What To Do When You Are Locked Out of WordPress Admin (wp-admin)

Getting locked out of your WordPress admin area can be frustrating. Here are some steps to regain access:

1. Reset Your Password

• Via Email: Go to the WordPress login page (yourdomain.com/wp-login.php), click on “Lost your password?”, and follow the instructions.
• Via phpMyAdmin: If you have access to your database, go to phpMyAdmin, find your WordPress database, and edit the wp_users table to change your password. Use the MD5 function to hash your new password.

2. Check Your .htaccess File

• Sometimes issues in the .htaccess file can cause login problems. Try renaming the .htaccess file temporarily to see if that resolves the issue. If it does, regenerate the file by going to Settings > Permalinks and clicking “Save Changes.”

3. Disable Plugins

• Via FTP/SFTP: Access your site’s files using FTP/SFTP. Go to wp-content/plugins and rename the plugins folder to plugins_backup. This will deactivate all plugins. If this resolves the issue, you can reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit.

4. Switch to Default Theme

• Via FTP/SFTP: Go to wp-content/themes and rename your active theme’s folder. WordPress will fall back to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-One).

5. Check File Permissions

• Ensure that your file permissions are correctly set. Typically, directories should be set to 755 and files to 644.

6. Database Repair

• Add define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true); to your wp-config.php file. Then navigate to yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php to repair the database. Remember to remove this line after the repair.

7. Check for Security Issues

• If you suspect a security issue, scan your site for malware using security plugins or your hosting provider’s tools.

8. Contact Hosting Support

• If none of the above solutions work, your hosting provider may be able to assist you with access issues.

If you can provide more details about the issue you’re facing, I can offer more specific advice!