How to Reset WordPress Password Directly in phpMyAdmin

Overview

This tutorial demonstrates how to regain administrative access to a WordPress website when locked out and unable to use the automated 'Lost your password?' recovery email. It walks through locating the database across several environments, including local development (XAMPP), standard shared hosting (cPanel), proprietary control panels (Hostinger), and VPS setups managed with CloudPanel. Once inside phpMyAdmin, the instructor navigates to the core WordPress users table (wp_users), edits the target administrator account, and updates the user_pass column. The lesson highlights the crucial requirement of selecting the MD5 hashing function from the Function dropdown before saving, ensuring WordPress can verify the updated credentials upon login.

The Password Recovery Problem in WordPress

00:00

When administrative credentials are lost or the linked email is inaccessible/compromised, standard recovery via wp-login.php fails. Direct database intervention in phpMyAdmin provides an immediate bypass.

• Standard password recovery relies on functioning outgoing email and access to that email account.
• WordPress stores passwords as encrypted hashes, preventing plaintext password entry directly into the database.

Accessing phpMyAdmin Across Hosting Environments

00:44

Accessing phpMyAdmin varies by environment. On local setups like XAMPP, open the XAMPP Control Panel, ensure Apache and MySQL are running, and click the Admin button for MySQL. On standard cPanel hosting, navigate to the Databases section and select phpMyAdmin. On custom interfaces like Hostinger, select the website, open Databases, and click Enter phpMyAdmin. On CloudPanel VPS setups, choose the site, navigate to Databases, find Database Users, and click Manage.

• XAMPP: Requires running Apache and MySQL, then clicking MySQL's Admin button.
• cPanel: Accessible under the Databases category.
• Hostinger: Managed per website within the Databases area.
• CloudPanel: Found under site-specific database users via the Manage action.

Modifying Credentials in wp_users with MD5 Hashing

02:54

Inside phpMyAdmin, select the database associated with your WordPress site and open the wp_users table. Locate the user row to modify and click Edit. In the user_pass row, enter the new plaintext password in the Value field. Under the Function dropdown for user_pass, select MD5 to ensure the value is hashed upon saving. Click Go to update the record.

• WordPress user records are stored in the wp_users table.
• Plaintext passwords must be processed through MD5 hashing to be recognized by WordPress.
• WordPress automatically re-hashes MD5 passwords to modern standards upon the next successful login.

Verifying the New Password via wp-admin

04:10

After saving the hashed password, visit yoursite.com/wp-admin. Enter the updated username and the new plaintext password. The login succeeds, confirming the database-level reset was applied correctly.

• Log in using the original plaintext string you entered into phpMyAdmin.
• Successful access redirects straight to the WordPress Admin Dashboard.

localhost/estore/wp-admin