Need to learn how to find your WordPress login URL and secure it? In this tutorial we will show how to do it
WordPress is an amazing platform that allows you to create almost any type of website you want. However, your website won't go anywhere if you don't remember how to log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Your WordPress login URL may vary depending on several factors. For example, if you install WordPress in a subdirectory, the Content Management System (CMS) will use a different URL structure by default. If you can identify the type of setup you're working with, it's much easier to find your login URL.
In this article, we'll go over how the WordPress login system works and several approaches to finding its URL. Next, we'll talk about ways to secure your login page.
But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to Install a WordPress Blog in 7 Steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog
Then back to why we are here.
Let's get to work!
A quick overview of the WordPress login page
Before you can access the WordPress dashboard, you must log in. By default, the WordPress login page is quite simple. You type in your username or email address and your password which gives you access to your admin area.
From here you can also recover your password in case you forget it:
Overall, you shouldn't have any problems using your login page. However, to access it, you need to pay attention to your login URL – and this can change depending on your WordPress setup.
How to Find Your WordPress Login URL Using 4 Methods
Finding your WordPress login URL should be simple. In most cases, its structure depends on how you install WordPress. Let's review the possible variations.
1. Default WordPress Login URL
On a regular WordPress installation, you can usually locate your login page using one of these three URL structures:
- yourwebsite.com/login
- yourwebsite.com/admin
- yourwebsite.com/wp-login.php
Technically, number three is the correct URL structure for the WordPress login page. However, most web hosts will automatically configure the redirect yourwebsite.com/login for you. Also, if you try to access the WordPress admin without being logged in, the CMS will redirect you to the same page as the other two URLs.
Keep in mind that these examples will only work if you are not installing WordPress into a subdirectory or subdomain. Now let's talk about what to do in these situations.
2. WordPress Subdirectory Login URL
The WordPress login page works exactly the same whether you install it directly on your directory the root or in a subdirectory. However, the structure of the URL changes in the latter case, as shown below:
- yourwebsite.com/wordpress/login
- yourwebsite.com/wordpress/admin
- yourwebsite.com/wordpress/wp-login.php
The directory wordpress in the examples above is a placeholder. When you install WordPress to a subdirectory, you can usually create a new folder, so just use its name in your URL instead.
3. Subdomain WordPress Login URL
If you are using a subdomain instead of a subdirectory, your WordPress login URL should look like the following:
- subdomain.yourwebsite.com/login
- subdomain.yourwebsite.com/admin
- subdomain.yourwebsite.com/wp-login.php
In most cases, one of these three structures should lead to your login page. However, you can also use a custom login URL, so we'll cover that next.
4. Custom WordPress Login URL
Some WordPress websites use custom login URLs for security purposes. The idea is that by not using the default login URL structure, you can better protect yourself against malicious access to your website.
From a security perspective, using a custom login URL is a great idea. However, if you forget what the login URL is, you're in trouble. After all, and given their nature, vanity URLs aren't just about descriptive names..
Some web hosts will set up custom login URLs for new users. In this case, you should have an email somewhere that includes a link to your login page.
If you don't, many providers offer a one-click login option from your hosting control panel. You can use this to access your WordPress dashboard and once you are there you can change the login URL to something you remember.
In the following sections, we'll look at how you can make this change and suggest other approaches you can use to make your login page even more secure.
How to Keep Your WordPress Login Safe
Above, we talked about how you can change the default WordPress login URL to protect your website. There are two ways to do this:
- Modify the .htaccess file of your website.
- Use a plugin to do the work for you, such as WPS Hide Login.
For this particular customization, we favor the approach of the WordPress Plugin, because modifying your file .htaccess can be a bit tricky. By using this plugin you can change your login URL directly from the page Settings from your dashboard. Just enter the new URL and save the changes.
If you want to make your connection even more secure, we also recommend implementing two-factor authentication (2FA). With this approach, even if someone manages to access your login page with your credentials, they should not be able to access the dashboard.
There are many WordPress security plugins you can use to add 2FA to your website. Some of them also include features to limit the number of login attempts someone can make before being temporarily locked out. This feature is a great way to protect your website from brute force attacks.
What to do if you forget your WordPress password
Once you land on your WordPress login page, you know what to do. However, if you do not remember your password et you lose access to the email you used to create your admin account, you're in for a bit of trouble.
In fact, a lot of problems, to be more precise. However, there are a few workarounds you can use to reset your password and regain access to the dashboard.
