How to change WordPress username and password

September 29. 2019

Whether it’s to avoid the potential risks or simply for the fun of it, there might be a time when you decide to make alterations of your WordPress username or password. This might seem like an easy enough action to do, however, there are users who find it a bit complicated. Our team of WordPress experts has prepared a handy guide to help you through this process, should you ever decide to change the WordPress username and password. As you’ve probably guessed, there is more than one way to make it happen, so bear with us and find out just how to do this properly.

Let’s go through the easiest way to change your WordPress username first

When it comes to changing your WordPress username and password, we can talk about these two actions separately. Namely, changing your username can actually be quite easy and simple. All you need to do in order to have a different username is to create a new user and then delete the old user. You’ll need to use a different email address, of course. So after creating a new user, log out and then log in using the new user account. Then head to the Users section and delete the old user (click on Delete under the old username).

Once you go ahead and try to delete the old user, your WordPress is going to ask you about what you want to do with the old user’s content. All you need to do is click on ‘Attribute all content to:’ and after that click on the user you have just created. By selecting the ‘Confirm Deletion’ button you will delete your old user account.

There is a plugin that can help you change your username

If you are not an absolute beginner in the world of WordPress, then you must know that this platform has a handy plugin to help you with virtually any action. Even when you wish to change the WordPress username and password. And there is, in fact, a plugin that can change WordPress username with ease. And don’t worry – if you dislike having numerous plugins, this one can be deleted immediately after your WordPress username has been altered.

So, first of all, install and then activate a plugin called the Username Changer. Once it has been activated, head to Users » Username Changer page. Then just click on the username you wish to change, and enter your new username. That’s all there is to it! Then simply click on “save changes” and it’s done.

Changing your WordPress password

If you want to change the password you use for your WordPress login, there is a rather straightforward way to do this. All you need to do is head to Users -> Your Profile. If you click on “Generate Password”, WordPress will generate a different password for your account. Be sure to write down your new password, and after doing so you can click on “Update Password” and change it. If you want to change the WordPress password for a different user, head to Users -> All Users. Below the name of the user, you will find an Edit link you should click on. Then click “Generate Password”. This action generates a new password for the chosen account. Click on “Update User” and change the user’s password.

Pay close attention: You need to make sure the email address of another user is correct before you click on “Update User”. WordPress will be sending the new password to this email address.

If you want to reset a lost WordPress password

Mishaps and lost or forgotten passwords happen all the time. Naturally, if something like this happens to you, it can cause quite a bit of stress. But a situation such as this one shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Whether you’ve lost your password or one of your users has misplaced his/hers, there is a way WordPress can reset it and send you an email that will contain a new password. Head to the login page – https://example.com/wp-login.php. Once you do that, just click on “Lost your password?” You will then need to enter your username or email address. As simple as that! The new password will, of course, be emailed to you instantly.

Change your WordPress username in PhpMyAdmin

You can change your WordPress login details using PhpMyAdmin. However, it might be a good idea to backup your database before you do any edit or make any changes in PhpMyAdmin. So first of all, you need to login to your WebHost cPanel account. Head to the Databases section, and then click on “PhpMyAdmin”.  In the left sidebar of PhpMyAdmin, you will find the database for your WordPress installation. If you scroll down to wp_users and then click the Edit link to access your username. Here, you will be able to change WordPress username and password as well. After you change any login details of yours, just click on the “Go” button. As you can see, although it may seem complicated now and then, learning how to use WordPress can sometimes be quite simple.

Avoid security risks while using WordPress

Undoubtedly, the easiest way for hackers to access your WordPress website is via your login page. They know that people tend to leave their default usernames – “admin” and never bother to change it. So try not to make this mistake. Avoid any security risks by using one of the ways from our list to change your WordPress username and password.