It's not pleasant to see a website that's closed. Trying to log into your WordPress site and can't? It's a bit like being locked out of your house. The front door, which was always open, is now locked. It can be frustrating, even stressful, but it's important to remember that this is a common situation and there's usually a solution. Here are some common reasons why people get locked out of their WordPress site—and the solutions.
Forgot your password
It happens to everyone. This is the most common reason for not being able to access your site, and it's not surprising: with so many passwords to remember, it's easy to lose track. Fortunately, WordPress offers a simple, built-in recovery tool:
How to recover your WordPress password
- Go to the login screen and click on the "Forgot your password?" link.
- Enter the email address associated with your account on the site.
- WordPress will send you an email with a link to reset your password. Click on the link and choose a new password.
- If the email does not arrive: Check your spam folder and make sure that the email address you entered matches the one associated with your account on the site.
WordPress password recovery not working
This is a slightly more "advanced" step. You may have forgotten which email address you used to register for the site, or you may not have access to that email. This sometimes happens with very old and unmaintained websites (which is why it is recommended to use the services of a website maintenance professional).
If you are unable to recover your password in the usual way, you may need to access the database directly using phpMyAdmin.
Updating your WordPress password via phpMyAdmin
- Log in to your hosting control panel (cPanel or similar).
- Find the phpMyAdmin option and open it.
- Select your website's database (if you are unsure which database belongs to your website, you can check the wp-config.php file, which contains the details).
- In the tables menu, find the table called wp_users.
- Find your user in the list and click "Edit."
- In the user_pass field, enter a new password. It is important to select the MD5 encryption protocol to encrypt the password.
- Save the changes and try to log in with the new password.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oUJ8sU-X7c
The site has been hacked and your access to it has been blocked
How do you know if a WordPress site has been hacked? Here are some common signs:
- Unfamiliar changes to the site: Content that has disappeared or been added, images that have been replaced, changes to the site design—all of these can indicate a hack.
- Warning messages from your browser: If your browser warns you about your website and claims that it is not secure, this is a clear sign of a problem.
- Redirects to unfamiliar websites: If your website redirects users to websites you don't recognize, it has probably been hacked.
- Unfamiliar error messages: If the website suddenly displays strange errors that were not there before, this could be a sign of a hack.
- Strange emails from the website: If you receive emails from your website that you did not send, or if you receive emails with strange content (attempting to phish your details), this could be a sign of a hack.
- No access to the admin screen, the password you know is correct is displayed as incorrect. This happens when hackers delete users or change passwords.
What should you do in such a case?
- Restore from backup: If you have a recent backup, restore the site to its previous state. You can use your website hosting service for this.
- Clean up the hack: If you don't have a backup, it is recommended that you contact a professional who specializes in cleaning up hacked websites.
- Re-secure: After dealing with the hack, install a security plugin such as Wordfence or Sucuri to prevent future hacks, and also consider switching to a more secure and professional hosting service.
The login screen does not appear
Sometimes a white page appears instead of the WordPress login screen, or an error message is displayed. Obviously, in order to log in to the site, you must first reach the login screen. Here are some common problems in this regard—and solutions.
URL problem: Check that you are accessing the correct address, usually: yourdomain.com/wp-admin or yourdomain.com/wp-login.php.
A plugin or theme is causing the problem. Try disabling all plugins as follows:
- Log in to cPanel or via FTP.
- Go to the wp-content/plugins folder.
- Rename each plugin folder (for example, add _disabled to the folder name).
- Try accessing the login screen again.
Problem with the htaccess file: Download the htaccess file to your local server and rename it to disable it. Try loading the login screen again.
You used a plugin that changes the URL of the login screen: In this case, disabling all plugins will solve the problem, but if you know you have such a plugin, then just try disabling it first and then try more drastic measures.
Malfunction or incorrect configuration in the wp-config.php file: This file contains the basic settings for every WordPress site, and changing it may disrupt the site's activity. Try restoring the file to its normal state (if you have a backup), or create a new file with the default WordPress settings.
Malfunction in the website hosting service
Problems with the hosting service itself can prevent you from connecting to the site. If the entire site is unavailable, and not just the admin screen, it is likely a server issue.
You may see error messages such as "500 Internal Server Error" or "403 Forbidden."
In this case, you should contact your hosting company to check what is going on. It is also possible that your hosting package has exceeded its resource limits, but in any case, this is a solvable and non-critical issue.
Browser, DNS, or IP blocking issues
Here are a few more issues that may prevent you from connecting to your WordPress site:
- Browser or internet connection issues: Sometimes, the problem is simply a local issue. Try clearing your browser cache, trying a different browser, or checking your internet connection.
- DNS issue: Your website address may not be "translated" correctly to an IP address due to a problem with the DNS servers. Try clearing your computer's DNS cache, restarting your router, or using public DNS servers such as those provided by Google or Cloudflare.
- IP blocking: Your IP address may have been blocked due to multiple failed login attempts. This can happen due to a security plugin or server-level blocking. If you see a 403 error message, there is a chance that your IP is blocked. Check the settings on the server or contact your hosting service.