How do I log in to my website if I forgot my password?

How do I find my login page?

1. Type the address yourself in the browser’s address bar: yourbusiness.com/wp-admin. Don’t use a login link from an email you weren’t expecting.
   • Expected result: a box with Username or Email Address, Password and Log In. If you’re already logged in, you land on the Dashboard.
2. If that fails, try yourbusiness.com/wp-login.php. That’s the file the login box lives in.
3. If WordPress runs only part of your site, such as a blog in a folder, add the folder: yourbusiness.com/blog/wp-admin. For a subdomain, use it in full: shop.yourbusiness.com/wp-admin.
4. Bookmark the page that works, or save it in your password manager entry for the site.

If both addresses say “page not found” or you see a blocked message, read why the login page shows a 404 or blocked page. Many sites move the login page on purpose.

WordPress’s own first steps guide gives the starting point: put wp-admin after your domain name.

The short version

• Go to yourbusiness.com/wp-admin (or /wp-login.php).
• Forgot the password? Select Lost your password? and use the emailed link. No email? Check spam.

How do I reset a forgotten password?

These steps follow WordPress’s guide, Reset your password.

1. On the login page, select Lost your password?
2. Enter your username or email address and select Get New Password.
3. Open the email from your website and select the link. It expires, so use it soon.
4. Choose a new password. WordPress suggests a strong one. Save it in a password manager.
5. Save it, then log in with the new password.
   • Expected result: you reach the Dashboard. The old password no longer works anywhere.

What if the reset email doesn’t arrive?

1. Wait a few minutes, then check your spam or junk folder.
2. Search your mail for “password reset” or your site’s name.
3. Try the other identifier. If you typed your username, try your email address instead.
4. Think about which address is on the account. It may be an old work address or a former employee’s.

The email route only works if your site sends email reliably. When reset emails never arrive, form emails often go missing too. Website form emails going to spam or missing covers the fix. Meanwhile, an administrator can set a password for you.

Why does this matter?

Bots try to guess WordPress passwords all day. WordPress’s guide on brute force attacks explains why hosts and security tools slow down or block repeated tries. When an owner can’t get in, a common story is this: a security tool has been blocking strangers guessing at the login, and the real password is old, reused or forgotten. The fix is a reset and a strong password used nowhere else, not a weaker lock.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• “The username is not registered”: the account may have been removed, or set up under another name. Ask an administrator to check Users.
• You log in and land back on the login page: clear the site’s cookies, or try a private window or another browser.
• Your browser fills in an old password: update or delete the saved entry, or every attempt fails.
• “Too many failed attempts” or “IP blocked”: stop guessing. See login page shows a 404 or blocked page.
• You’re asked for a code: the site uses two-factor login. Use your authenticator app or a backup code. See turn on two-factor login.
• The page is blank or shows a critical error: that’s a site fault, not your password. See critical error or white screen.

How do I reset a colleague’s password?

If you’re an Administrator and a colleague is locked out:

1. Go to Users, then All Users, and select their username. The Users screen guide explains this page.
2. Scroll to Account Management and select Set New Password.
3. Select Update User.
4. Tell them the new password by phone or a password manager, never by plain email.
5. Ask them to change it to their own once they’re in (Users, then Profile, then Set New Password).

What if this didn’t work?

• Nobody on your team is an administrator: contact your web company or host. They can reset access after checking who you are.
• You think someone else changed your password: treat it as a security problem. See I think my site was hacked.
• You don’t know who built or hosts the site: our answer on which logins your business should own helps you track them down.

When you ask for help, never include your old or new password, or a login code.

How does E-3 handle this?

If E-3 looks after your site, call 814-399-4655 or email support@e3help.me from the address we know you by. Ask us for your login address if it’s a custom one. Never send a password by email.

You don’t have to log in to get things done. You can send us the change, and a person at E-3 makes it. See can you update the text on my website?

Related questions

• How do I add or remove a person’s access to edit our website?
• How do I turn on two-factor login?
• Why do I get a 404 or blocked page when I log in?