How to Reset Your WordPress Password Manually

Everyone gets locked out of one account or another from time to time – and this can happen even on your own website. Its usually simple enough to perform a reset, but things can get tricky if the problem is more than a forgotten password. Therefore, learning how to reset your WordPress password manually can come in handy.Fortunately, there are several ways you can approach this situation. You can reset your password by tweaking your database, for example, or simply use a dedicated tool to get the job done faster. Either way, it is possible avoid ever getting locked out of your WordPress account again.In this article, were going to talk about some of the situations in which you may need to reset your WordPress password manually. Then well teach you two simple ways to do it. Lets get to work! and changed your email information, so you have no way to re-enter your website.WordPress enables you to reset your password, but its useful to know how to do it manually.These situations arent all that common, but they can happen to anyone. If you end up in one of these scenarios, youll be glad to know that there are other ways to reset your WordPress password. Lets talk about two of them now.Two ways to reset your WordPress password manuallyEither of these methods works even if you dont have access to your WordPress dashboard. Youre free to pick whichever one you want; the choice is largely down to personal preference.1. Reset your password through your cPanelAll the information that makes up your website is stored within WordPress database. Each piece of data has its own place in the database, and the easiest way to access yours is through your cPanel.Naturally, not all web hosting plans or providers offer cPanel. However, in our experience, the vast majority of WordPress-oriented plans do. If your provider doesnt have cPanel set up for its users, theres another (slightly more complex) alternative method well talk about in the next section.For now, access your cPa nel using your hosting credentials, and look for the  phpMyAdmin  option under the  Databases  section:Once youre inside, look for your WordPress database. In most cases, youll be able to identify it thanks to the  wp_  prefix, although some hosts dont use that as a default. If there are multiple databases and youre not sure which of them youre looking for, click on them one by one. At some point, youll find a database that includes the following tables:This list shows all the tables that store your WordPress data. Look for the one called  wp_users –  or a variation thereof – and click on the  Browse  button next to it:Inside, youll find a list including all your sites users. Locating your own account shouldnt be hard – just look for your username or email. Once youve found it, click on the  Edit  button for your username:On the following page, look for the section that says  user_pass. You should see a long string of characters and num bers to the right. Thats your password, although its encrypted so no one can copy it (in case someone hacks into your database):However, as the administrator,  you  can change that password right from this window. All you have to do is delete the aforementioned string and replace it with whatever password you want in plain text. Just to be safe, youll also want to select the  MD5  option from the drop-down menu to the left, like this:What this does is force your database to encrypt your new password using a format that WordPress will recognize. Now, click on the  Go  button at the bottom of the page.Return to the WordPress login screen and try out your new password – it should work without a hitch!2. Use the WordPress Command Line (WP-CLI) to reset your passwordFor this method, you need to be on a hosting plan that enables you to use WP-CLI out of the box, such as SiteGround or WP Engine – that way, you can hit the ground running.The first thing youll need to do is enable Secure Shell (SSH) access using your web hosts control panel. For example, here are instructions on how to do it using SiteGround, which uses cPanel:In short, the process involves  generating keys that identify you when you access your server via SSH from your computer. Once youve got  your RSA private key, you can use either your command line (if youre macOS or Linux user) or an SSH client such as Putty (if youre on Windows):Once youve successfully connected to your server via SSH, you should be able to start using WP-CLI right away, since your host has already set things up for you. WP-CLI enables you to manage every single aspect of your WordPress website using simple commands, which is perfect for developers.You can find  a thorough list  online of the commands you can use with WP-CLI, but for now, lets focus on how to use it to reset your password.  To complete that task, youll need to paste this line into your SSH client:wp user update USERNAME --user _pass="PASSWORD"Naturally, for the command to work, youll need to replace the USERNAME and PASSWORD values with your own new credentials. Unlike the previous method, WP-CLI handles data encryption, so theres no need to configure any additional settings. Once youve entered the command, you can go ahead and log back into your WordPress account.On the other hand, if youre using a host that doesnt include WP-CLI set up by default for your account, dont worry  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ you can install it on your own if you have full access to your server. Just follow the instructions on WP-CLIs home page  within the  Installing section, and you should be good to go.ConclusionKnowing how to reset your WordPress password manually can save you if you ever get locked out of your website, and you dont have access to your email account. This isnt something that happens often, but it doesnt hurt to be prepared just in case. Plus, the process is simpler than youd imagine.Here are two alternative ways to re set your passwords manually:Use your cPanel to access and edit your WordPress database.Use one of WP-CLIs built-in commands to reset your password.Do you have any questions about how to reset your WordPress password manually? Ask away in the comments section below! How to reset your #WordPress #passwords manually