Reset your password using phpMyAdmin
Most web hosts will allow you to access and edit your WordPress database from their control panel. For example, if your host uses phpMyAdmin, you'll see a list of your databases on the left when you open the tool:
From there, select your website database and search for in the painting wp_users to the right :
One of the rows in the table corresponds to your administrator account. Once you find it, click the button Edit on the left side of the line:
What you are looking for here are the fields user_pass. Select MD5 under Function and replace the password in the field Value with your new password:
Keep in mind that MD5 is not the most secure hashing algorithm you can use for your passwords. Therefore, you will only use it temporarily until you regain admin access.
After saving your new password, return to the WordPress login page and verify that it works. Once you've confirmed that you can re-enter and update your WordPress email address, you can reset your password from the login page. This way, WordPress will use its own more secure hash generator, which means your password will be harder to crack.
Use WP-CLI to reset your password
This method only works if WP-CLI is installed on your server. As you may know, WP-CLI lets you interact with WordPress using a wide range of commands right from your command line, including an option to reset your password.
To start, you need to connect to your server via the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol). If you are using Windows, we recommend using a client such as PuTTy :
If you're unsure of your SSH credentials, check your hosting control panel - you should find instructions there on how to establish a connection:
Once there, use the following command to reset your WordPress password:
wp user update USERNAME --user_pass="PASSWORD"
Values USERNAME et PASSWORD are placeholders, so replace them with the username and password of the account you want to use.
After running the command, you can close the terminal and finally log in to your WordPress website – you've done it!
Discover also some premium WordPress plugins
You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern appearance and to optimize the handling of your blog or website.
We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.
1. Ajax Search Pro
Ajax Search Pro is one of the best WordPress plugins premium real-time search bar on WordPress. It is highly customizable, with many features and options, and delivers the best possible results.
You can replace the WordPress search bar with a more efficient and dynamic search engine. Furthermore, this WordPress Plugin has over 60 colorful, fully customizable themes that will save you time.
See our article on 10 WordPress plugins to improve the visual of your website
So you can focus more on the visual presentation of your search form.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
1. WP Slick Slider Image Carousel Pro
If you are an unconditional follower of the sequel Visual Composer, using the WP Slick Slider plugin is an option that you should consider.
With almost 100 predefined templates, you will definitely find what you are looking for without coding anything. This is an option to take really seriously, especially for users of Visual Composer.
See also How to create a sitemap on your WordPress blog
Its features are among others: a fully responsive layout with drag and drop support, a shortcodes, the support of RTL and multilingual, beautiful design and much more.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
2. WooCommerce Follow-ups
Cart abandonment E-mails is a WordPress Plugin premium which offers a solution to online store owners looking to recover potentially lost income through shopping cart abandonment.
It allows you to send follow-up emails finally to automatically communicate and engage your customers using an email program that track potential customers who may leave your website without completing their purchase.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
3. Duplicator
Duplicator is by far one of the most popular plugins for migrating WordPress website files to a new location. Some of the options included with the extension involve copying, moving, and cloning, as well as a traditional migration of an entire website. It really is a wonderful solution for backing up your files to a local machine, especially since it only takes one click to select the items you want to download.
After that, Duplicator offers several easy steps to move all those files to a new server/host. You can even take a production website and bring it into a local environment for further development. Backups are also part of the equation, with manual and automated options to ensure your files are always safe.
Read also: 7 signature WordPress plugins for your users
Duplicator is one of best WordPress plugins migration and backup for all skill levels. Most of the main features are included in the free extension, but you have the option to upgrade for more features. For example, scheduled backups are included in the premium plan, along with cloud storage and email notifications.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
Recommended Resources
Find out about other recommended resources to help you build and manage your website.
- How to create titles that attract on WordPress
- How to fix the "missing temporary folder" error on WordPress
- How to create interactive images on WordPress
- How to fix "Unable to write to disk" error on WordPress
- How to display your WordPress publications in a grid layout
Conclusion
If you want to do something using WordPress, you need to be able to find your login page. However, many factors can impact your WordPress login URL structure, so you need to have an idea of ​​what you're working with.
Here is ! That's it for this tutorial, I hope now you know when and how to remove the Proudly powered by WordPress link. Do not hesitate to share with your friends on your favorite social networks.
However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation.
And if you have any suggestions or remarks, leave them in our section Comments.
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