Can’t Login to WordPress Admin Panel?

If you say you can’t enter the WordPress admin panel, you have come to the right address. This issue can be frustrating especially if you don’t know what it is.

However, don’t worry! In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know and know what to do when you can’t get into the WordPress admin panel.

What Should You Do Before Solving the Problem?

Before we get started, there are a few things you need to do to get everything working properly:

• Restore a backup of your website – You can fix the problem of not being able to login to the WordPress admin panel by backing up.
• Take a backup of your website –  before you proceed further, such as making changes to your site’s database, you should take a backup of your website to be prepared in case of any problems.
• Install an FTP client  – ​​You can use an FTP client such as FileZilla to manually access your web server from a local computer. If you do not know what FileZilla is and how to use it.

8 Causes and Solutions of Unable to Login to WordPress Admin Panel

There are many reasons why you cannot login to the WordPress admin panel. Here we will show you the most common examples of this problem and how to fix it:

1. Incorrect Login Information

One of the most common reasons for not being able to login to the WordPress admin panel is entering the wrong login information. You may enter your information incorrectly when entering your username and password, as they are case sensitive and often confidential.

How can I solve this?

Be extra careful when entering your password, pay attention to characters and numbers, and if you’re still having trouble, consider using a password manager app.

2. Password Incorrect & Password Reset Doesn’t Work

Sometimes you may not remember your password or you may not be able to access the admin panel because someone else has accessed your website and changed your password.

How can I solve this?

Usually, this problem is “Forgot Password?” can be solved by clicking the button. However, if this method does not work, you can change your password from the control panel of your hosting service.

Here we will now show you how to do this with Hosting Plesk Panel or CPanel and phpMyAdmin:

1. Login to Plesk Panel.
2. Scroll down to database section and  select phpMyAdmin .
3. After entering,  click Enter  phpMyAdmin and you will be redirected to the administration page. Select  Build and find wp_users .
4. On the next page after clicking  wp_users , you will see the login information of your site’s users. Click Edit .
5. Then  change your password by entering the new password in the user_pass  column. If there are other changes you need to make, you can make them as well.
6. Change the Function  value of  your password to MD5  without clicking  Go to save the changes. This will encrypt your password to make it more secure by adding an extra layer of security.

3. You Lost Your Admin Permissions

In some cases, you may have lost access to the WordPress admin panel. For example, you might not be able to log in or your username can’t be found. There are several reasons for this. Site owners may have taken your administrator permissions or you may have been hacked.

How do I solve this?

If you have been hacked, you need to add a new user to your WordPress database via phpMyAdmin. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Login to hPanel and open phpMyAdmin.
2. Once in the admin page  click on wp_users and then  select Add . (we’re not done yet)
3. Fill in the columns according to your need and save the changes.  Choose  an ID number that is not in use in the database and leave user_status as 0.
4. After saving the changes, move to the left side of the screen and select the wp_usersmeta table. Then find Add.
5. Fill in the following columns with the required information:
   • unmeta_id – leave blank as it will be generated automatically.
   • user_id – enter the ID number you entered in step three.
   • Type meta_key – wp_capabilities.
   • meta_value –   add a:1:{s:13:”administrator”;b:1;} 
6. Once you  are done click Go and prepare to repeat the same step with the same information but type wp_user_level  in the meta_key and  set the meta_value to 10  .
7. Click Go to save the changes  and that’s it! You can login to your WordPress site with your new admin user.

Make sure you entered the meta_value  correctly. We recommend manually entering it instead of copying and pasting.

4. Too Many Login Attempts

This error can be caused by a plugin that limits the login attempt. It is a great way to prevent brute-force attacks, but sometimes the opposite can happen and you may not be able to access your admin panel.

How do I solve this?

Naturally the login form will work again after a certain time. However, if you don’t want to wait, you can choose to disable the plugin via an FTP client. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Install an FTP client via Plesk or CPanel.
2. Log into your FTP server and  switch to the Remote Site  window.
3. Scroll down  to the wp-content  folder and  select plugins .
4. Right-click  on the add-on’s folder and  select Rename .
5. Type deactivate_  before the plugin’s name .
6. Save the changes and that’s it! The plugin will be disabled so you can log in.

5. Wrong WordPress URL

If you have recently changed the domain name of your site and you cannot enter the WordPress admin panel, you can check if there is a difference between your site URL and the URL in the database.

How do I solve this?

To fix this problem, all you have to do is update your database with the correct URL.

6. An Error Occurred While Establishing Database Connection

Unlike other errors that cause you to not be able to enter the WordPress admin panel, this error will affect your entire site. You cannot do anything as the database cannot be connected. This can usually be caused by a problem with the database, a bad server, or corrupt files caused by poorly functioning plugins.

How do I solve this?

There are several ways to solve this:

1. Enable the built-in WordPress repair configuration or browse the database settings from your hosting control panel.
2. If these two methods do not work, disable all the plugins you installed before experiencing this problem using the solution in the fourth issue.

7. The White Page Problem

If you find yourself looking at a blank white page on your WordPress site, you may be experiencing this issue. The reasons behind this problem can range from bad plugins to insufficient website memory.

How do I solve this?

Here are some options for solving this problem:

1. Increase your site’s memory limit.
2. Disable any plugins you have recently installed via FTP client.
3. Install a default WordPress theme via phpMyAdmin.

8. Parse Error: Syntax Error

If you see the error “parse error: syntax error”  while trying to access your site , the culprit is definitely the wrong code. It’s a very common error as even just one wrong letter can cause this error, but it’s easy to fix!

How do I solve this?

There are a few things you can do to fix this code issue:

1. Find the source of the error and fix it by checking for recent code changes.
2. Fix the bad code with an FTP client.

You can also find the source of the error by opening your website in any browser and waiting for the syntax error message to appear. A full path to the source of the error will appear.

Conclusion

Now you know the causes and solutions of the problem that I cannot enter the WordPress admin panel! Let’s go over everything you’ve learned briefly:

• Incorrect Login Information — enter your password more carefully or use a password manager app for secure and hassle-free logins.
• Password Incorrect & Password Reset Doesn’t Work — if the email password reset method doesn’t work, create a new password from your hosting provider’s control panel.
• You Have Lost Your Admin Permissions — Create a new user in the database via phpMyAdmin.
• Too Many Login Attempts — disable the plugin, preventing you from logging in with an FTP client for instant login.
• Wrong WordPress URL — this error is due to domain or URL change. Update your database with the new URL via phpMyAdmin.
• Error Establishing Database Connection — check your database for problems through your hosting control panel and disable bad plugins and themes.
• White Page Issue — increase the site’s memory limit, disable bad plugins and change your site’s theme to default.
• Parse Error: Syntax Error — find the source of the error and fix it with an FTP client.

That’s it. It’s not as hard as you think, is it? If you follow all the steps correctly and backup your site before doing anything, you will be able to enter the WordPress admin panel as soon as possible. Good luck!