Normally, you can change your password directly from the WordPress dashboard.However, in certain situations, you might not be able to access wp-admin. For example:
✅ You forgot your password and password reset emails are not working
✅ You lost access to the email address linked to your WordPress account
✅ Your site has been hacked and you need to regain control
In these cases, you can easily reset your WordPress password via phpMyAdmin in your hosting control panel.
This method works at the database level. It is very powerful and secure when done correctly.
⚡ What You Need Before Starting
- Access to your web hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.)
- Access to phpMyAdmin (usually available in your hosting panel)
- Your WordPress database name (optional, but helpful if you have multiple sites)
✅ If you have hosting login → you already have everything needed.
🚀 Step-by-Step: How to Change WordPress Password from phpMyAdmin
✅ Step 1: Log in to Your Hosting Control Panel
- Go to your hosting dashboard (cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, etc.)
- Look for the Databases section → Click on phpMyAdmin
Note: Almost all hosting providers offer phpMyAdmin. If not, contact your host for access.
✅ Step 2: Open Your WordPress Database
In phpMyAdmin, find the list of databases on the left sidebar.
Click on the database used by your WordPress site.
Tip: If you are not sure which is the right database, check your wp-config.php file and look for this line:
define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘your_database_name’);
This shows the exact database name used by your site.
✅ Step 3: Find and Open the “wp_users” Table
Once inside the database → Scroll through the tables → Find wp_users.
Click on wp_users → You will now see a list of users on your WordPress site.
Note:If your database uses a custom prefix, the table might be called xyz_users instead of wp_users.
✅ Step 4: Edit the User Password
Locate the user you want to reset the password for → usually, this will be the admin user.
Click the Edit button next to that user.
You will now see the user’s information → including the user_pass field (this is where the password is stored → but encrypted).
✅ Step 5: Enter the New Password (Hashed)
VERY IMPORTANT: WordPress stores passwords in MD5 hash, so you cannot simply type the new password in plain text.
Here’s how to do it:
- In the user_pass field, delete the old value.
- Type your new password (plain text).
- In the “Function” column next to user_pass, select MD5 from the dropdown.
This ensures phpMyAdmin will encrypt (hash) your password when saving, thus making it work with WordPress.
✅ Step 6: Save the Changes
- Scroll down and click Go (or Save) to save the changes.
Your new password is now saved in the database hashed in MD5 ready for WordPress login.
✅ Step 7: Log in to WordPress with the New Password
- Go to your WordPress login page → /wp-admin or /wp-login.php
- Enter your username and the new password you just set.
✅ You should now be able to log in successfully.
🚨 Important Security Tip (Recommended)
After logging in:
- Go to Users → Profile
- Update your password again using WordPress’s password generator.
This will re-encrypt your password with a stronger hashing algorithm (WordPress uses stronger than MD5 internally).
✅ This keeps your site more secure after the reset.
📌 Additional Tips and Troubleshooting
What if you can’t find phpMyAdmin?
- Contact your hosting support. They will guide you or reset the password for you.
What if MD5 does not work?
- This is rare, but if your WordPress uses advanced hashing, you will need to reset password via functions.php or WP CLI. You can contact a developer or your VA to help.
🎯 Final Words
Resetting your WordPress password via phpMyAdmin is a powerful and essential method when you are locked out of your site.
✅ Fast and easy
✅ Does not require email access
✅ Works directly in your hosting panel
However always make sure to reset your password again after logging in for better security.
📞 Need Help? Hire a WordPress Virtual Assistant
Not comfortable working with phpMyAdmin?
Our WordPress Virtual Assistants can:
- Recover access to your site
- Fix login issues and errors
- Secure your WordPress website
[Contact us now] → and get your website issues resolved quickly and safely.