple of minutes. If the email doesn’t arrive, you can set a new password directly in your site’s database with phpMyAdmin, a database tool in cPanel.

Method 1: Use “Lost your password?”

1. Go to your login page, for example https://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php. If it doesn’t show a login form, try https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin. If neither works, open a support ticket.
2. Click Lost your password? under the login form.
3. In Username or Email Address, type your WordPress username or the email address on your account, then click Get New Password.
4. Open the email from your site (check spam too) and click the reset link.
5. Type a new strong password, or keep the one WordPress suggests, and click Save Password.
6. Log in with the new password.

Method 2: Set a new password in phpMyAdmin

1. In cPanel, click Files in the sidebar, open the File Manager tab and open your site’s folder (usually public_html). If you see a File Manager icon instead, click it.
2. Select wp-config.php and choose Open from the More (⋯) menu.
3. Write down two things. The database name is the second item in quotes on the DB_NAME line, for example define( 'DB_NAME', 'example_wp' );. The table prefix is on the $table_prefix line, usually wp_.
4. Back up the database: open the Backups tab under Files, and under Individual Components, click Download next to Databases for the database you wrote down (see how to download a backup). If you see a Backup icon instead, click it and click the database’s name under Download a Database Backup.
5. Click Databases in the sidebar, click Manage next to the database you wrote down, open the Advanced tab and click Open phpMyAdmin. It opens in a new browser tab. If you see a phpMyAdmin icon instead, click it.
6. In the left-hand list, click the database name you wrote down, if it isn’t already open.
7. Click the users table: your table prefix followed by users, usually wp_users.
8. Find your username in the user_login column and click Edit on that row.
9. Find the user_pass row. In the function dropdown on that row, choose MD5.
10. In the box on the same row, delete the long value and type your new password. Capital letters matter.
11. Click Go.
12. Log in with the new password. WordPress then stores it in a safer form by itself.

How to tell it worked

You can log in at /wp-admin and the dashboard opens. Then make sure the next reset email reaches you:

1. Go to Users → Profile.
2. Check that the email address on your account is one you can read.
3. If you think someone else knew your password, click Log Out Everywhere Else.
4. Click Update Profile.
5. Go to Users and check the list. If you see an administrator you don’t recognize, open a support ticket.

To change your password later while logged in, use Set New Password on the Profile screen.

Troubleshooting

• The reset email never arrives: check spam and wait a few minutes. If it still doesn’t come, your site may not be able to send email (see WordPress isn’t sending email). Use Method 2 to get back in.
• “There is no account with that username or email address.”: try your username instead of the email address, or the other way round.
• “Your password reset link appears to be invalid” or “has expired”: request a new link and use only the newest email.
• phpMyAdmin has no table ending in users with your prefix: you may have opened the wrong database. Check the DB_NAME line again.
• The login page shows a critical error: see how to fix a WordPress critical error.

Still need help?

Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com (see our support page). Include your domain, your WordPress username, which methods you tried, the exact error text, a screenshot and what you already tried. Never include your password.