Encountering difficulties while attempting to log into your WordPress admin area?
Numerous factors can contribute to this issue, posing a challenge for beginners to diagnose effectively.
This article outlines the steps to take when you find yourself locked out of the WordPress admin (wp-admin) section, helping you restore access to your site.
Why find yourself locked out of the WordPress admin?
This predicament is not only frustrating but can also halt your productivity, hindering tasks such as writing posts or responding to comments on your WordPress website.
If you’re having login issues on someone else’s site, reaching out to the site owner or admin is advisable. However, if you are the site owner, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
There are several reasons for being locked out of the WordPress admin, and by systematically addressing each, you can identify and resolve the issue. For additional troubleshooting, consult our comprehensive WordPress troubleshooting guide or explore solutions in our list of common WordPress errors.
Now, let’s explore steps to regain access when you find yourself locked out of the WordPress admin.
Encountering the ‘Error Establishing Database Connection’ message across your site’s pages? This warning can be triggered by various issues, such as a corrupt database or problems with your web hosting server.
If you’re facing this error when trying to log in, please refer to our guide on how to fix the ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection’ in WordPress.
500 Internal Server Error
Another common WordPress error that beginners may confront is the ‘Internal Server Error’ or, in some cases, the ‘500 Internal Server Error’. This error occurs when something is wrong, but the server is unable to identify where the problem is.
If you see this message while attempting to log in to WordPress, then follow the steps outlined in our guide on how to fix the ‘500 Internal Server Error’ in WordPress.
404 ‘Not Found’ Error
Encountering a 404 ‘Not Found’ error after changing the WordPress address and site address in your WordPress settings? This can happen if there’s an error in the URLs you’ve set. If you’re unable to log in to your admin area due to this issue, you can follow our guide on how to change your WordPress site URLs for a solution. Note that if you can log in but see the 404 error when viewing posts, it indicates a different problem, and you can refer to our guide on fixing WordPress posts returning a 404 error.
403 Forbidden Error
Facing the ‘HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden’ message while attempting to log in to wp-admin? This issue may arise due to incorrect file permissions, poorly coded security plugins, or server configuration problems. To resolve this error, you can refer to our guide on how to fix the 403 Forbidden Error in WordPress, which provides steps to identify and address the root cause of the problem.
401 Unauthorized Error
Encountering the 401 error message and being denied access due to invalid credentials or authorization requirements? This issue may arise from password protection on your WordPress admin folder, security plugins, or hosting company security measures. To regain access, you can follow our guide on how to fix the 401 Error in WordPress, offering six solutions to address the problem effectively.
Moreover, if you’ve limited login attempts for security reasons and find yourself locked out after entering the wrong password too many times, our guide on how to unblock Limit Login Attempts in WordPress provides steps to resolve this situation.
White Screen of Death
Confronted with the WordPress white screen of death, displaying a blank screen on your admin page? This issue typically occurs due to memory limit exhaustion, often caused by poorly coded plugins or themes or unreliable web hosting. For a detailed solution to this problem, please consult our guide on how to fix the WordPress white screen of death.
Incorrect Password Issue
Encountering the ‘Incorrect Password’ issue in WordPress can be highly frustrating, especially when you are confident about using the correct password and have ruled out caps lock errors. This situation may arise due to security breaches or genuine mistakes. If attempting to change your password via email fails because it’s sent to an inaccessible address, an alternative method involves resetting your WordPress password through phpMyAdmin. While this process might seem daunting for beginners, it stands as a viable solution to regain access to your admin area.
Problems With Plugins
Facing issues with plugins can lead to being locked out of the WordPress admin, especially when a new plugin installation triggers login problems or if error messages reference ‘wp-content/plugins/’. A potential solution involves deactivating all plugins temporarily to restore access to your site.
Administrator Privileges Lost
At times, you might successfully log in to your WordPress admin, only to find that none of the admin features are visible. This includes a lack of access to themes or plugins.
Such a situation may arise due to alterations in your user permissions. It’s possible that your site has been compromised by hackers who, in turn, have removed your admin privileges.
To address this issue, consider adding an admin user to the WordPress database using MySQL (phpMyAdmin).
Hacked WordPress Site
If you suspect that your WordPress site has been compromised, there are additional measures you should consider.
A hacked website might exhibit altered appearance, display different content, or automatically play media like music. More concerning, it could be distributing viruses to your visitors, necessitating prompt action.
Begin by consulting our introductory guide on addressing a hacked WordPress site. This resource will walk you through the process of identifying the breach, restoring your site from a backup, and eliminating any malware.
Following the resolution, it’s crucial to fortify your site against potential future attacks. Our comprehensive WordPress security guide provides insights on how to achieve that.
Login Page Refreshing and Redirecting
An alternative form of login issue occurs when the WordPress login page continuously refreshes and redirects back to the login screen.
This situation may arise due to inaccurate values in the site URL and home URL fields within the WordPress options table. Additionally, poorly configured permalink settings or redirects specified in the .htaccess file can contribute to this problem.
To resolve this issue, refer to our tutorial on addressing the WordPress login page refreshing and redirecting problem for step-by-step guidance.
This Has Been Disabled’ Error
Encountering the error message ‘This has been disabled’ when attempting to log in to your WordPress admin area? This occurs when you access the wrong admin address.
A widely adopted WordPress security measure involves customizing the default admin login URL (domain.com/wp-admin) to enhance protection against hacking attempts by bots. If you inadvertently visit the outdated URL, you’ll encounter this error message.
If you’ve forgotten the correct address, consult our beginner’s guide on discovering your WordPress Login URL for assistance.
Error: ‘Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance’
Encountering the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance’ error in WordPress? Typically, this error occurs during the update process of WordPress core, plugins, or themes.
If your WordPress site gets stuck in maintenance mode due to a failed update, resolving this issue is crucial. Refer to our tutorial on fixing the ‘Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance’ error in WordPress for step-by-step instructions. The guide not only provides solutions but also sheds light on why the error occurs and offers preventive measures for the future.
PHP Syntax Errors
Encountering PHP errors is not uncommon, especially when pasting code snippets from WordPress tutorials or websites. Incorrect code can disrupt your website’s functionality and impede your login attempts.
Many beginners utilize the built-in WordPress editor accessible from their dashboard. While convenient, this feature can lead to issues if used without sufficient knowledge.
To address this, we have created a beginner’s guide on safely incorporating code snippets from the web into WordPress.
Note: In many cases, it’s advisable to use a code snippets plugin like WPCode instead of directly entering custom code. For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on adding custom code safely in WordPress.
If you find yourself locked out of the WordPress admin due to a problematic code snippet, manual intervention using an FTP program like FileZilla is necessary. If you’re unfamiliar with FTP, consult our beginner’s guide on FTP.
Once connected to your WordPress site via FTP, follow our guide on fixing syntax errors in WordPress to rectify or remove the problematic code.
Your Site Is Experiencing a Technical Issue
Encountering a white screen or receiving a message stating, ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions,’ when attempting to access your WordPress admin area is not uncommon.
To address this, log in to your administrator email account and check your inbox. Look for an automated email from WordPress that will identify the problematic theme or plugin on your site. The email will also provide a login link, allowing you to access your WordPress admin.
If you receive the email, click on the link to access your WordPress admin in recovery mode. Subsequently, deactivate the plugin or theme causing issues on your site.