7 Pro Tips to Access WordPress Without Logging In |

“Help! I can’t get into my WordPress site!” This plea is something I hear often from new WordPress users. I totally understand—being shut out of your own website can be stressful, just like being locked out of your home.

The good news is that there’s almost always a solution. Whether it’s through FTP, sending a password reset, or updating details directly in your database, I’ve developed a step-by-step approach to tackle WordPress login issues.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the most reliable strategies I’ve picked up from years of handling WordPress problems. These solutions have been tested and proven, and they’ll help you quickly get back into your website.

When Should You Consider Bypassing the WordPress Login?

There are times when logging in to WordPress isn’t as simple as entering your credentials. Things can go sideways, locking you out unexpectedly.

Here are typical scenarios where bypassing the login screen becomes necessary:

Forgotten Password: If your reset email fails to arrive or you don’t remember your login details, you could get stuck. This often happens if email is misconfigured or messages go to spam.

Plugin Issues: Certain security or login plugins can conflict with other plugins or themes, which might break the login process. A glitchy plugin update or even a cache problem can suddenly prevent user access.

Site Compromise: If your site is hacked, attackers may change your password and lock you out. You’ll need to sidestep the login screen to regain your site and restore security.

Locked Out After Failed Attempts: Security plugins might block you after multiple failed logins. If you’re accidentally locked out, you’ll need to bypass this to get back in.

Login Page Errors: Sometimes, an update to your theme or plugins can break the login page—if it won’t load or displays errors, the normal login flow won’t work.

Custom Login URLs: Security plugins sometimes let you change your login URL. If you forget this custom address, you lose access to your login page.

The great news is that you can work around all these issues and safely regain access. I’ll cover several hands-on troubleshooting techniques for WordPress logins.

If you want to skip to a specific step, use the links below:

With that, let’s explore some straightforward methods to get around the WordPress login screen.

If you can’t find the login screen for your WordPress site, the quickest fix is to use the standard login URL. WordPress always has a default login address you can visit, even when there are glitches on your site.

Use any of these URLs by entering them in your browser (swap in your own domain for ‘example.com’):

www.example.com/wp-admin/
www.example.com/wp-login.php
www.example.com/admin/
www.example.com/login/

Be sure to substitute your website’s actual domain name in place of ‘example.com’.

These URLs should bring up the login page for your WordPress site.

You might be wondering why this helps bypass login. Here’s why:

If you’re already logged in and your session is still active, going to wp-admin/ might take you straight to your dashboard—no password required.

If the login form doesn’t show up, try forcing a redirect by visiting:

www.example.com/wp-admin/?redirect_to=yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/

If these links fail, move on to the next solution below.

Tip: If you’ve changed your login URL with a security plugin, the default URLs won’t work. Use the custom login URL you chose during setup.

Tip 2. Reset Your Password with Email

If a lost password is your problem, WordPress makes it simple to reset your password by email. This is usually the fastest way to get back into your admin area.

Go to the login page (https://example.com/wp-login.php) and click the ‘Lost your password?’ link beneath the form.

Type in your username or the email associated with your account, then hit ‘Get New Password’.

WordPress will send you an email with a password reset link. Click the link and follow the prompts to choose a new password for your account.

If you don’t see the reset email, check your spam or junk folder. Hosting configurations or strict email filters sometimes block WordPress messages.

If you still don’t receive the email, you might need to use a direct database reset (we’ll cover that next).

Related Post: If your website has experienced a hack, you might want to update login credentials for all users. Check out this guide on how to bulk reset passwords for all users in WordPress.

Heads Up: The next steps (tips 3 through 6) require more advanced troubleshooting skills. You might need to edit your site’s database, access core files on your server, or make direct changes to the WordPress setup.

Always back up your entire website—including both your files and database—before trying any of these fixes. This gives you a safeguard in case anything breaks. (If you’re unable to log in, making a backup might not be possible, but it’s important to mention just in case!)

When connecting through FTP, cPanel, or phpMyAdmin, always use secure connections to keep your site’s sensitive data safe.

Even small errors in your file system or database can cause major site problems. Move carefully and be sure to double-check each step as you follow the instructions.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the steps below, don’t worry. Professional and budget-friendly WordPress help is available if you prefer not to do it yourself.

Tip 3. Reset Your Password Directly in the Database

If password reset emails aren’t reaching your inbox, you can change your password manually through your hosting account’s database editor.

For this walk-through, I’ll show screenshots using Bluehost, though steps could vary depending on your web host’s interface.

Log in to your web hosting control panel and navigate to the ‘Advanced’ section. Then look for ‘PHPMyAdmin’ and click ‘Manage’ to launch it.

Click the Manage button next to the PHPMyAdmin option

What’s phpMyAdmin? It’s simply a tool for managing your website’s database, similar to a digital filing system.

Once you open phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database from the sidebar. You should now see a list of tables within that database.

Find the wp_users table (it may have a different prefix in your case) and then click the ‘Browse’ link next to it.

Remember, your database tables might use a different prefix than ‘wp_’. The prefix is just the characters before the underscore in the table name.

If you’re interested, check this guide on changing database prefixes for added security.

You’ll now be able to view the entire list of users registered on your site. Locate the account for which you want to change the password and click the ‘Edit’ link next to it.

Erase the current password value and type in your new password into the field. Add a new password with database

Finally, hit the ‘Go’ button at the bottom of the page to save your updated password.

Visit your WordPress site and try logging in with your new password.

Need a step by step? Here’s a complete guide on resetting your WordPress password using phpMyAdmin.

Tip 4. Turn Off Security Plugins via FTP

Certain WordPress security plugins can sometimes lock you out of your website. If you suspect a plugin is causing problems, you can quickly disable it through FTP access.

What’s FTP? It’s a program that lets you move files to and from your website—like a direct connection between your desktop and your site’s files.

Begin by connecting to your website with an FTP application such as FileZilla. Unsure how? Follow this step-by-step tutorial on using FTP with WordPress.

Next, go to the /wp-content/plugins folder in your site directory.

Within this directory, you’ll see every plugin installed on your WordPress site.

Find the folder of the security plugin you wish to deactivate. For example, search for the ‘wordfence’ folder if using Wordfence Security.

Right-click the plugin’s folder and pick ‘Rename’. Add ‘-disabled’ to the end of the folder name (for example, change ‘wordfence’ to ‘wordfence-disabled’).