Resetting your WordPress password is usually a straightforward process. You can use the Lost your password? link from your WordPress login page.
Sometimes you might be locked out of your site if the password reset email is undeliverable or your registered email address is no longer available. Instead, you can use the phpMyAdmin tool in cPanel to directly reset your password from the WordPress database.
Follow these steps to easily reset a WordPress password from phpMyAdmin:
- Login to cPanel
- Scroll down to the Databases section and click on phpMyAdmin
- Once phpMyAdmin has opened, you will see a list of databases on the left-hand menu.
You will need to select the correct database for your website. If you're not sure, you can find the database settingin the wp-config.php file in the root level of your website.
- Once you've clicked on the database name you will see a list of all of the database tables.
In the filter box at the top of the screen type in _users
You should now see the users table. Your prefix may be wp_ or something different. That's okay, as long as the table name ends in _users.
Go ahead and click on it.
- You will now see a list of all the user accounts for your website. Find your login from the list and click on the Edit button
- Now look for the user_pass column. In the dropdown, select MD5 and then type your new password into the value box, replacing the current data:
Make sure your new password is complex and not easy to guess but easy for you to remember. - Scroll down to bottom of the screen and click on the Go button.
- Your new password will be encrypted using the MD5 hash and then it will be stored in the database.
Your password has now been changed and you should be able to log in to your website.
Make sure to check your email address and mail server settings in WordPress so you can use the forgot password process in case you ever forgot your password again.
