Last updated December 6th, 2023 00:18
Sometimes you may find yourself in an unpleasant situation with WordPress where you don’t know the login credentials and don’t have the option to reset them because the administrator’s email is not functional. However, there is a solution to this situation if you have at least access to the MySQL database. Let’s see how to change the email of the WordPress administrator in MySQL. It’s not difficult, and it can save you from a lot of trouble.
How to change the email of the WordPress administrator in MySQL
In the first step, log in to the interface for managing the database and its contents. Almost every web hosting provider has this tool, accessible through a web browser. It is called phpMyAdmin. After entering the login and password for your database, you will log in to the interface where you will see the contents of the database and all its tables.
You are halfway there. Now you will be interested in the xxx_users table (xx is the prefix that may vary depending on the text value chosen during installation – by default, WordPress uses the prefix wp_).
In the left menu with the tables, click on the users table. This table contains all the users created in your WordPress site and also stores all the information about these users. In the list of users, find the administrator and focus on the user_email column for changing the user’s email. This column stores the email addresses of individual users.
First, find the administrator of the website and change their email address to the new one in the user_email column. Save the changes.
Now you can log out of phpMyAdmin and perform a regular password reset through the login page of the administration. The password reset link will now be sent to the new, updated email address.
How to change the email of WordPress administrator in MySQL
Conclusion
As you can see, this guide provides a relatively simple and elegant solution for a forgotten WordPress password and the issue of a non-functional administrator email. If you have access to the database credentials, the change will only take a few minutes. If you don’t have access to the database, try contacting the customer support of your web hosting provider first.
The website is created with care for the included information. I strive to provide high-quality and useful content that helps or inspires others. If you are satisfied with my work and would like to support me, you can do so through simple options.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Stay informed! Join our newsletter subscription and be the first to receive the latest information directly to your email inbox. Follow updates, exclusive events, and inspiring content, all delivered straight to your email.
