What to Do If You’re Locked Out of WordPress (With and Without FTP)

Added by shiza 1 month ago Tips & Advice

Getting locked out of your WordPress admin dashboard can be frustrating—especially if you're in the middle of publishing content, managing your WordPress themes, or tweaking your WordPress plugins. Whether you run a personal blog, a business site, or offer web design services, this issue needs a quick, secure fix.

In this blog, we’ll explore all possible solutions to regain access—with and without FTP—alongside some pro tips, latest practices, and insights on WordPress development and hosting.

🔍 Common Reasons Why You’re Locked Out of WordPress Before jumping to solutions, it helps to understand why you might be locked out of your WordPress website:

Incorrect WordPress admin login credentials

Forgotten password or username

Plugin conflicts

Theme issues

Hacked website

Corrupted .htaccess file

PHP errors in your custom code

Whether you're using Hostinger WordPress, GoDaddy WordPress hosting, or managed WordPress hosting, these issues can crop up across the board.

🔐 How to Get Back In – With FTP Access If your hosting provides FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access, you're in luck. Here's how you can troubleshoot:

1. Disable Conflicting WordPress Plugins One of the most common causes of login issues is plugin conflicts.

Steps:

Connect to your site via FTP (e.g., FileZilla) or cPanel File Manager.

Navigate to wp-content/plugins.

Rename the plugins folder to something like plugins_old.

Try logging into your WordPress admin login again.

SEO Tip: This is a common trick used by WordPress developers and web design service providers to restore admin access.

2. Switch to a Default WordPress Theme If you’ve recently installed a new WordPress theme, it might be incompatible.

Steps:

Go to wp-content/themes.

Rename your active theme folder.

WordPress will fall back to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four).

3. Edit the wp-config.php File to Reset Admin Password If you don’t remember your login credentials:

Open wp-config.php via FTP.

Add the following line temporarily:

php Copy Edit define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true); Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php to repair and optimize your database.

After that, reset your password from the login screen.

🚫 No FTP Access? Try These Methods Don’t worry if you don’t have FTP access—there are still ways to regain control.

1. Password Reset via Email Go to the WordPress login screen and click on "Lost your password?"

Enter your email address linked to the account.

If your website's email system isn’t working (common in some WordPress hosting setups), try the next method.

2. Reset Password via phpMyAdmin If your hosting provides access to phpMyAdmin:

Log in to your hosting panel.

Open phpMyAdmin.

Navigate to your WordPress database → wp_users table.

Find your username and update the user_pass field with a new password. Set the function to MD5.

3. Create a New Admin User via functions.php Still locked out? You can manually add a new admin account:

Access wp-content/themes/yourtheme/functions.php via your host’s file manager.

Add this code at the bottom:

php Copy Edit function wpb_admin_account(){ $user = 'newadmin'; $pass = 'password123'; $email = '[email protected]'; if ( !username_exists( $user ) && !email_exists( $email ) ) { $user_id = wp_create_user( $user, $pass, $email ); $user = new WP_User( $user_id ); $user->set_role( 'administrator' ); } } add_action('init','wpb_admin_account'); Login with the new credentials, then remove the code immediately for security.

🔒 Security Tips to Prevent Future Lockouts Install reputable WordPress plugins for security (e.g., Wordfence).

Use managed WordPress hosting to benefit from automatic backups.

Regularly back up your WordPress website and database.

Limit login attempts to protect against brute force attacks.

Keep all WordPress themes and plugins updated.

Use strong passwords and a secure email.

💡 Bonus: Tools and Platforms to Enhance Your WordPress Security Hostinger WordPress and GoDaddy WordPress Hosting offer one-click backups.

Use WordPress website builders like Elementor with security widgets.

Try Wix vs WordPress comparisons to understand what each offers in terms of access control.

Hire a WordPress developer or a web development service to harden your website security.

🧩 Is WordPress Still Worth It? Absolutely. With millions of users worldwide, WordPress continues to lead in the web design and web development space. It’s open-source, scalable, and supported by a massive ecosystem of plugins and templates.

Whether you’re wondering “What is WordPress?”, exploring the WordPress download, or diving into how to use WordPress, knowing how to regain access is an essential skill.

🚀 Conclusion: Regain Access and Secure Your WordPress Website Getting locked out of your WordPress dashboard isn’t the end—it’s just a hurdle. Whether you fix it via FTP or through your hosting panel, these solutions cover every scenario.

If you frequently work on your WordPress website, consider investing in managed WordPress hosting, keeping a backup plugin active, and consulting a WordPress web design expert when needed.

Stay in control. Stay secure. Happy WordPress-ing!

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