The WordPress password reset e-mail does not arrive

The short answer: you pressed “Lost your password?” and the e-mail does not appear. Almost always it is one of three cases: it is in spam, the user’s address is not what you think, or the site cannot send e-mail. There is a way in anyway, without the e-mail.

Why it does not arrive

Cause What to do
It went to spam Check the junk folder and the promotions tab. Search for the site’s name.
The user’s address is another one The user’s e-mail may be an old one. Try with the username instead of the e-mail.
The site does not send e-mail Common on new sites: the default sending fails or is refused. The fix is to set up sending through SMTP.
The sender address is fake Messages that seem to come from an address that is not the site’s are refused by many services.
It takes time Wait 15 minutes before asking for another; several requests in a row only muddle things.

Getting in anyway, step by step

1 Confirm the user’s e-mail address: if you have access to another administrator’s dashboard, see it under Users. If not, go on.
2 Change the password in the database. In cPanel’s phpMyAdmin, open the site’s users table (the one ending in _users), edit your user’s row and, in the user_pass field, pick the MD5 function and type the new password. Save. WordPress accepts it and stores it more securely on first login.
3 Or use WP-CLI if you have SSH: WP-CLI over SSH.
4 Log in and change the password to one you use only here: Changing the WordPress administrator password.
5 Fix the cause: set up sending through SMTP, so the site’s next e-mails (resets, notices, forms) arrive: Making WordPress send e-mail properly, with SMTP.
Back up the database before editing it by hand, and edit only your user’s row. A typo in the wrong table takes the site down. After you are in, delete what is left of the process (do not leave passwords written in files).
If you do not even know the username, the users table shows it in the user_login column. If the problem is another one, see Cannot get into the WordPress dashboard: the six usual causes.

Cannot get in and want us to do it with you? Open a ticket with the site’s address.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Changing the WordPress administrator password

Making WordPress send e-mail properly, with SMTP

WP-CLI over SSH: updating and fixing WordPress from the command line

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