How the WordPress login works

WordPress is a powerful website building platform, and one of the most frequently used content management systems, a.k.a. CMSs. We’ve used it for years here at T&S, and we love it! Even if you’re a DIYer looking to start a website, you can install WordPress and get up and running. It’s a flexible system with many different plugins and themes. There are a lot of reasons to use it!

If you’re just getting started, though, you might need a little help figuring out how to log in. It’s not always intuitive depending on the way WordPress has been set up.

Determining your WordPress login URL

The login screen on WordPress can be found by going to the front page of your website, then adding something to the end. Usually that URL will look something like this:

• https://www.example.com/wp-admin

However, if you have a security plugin installed, that URL could be different. It may look more like this:

• https://www.example.com/login
• https://www.example.com/admin

If that doesn’t work, you can also try this:

• https://www.example.com/wp-login.php

Usually your WordPress installation is in the top-level directory, but occasionally it could be in a subdirectory. Check your site structure to find the correct directory. That could look like this:

• http://www.example.com/blog/
• http://www.example.com/WordPress/

That would mean your login URL is most likely one of these:

• http://www.example.com/blog/wp-admin
• http://www.example.com/WordPress/wp-admin

A subdomain is another way that you could do this. If you use a subdomain for your WordPress install, it’ll be under the subdomain.

So if your URL looks like this:

• blog.example.com

That would mean your login URL could look like this:

• blog.example.com/wp-admin
• blog.example.com/wp-login.php

Once you’re logged in you’ll see your WordPress dashboard.

Some plugins may change the way your WordPress login looks for security purposes. Check the plugin documentation to find out what it is.

Reset your WordPress password

Password resets are usually easy, and there are multiple ways to do them. The easiest way to do this is from the “Lost your password?” link at login.

If you’re already logged in, you can reset anyone’s password from the backend. Go to Users, then All Users. Then click on the username. In the Edit User section, under Account Management, click “Generate Password.” Then click into the box and type another password if you want to overwrite the generated password. You’ll see the strength of the password in the box. Then click Update User and you’re done!

You can do the same thing to your own password by going to Users, then Your Profile.

There are other ways to do it, but those are the easiest.

Don’t send your password in an email

If someone gets access to your email, the password can be snatched out of it in easily. But the way a password is stored in a database on your server, it can’t be taken easily. A password on a server is stored in a “scrambled” method known as hashing. It’s not really scrambled, but it’s stored in such a way that nobody can read it.

Are the chances super high that someone will snatch a password out of your email? Not, but why take the risk?

Of course, if you’re working with a digital marketing agency or web design company, they can probably help you with all this.