How to Change a Forgotten, Locked, or Hacked WordPress Password

Most website owners will eventually face a forgotten WordPress password — it happens more often than you’d think.

Other issues can also lock you out, such as too many failed login attempts or security plugins restricting access for protection.

In more serious cases, you may even lose access due to a hacked website or compromised credentials.

This guide will show you multiple ways to safely reset or change your WordPress password, no matter what situation you're in.

Overview

• WordPress login basics
• Password strength and security
• Login protection plugins
• Reset methods
• Forgotten password email reset
• Changing password in the dashboard
• Softaculous method
• phpMyAdmin database reset

WordPress

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, powering a large percentage of websites globally.

It’s widely used for blogs, business websites, online stores, and more due to its flexibility and ease of use.

Because of its popularity, it’s also a common target for login attacks — making password security essential.

Password security best practices

A strong password is your first line of defence against unauthorised access.

Good passwords should include a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Avoid predictable passwords such as:

• 123456
• password
• qwerty

These can be guessed in seconds using automated tools.

It’s also important not to reuse passwords across multiple websites.

Protecting login attempts

Even with a strong password, extra protection helps prevent brute-force attacks.

You can improve security by using login protection plugins or enabling two-factor authentication.

Loginizer

Loginizer helps limit failed login attempts and temporarily blocks suspicious IP addresses.

This reduces the risk of brute-force password guessing attacks.

Typical setup steps:

1. Log in to WordPress
2. Go to Plugins → Add New
3. Search “Loginizer”
4. Install and activate

You can adjust lockout settings such as number of attempts and timeout duration.

Wordfence

Wordfence provides a more advanced security layer, including firewall protection and malware scanning.

It can block malicious login attempts and monitor suspicious activity across your site.

Setup steps are similar via the plugin installer in your dashboard.

How to change your WordPress password

There are several ways to reset or change your password depending on whether you can still access your account.

1. Forgot password method

This is the simplest option if you are locked out.

Go to your login page (usually yourdomain.com/wp-admin) and click “Lost your password”.

Enter your username or email address and follow the reset link sent to your inbox.

If successful, you’ll be able to create a new password and regain access.

2. Change password from dashboard

If you are still logged in, you can change your password directly:

1. Go to Users
2. Select your profile
3. Scroll to Account Management
4. Click “Generate Password” or enter a new one
5. Save changes

3. Softaculous method

If WordPress was installed via Softaculous, you can reset credentials via your hosting panel.

1. Log into your hosting control panel
2. Open Softaculous
3. Go to Installations
4. Edit your WordPress installation
5. Update admin username or password
6. Save changes

4. phpMyAdmin method

This method is used when other options fail and gives direct access to your database.

1. Log into your hosting control panel
2. Open phpMyAdmin
3. Select your WordPress database
4. Open the users table
5. Edit your admin user
6. Update the password field using an encrypted format (MD5 option if available)
7. Save changes

After completing this, you should be able to log in with your new password.

Summary

Forgetting your WordPress password is common, but recovery is usually quick if you follow the correct steps.

Always use strong passwords and enable additional security features where possible.

Keeping WordPress, plugins, and themes updated also reduces the risk of hacking attempts.

A secure hosting environment combined with good password hygiene significantly improves website safety.