But on some hosts, especially when email isn’t working right, sometimes you have to take different steps to reset your password.<\/p>\n
Here’s a list of different ways to reset a password. Any one of them will work, and you only need one to succeed. Which method you will use depends on what type of access you still have to your website.<\/p>\n
To Change Your Password<\/h2>\n
To change your password in current versions:<\/p>\n
- \n
- In the Admin Panel menu, go to USERS<\/li>\n
- Click on your username in the list to edit<\/li>\n
- In the Edit User screen, scroll down to the New Password section and type in a new password in the two boxes provided. The strength box will show how good (strong) your password is.<\/li>\n
- Click the UPDATE PROFILE button<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- \n
- Your new password takes effect immediately.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Through the automatic emailer<\/h2>\n
If you know your username and the email account in your profile, you can use the “lost password” feature of WordPress.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to your WordPress Login page (something like http:\/\/yoursite.com\/wordpress\/wp-login.php<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Click on lost password<\/li>\n
- You will be taken to a page to put in some details. Enter your user name and the email address on file for that account.<\/li>\n
- Wait happily as your new password is emailed to you.<\/li>\n
- Once you get your new password, login and change it to something you can remember<\/em> on your profile page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Through MySQL Command Line<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Get an MD5 hash of your password.\n
- \n
- Visit md5 Hash Generator<\/a>, or…<\/li>\n
- Create a key with Python. or…<\/li>\n
- On Unix\/Linux:\n
- \n
- Create file wp.txt with the new password in it (and *nothing* else)<\/li>\n
- md5sum wp.txt<\/tt><\/li>\n
- rm wp.txt<\/tt><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- “mysql -u root -p<\/tt>” (log in to MySQL)<\/li>\n
- enter your mysql password<\/li>\n
- “use (name-of-database)<\/tt>” (select WordPress database)<\/li>\n
- “show tables;<\/tt>” (you’re looking for a table name with “users<\/tt>” at the end)<\/li>\n
- “SELECT ID, user_login, user_pass FROM (name-of-table-you-found)<\/tt>” (this gives you an idea of what’s going on inside)<\/li>\n
- “UPDATE (name-of-table-you-found) SET user_pass=\"(MD5-string-you-made)\" WHERE ID = (id#-of-account-you-are-reseting-password-for)<\/tt>” (actually changes the password)<\/li>\n
- “SELECT ID, user_login, user_pass FROM (name-of-table-you-found)<\/tt>” (confirm that it was changed)<\/li>\n
- (type Control-D, to exit mysql client)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Note if you have a recent version of MySQL (version 5.x?) you can have MySQL compute the MD5 hash for you.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Skip step 1. above.<\/li>\n
- Do the following for step 7. instead.\n
- \n
- “UPDATE (name-of-table-you-found) SET user_pass = MD5('\"(new-password)\"') WHERE ID = (id#-of-account-you-are-reseting-password-for)<\/tt>” (actually changes the password)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Through phpMyAdmin<\/h2>\n
This article is for those who have phpMyAdmin<\/a> access to their database. Note: use phpMyAdmin at your own risk. If you doubt your ability to use it, seek further advice. WordPress is not responsible for loss of data.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Begin by logging into phpMyAdmin and click databases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/codex.wordpress.org\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/changepw2.jpg\/180px-changepw2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/codex.wordpress.org\/skins\/common\/images\/magnify-clip.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\nImage #2<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- A list of databases will appear. Click your WordPress database.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/codex.wordpress.org\/images\/thumb\/3\/32\/changepw3.jpg\/180px-changepw3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/a><\/div>\nImage #3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- All the tables in your database will appear. If not, click Structure<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Look for wp_users<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Click on the icon for browse<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Locate your Username under user_login<\/li>\n
- Click edit<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/codex.wordpress.org\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/changepw6.jpg\/180px-changepw6.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/a><\/div>\nImage #4<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- Your user_id will be shown, click on Edit<\/li>\n
