Unable to retrieve password

You can look up the admin email in the wp-options table of your database. If your host has cPanel, for example, use phpMyAdmin to access it. Might be a good time to back that db up (first) while you’re in there, if you don’t have them done automatically already.

Thanks. My host has a custom panel. I didn’t want to go into the db, was hoping a way around that. Any other way?

Without the email, the db is probably the easiest way. But you can try another method of resetting your password by making a temporary change to your theme’s functions file:
See this page in the Codex.

I majorly broke things. I changed my db login pass without thinking. Oy vey. So now my site is on temporary leave. I clicked “here” to see what else you need to do if you change db pass but the link goes to my host’s ticket system. I have no access so sent another email, asking them to fix things by resetting the pass and anything else. Also asked them which email I used m

Now I’ll go read your link, thanks. I remember my days of coding plugins, coding themes, knowing WP inside and out…

My host fixed the db but it still won’t send me a pass. I checked users table for my email, clicked submit for new pass. Ten minutes and nothing, not even filtered. So I’m close … I’m going to FTP in and see if that helps. If I can change the pass via FTP then I should be ll set

My next project is to go to each site’s db info, jot down admin and my emIl, and file it.

Will post after FTP experience

Sorry you’re hitting snags on this. If you (or your host) changed your db password, don’t forget to also change it in wp-config.php.

Once those are in sync, now that you know your email you should be able to reset your wp password. If something still isn’t right with your email for some reason, you can use the FTP method to reset your password as mentioned above.

Good luck!

Ah, thanks. I’ll edit that file later. I sent for the pass three times and it isn’t showing up. Now it says try in 2 hours. So tonight I’ll try again. I just don’t understand why the email isn’t showing up. Once I can login I’ll change email to the admin email That’s me but the email isn’t the same. Two hours … have to relearn how to reset that so I don’t have to wait

Does your site work ok on the front-end? If it does, and your db password was changed, your host must have changed the db password in wp-config for you already. (Not sure where that time limit to lost-password requests is coming from: WP? Plugin? Never ran into that one myself, luckily.)

It my personal pass that’s wrong. I keep asking WP to send a new one but nothing yet. I did the FTP thing to no avail. Tomorrow I’ll try the emergency pass script.

ERROR: Too many failed login attempts. Please try again in 59 minutes.

I can’t get in to post or approve comments.

Edit: I did a little research Functions.php didn’t change though I made changes and hit Save. Date is the same, too. For some reason, FTP on the iPad does not work. Tomorrow I’ll hit my Win laptop and try. I have a Dell Win 8 tablet but haven’t put on any FTP software. To do …

Make sure your updated functions file was actually uploaded when saved, and not just saved locally. Doesn’t sound like it was. (Be sure to keep an unaltered copy of that locally, just in case.) Also double check that you were in the correct theme folder, in case you have several stored in /themes. Easy to mis-click.

Seems like the iPad FTP program sucks! It didn’t save local as I don’t have blog files on it. Tomorrow I’ll Windows-FTP for surety. I do have a lot of themes in there which I moved to themes/unused but I know it was the right one. I asked my host to check mail error logs as I’m not being sent the ‘reset password’ emails.

Well… The FTP method didn’t work. I just tried the emergency password script. Copied to Notepad, saved as emergency.php in the main directory of site. Loaded site.com/emergency/php

Page is blank. Source code shows it.

Research suggests php files don’t open in Firefox.

Right, php files won’t open in a browser, but the html generated by them via the server should.

Since these attempts haven’t worked, it’s time to regroup. (By the way, make sure you have backups of your WP install and the db! Make two.)

Before you go any farther, take the basic steps of disabling your plugins by renaming the plugins directory, and doing the same for your active theme (if it isn’t the default WP theme). This will rule out theme and plugin problems. If you’re already using the default theme, you might replace it with a new copy.

Clear your browser cache and cookies before you:

Try the ‘lost-password’ link on the log-in page again at this point. If it works, it was likely a theme or plugin conflict. If it doesn’t work, find out from your host what’s up with the email not coming through.

Is the public-facing site there? Can you comment there? Then the db-password change you made and wp-config password sync issue is a non-issue.

Check the wp-users table of the db for the id of the admin. By default it would be ‘1’, but if you added an admin account after initial site set-up it could be something else. (Some people always change that for better security.)

Then try the ftp method again: it doesn’t depend on email. Download and save a clean (unaltered) copy of the default theme’s functions.php that you can revert to when you’re done. Add the wp_set_password( 'password', 1 ); to the functions file right at the top (just below <?php). Of course change ‘1’ to the proper value if needed, and ‘password’ to your new password. Make sure you aren’t adding any whitespace to that file while editing. For example, don’t copy and paste the entire line, just the characters.

Don’t forget: Undo the changes to the functions file (after you find whether or not you are able to login) by replacing it with your saved clean copy from before the change.

If that doesn’t do it, I’d consider a manual replacement of all your WP files EXCEPT wp-config and your wp-content folder. Something there may have become corrupted (like log-in.php specifically). Actually, you could do this first and it may clear it up, without all the other messing around.

I hope something here helps you get things straightened out, or at least on the right path.

Site is dead unexpected T_String on Line 2. Can’t get to laptop until tomorrow to replace file.

If I replace all the files but two, my db will be okay as long I configure with the same name of the db? If not, how can I put the db into place if I rename it? Say I configure as SS-db, can I rename my db SS-db and all will work ?

Host still unresponsive on email issue. They can’t check until the site is back anyway. The codex doesn’t mention php files not readable but Firefox didn’t translate them to hyper text. I would hire a freelancer to fix all but I’m not giving FTP access to a stranger who could plan a. virus, sniffer, etc

Browsers don’t handle php, servers do. Then they send html to the browser. That’s why you don’t see php when you view source in FF.

If I replace all the files but two, my db will be okay as long I configure with the same name of the db?

If you’re referring to a clean install of WP, you won’t be touching your db. Your db has all your WP settings, users, posts, etc. You shouldn’t have to reconfigure anything.

You’ll delete and replace all WP files and folders EXCEPT:

• wp-config.php – this has your server settings like db name, db password, host, etc. Keep it!
• entire wp-content folder (directory) – this contains your plugins, themes, and uploads. Keep it!

Please go carefully through my last entry above. I know you’re getting frustrated with this, but you can’t “sort of” do any of it. Start with at least disabling plugins, as that’s very easy and a very common cause of trouble.