Resetting the admin account password of a WordPress setup using phpMyAdmin

Resetting the admin account password of a WordPress setup using phpMyAdmin

A step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Access phpMyAdmin

1. Log in to your web hosting account: Use the credentials provided by your hosting service.
2. Navigate to phpMyAdmin: You can usually find this in the control panel (like cPanel, Plesk, etc.).

Step 2: Select the WordPress Database

1. Find your database: In phpMyAdmin, you’ll see a list of databases on the left sidebar. Click on the database that corresponds to your WordPress installation.
2. Identify the tables: Within the selected database, you will see a list of tables. Look for the table with the suffix _users (e.g., wp_users).

Step 3: Edit the Admin User

1. Open the wp_users table: Click on the wp_users table to open it.
2. Find the admin user: Look for the row where the user_login column matches the username of the admin account. This is typically “admin”.

Step 4: Update the Password

1. Edit the user: Click the “Edit” link next to the admin user row.
2. Change the password:
   • Locate the user_pass field.
   • In the Function column next to user_pass, select MD5 from the dropdown menu. This ensures the password is encrypted.
   • In the Value column next to user_pass, enter your new desired password.

Step 5: Save the Changes

1. Save the changes: Scroll down and click the “Go” button to save your changes.

Step 6: Verify the New Password

1. Log in to WordPress: Go to your WordPress login page (yoursite.com/wp-login.php).
2. Enter the new password: Use the username and the new password you set to log in.

Optional: Security Considerations

1. Change the password again: Once logged in, it’s good practice to change your password again through the WordPress dashboard to ensure it is hashed properly using the latest WordPress standards.
2. Update the salts: It’s also recommended to update your wp-config.php file with new security salts. You can generate these from the WordPress secret-key service.

Troubleshooting

• If you encounter any issues, ensure you are editing the correct database and table.
• Make sure you have selected MD5 when entering the new password in phpMyAdmin.
• If phpMyAdmin is not available, you can use a MySQL command-line tool or a different database management tool to update the password.

By following these steps, you should be able to reset the admin account password for your WordPress setup using phpMyAdmin.