Learn how to do a WordPress password reset from phpMyAdmin with this simple guide. The logical way is to click the lost password link on the login screen. But sometimes, a WP blog or site fails to send the change password email, and you can’t reset it without that help. Or maybe you no longer remember—or have access to—the email address used to set up WordPress.
Well, you don’t need to be locked out when you’re logged out. It may feel like an emergency, but it’s easy to reset your password and regain access from your WordPress login page.
Working with cPanel (Control Panel)
You need cPanel support to access phpMyAdmin. If you’re new and or inexperienced, please read this quick cPanel tutorial for beginners first. Every web hosting package has an easy-to-use cPanel admin account. That includes budget-end shared hosting plans.
The cPanel login details are typically sent in the Welcome email from the hosting company. Failing that, they will resend the details if you contact them. Use the company’s live chat feature if you don’t have time to wait for a support ticket response.
Working with phpMyAdmin
PhpMyAdmin is a popular MySQL database management tool with a graphical user interface (GUI). The software lets you create, modify, delete, import/export MySQL database tables. It can look a tad daunting for first-time users but don’t worry. It’s much easier to work with than it seems, especially for the job of resetting passwords.
Now let’s look at how to reset your WordPress password in under 2 minutes.
How to Reset WP Passwords via phpMyAdmin
Log in to the cPanel account for your WordPress Website.
Point to note: Some cPanel accounts use different themes and may not look the same as these screenshots. Even so, the panel names and controls are standardised.
Go to the DATABASES panel and click on phpMyAdmin.
The main phpMyAdmin screen opens in a new tab.
Click to select your WordPress database name from the left of the screen.
The right-side column now displays your list of database tables in alphabetical order.
Note: The default table prefix is wp_ but may be different if you or a developer changed it.
Navigate to the wp_users table (or whatever your prefix is), then click Browse.
All the registered users in your database will load in a new screen.
Find the user whose password you want to reset and click the edit link.
The next PhpMyAdmin screen contains all the user’s details.
- From the User_pass row, delete the data in the Value field and enter a new password
- Select MD5 from the Function column (MD5 encrypts your PW in the database)
- Click the GO button to save the new data
Point to note: Changing your username in phpMyAdmin is also possible.
You now know how to reset your WordPress user passwords using phpMyAdmin. You can use your old username and new password to regain access to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.