- Next to the user_pass is a long list of numbers and letters.<\/li>\n
- Select and delete these and type in your new password.<\/li>\n
- Type in the password you want to use. Just type it in normally, but remember, it is case-sensitive.<\/li>\n
- In this example, the new password will be ‘rabbitseatcarrots’<\/li>\n
- Once you have done that, click the dropdown menu indicated, and select MD5 from the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/codex.wordpress.org\/images\/thumb\/6\/63\/changepw7.jpg\/180px-changepw7.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/a><\/div>\nImage #5<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n- \n
- Check that your password is actually correct, and that MD5 is in the box.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
- \n
- Click the ‘Go’ button to the bottom right.<\/li>\n
- Test the new password on the login screen. If it doesn’t work, check that you’ve followed these instructions exactly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Other Tutorials using phpMyAdmin<\/h3>\n
- \n
- phpMyAdmin at tamba2<\/a><\/li>\n
- Reset a WordPress password from phpMyAdmin<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Through FTP<\/h2>\n
There is also an easy way to reset your password via FTP, if you’re using the admin user.<\/p>\n
1. Login to your site via FTP and download your active theme’s functions.php file.<\/p>\n
2. Edit the file and add this code to it, right at the beginning, after the first <?php:<\/p>\n
wp_set_password('password',1);<\/pre>\nPut in your own new password for the main admin user. The “1” is the user ID number in the wp_users table.<\/p>\n
3. Upload the modified file back to your site.<\/p>\n
4. After you then are able to login, make sure to go back and remove that code. It will reset your password on every page load until you do.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Using the Emergency Password Reset Script<\/h2>\n
If the other solutions listed above won’t work, then try the Emergency Password Reset Script. It is not a Plugin. It is a PHP script.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Warnings\u00a0<\/dt>\n
- <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
- \n
- Requires you know the administrator username.<\/li>\n
- It updates the administrator password and sends an email to the administrator’s email address.<\/li>\n
- If you don’t receive the email, the password is still changed.<\/li>\n
- You do not need to be logged in to use it. If you could login, you wouldn’t need the script.<\/li>\n
- Place this in the root of your WordPress installation. Do not upload this to your WordPress Plugins directory.<\/li>\n
- Delete the script when you are done for security reasons.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- \n
- Directions for use\u00a0<\/dt>\n
- <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
- \n
- Copy the emergency script from Emergency Password Script<\/a> and put into a file called emergency.php in the root of your WordPress installation (the same directory that contains wp-config.php).<\/li>\n
- In your browser, open http:\/\/example.com\/emergency.php.<\/li>\n
- As instructed, enter the administrator username (usually admin) and the new password, then click Update Options<\/strong>. A message is displayed noting the changed password. An email is sent to the blog administrator with the changed password information.<\/li>\n
- Delete emergency.php from your server when you are done.<\/strong> Do not leave it on your server as someone else could use it to change your password.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Copy the emergency script from Emergency Password Script<\/a> and put into a file called emergency.php in the root of your WordPress installation (the same directory that contains wp-config.php).<\/li>\n
- Reset a WordPress password from phpMyAdmin<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- phpMyAdmin at tamba2<\/a><\/li>\n
- Check that your password is actually correct, and that MD5 is in the box.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
- Look for wp_users<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- All the tables in your database will appear. If not, click Structure<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- A list of databases will appear. Click your WordPress database.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
- “UPDATE (name-of-table-you-found) SET user_pass = MD5('\"(new-password)\"') WHERE ID = (id#-of-account-you-are-reseting-password-for)<\/tt>” (actually changes the password)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- rm wp.txt<\/tt><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Visit md5 Hash Generator<\/a>, or…<\/li>\n
- Go to your WordPress Login page (something like http:\/\/yoursite.com\/wordpress\/wp-login.php<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Your new password takes effect immediately.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n