How To Get Admin Access to Your WordPress Site

Warning: Only use this method if you are sure that you do not have admin access to yourWordPress admin area and you cannot get it from anybody.

Over the last few years, I’ve inherited some web design clients that had WordPress websites designed for them but didn’t have admin access because their web design company didn’t want them to have it. If this sounds like something that has happened to you, then all is not lost IF you have access to your web hosting control panel.

If you have access to your web hosting control panel, chances are that you have PHPMyAdmin on it. Go to PHPMyAdmin and find the database that runs your WordPress website. Check your wp-config.php file to find your website’s database name if you don’t know what it is. Once you’ve selected your website’s database in the PHPMyAdmin console, look for the wp_users table.

Click on the wp_users table, and you should be able to see all of the email addresses associated with your WordPress website. Make sure that the Browse tab is selected.

Click the Edit link for the table row with the email address that you want to change, change the email address to an email address that you have access to, and click the Go button. Make sure that you use an email address that is not used in any of the other table rows.

Go back to your WordPress admin area which is usually accessed by going yourwebsite.com/wp-login.php. Click the Lost your password link.

Enter the email address, check your email, follow the instructions to retrieve your password, and log in to your WordPress admin area. You can tell that you have admin access if you see Appearance, Plugins, Users, Tools, and Settings on the side menu.

That’s it. If you don’t see these options, go back and repeat these steps with the other database table rows.