If you forgot your WordPress password and you are unable to reset it from the reset password link for some reason, then you may have to change the WordPress password directly in the WordPress database.
WordPress uses MySQL database and normally sql queries on your MySQL database must be executed via command line. Fortunately, most web hosting services provide PHPMyAdmin.
PHPMyAdmin is a tool that helps you handle MySQL database directly from its web interface. You just edit something using PHPMyAdmin and it executes the necessary SQL commands for you. The easiest way to change the WordPress password in database is via PHPMyAdmin.
How To Change WordPress Password Using PHPMyAdmin?
• If you web host provides cpanel, then log into your cpanel here:
http://www.yourwebsite.com/cpanel
Then click on PHPMyAdmin, under the databse options in the cpanel.
In case your web host do not provide cpanel and uses a custom control panel, then you can ask them directly how to access the PHPMyAdmin for your WordPress database.
• PHPMyAdmin will list all the databases used on the left hand side. You must select the WordPress databse from it. If you don’t remember the name of your WordPress database, then check the wp-config.php file in your WordPress directory on your web server to find its name.
• Once you have selected WordPress database, select the wp_users table from the left panel. Then click on Browse, and finally click on the pencil icon next to your username to edit it.
On the next screen, you need to edit the user_pass field value to change the password.
But you can’t simply put any text value in it. Since WordPress stores the passwords as MD5 hashes, you need to first generate the MD5 hash of the new password you want and then enter it here.
To do that, go to this link, and generate the MD5 hashes for your new password.
Enter the generated value in the password filed and click on the GO button.
That’s it. You have just changed your WordPress password from PHPMyAdmin. You can now use the new password to login to WordPress.
Please use PHPMyAdmin carefully. Please backup your WordPress database before editing anything from PHPMyAdmin. If you are not sure about doing it on your own, then you can hire me to change the WordPress password for you from PHPMyAdmin.