It is best that you have specified an email address when you installed the WP blog that you are having issues getting into for loss of password. Proceeding is not recommended though I have done without the email. You can too if you do the following...
I simply created the password I wanted to change it to onto Notepad, saved it, and then COPIED this data to the clip board. This is the next best thing to an email. More important items about Notepad will be discussed on the next page.
WARNING! Whether or not you have an email address specified or that if you do and you don't get an email containing the updated password, the password will still be reset to whatever you specified! You MUST make sure you have the password you change it to handy and in a safe place as above! I'd take it a step further and paste the password you created into an email and send it to yourself before you proceed.
What happens is that you will upload a special php file to the root directory of your site. The root directory contains the wp-config.php file, so before you upload to any directory, make sure this file is present in the directory you are in.
You can upload this using an FTP client such as FileZilla or CuteFTP Lite. (both are free.) If you don't know how to do this, there are vast resources online that will show you how, YouTube is a great place to go and watch a video tutorial.
Even better...
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/ftp-filezilla-connecting-to-domain-via-ftp
This tutorial is specially customized for Wealthy Affiliate! Now that you know what's involved here and you know how to upload a file via FTP if you didn't know already,
Get the file...
I simply created the password I wanted to change it to onto Notepad, saved it, and then COPIED this data to the clip board. This is the next best thing to an email. More important items about Notepad will be discussed on the next page.
WARNING! Whether or not you have an email address specified or that if you do and you don't get an email containing the updated password, the password will still be reset to whatever you specified! You MUST make sure you have the password you change it to handy and in a safe place as above! I'd take it a step further and paste the password you created into an email and send it to yourself before you proceed.
What happens is that you will upload a special php file to the root directory of your site. The root directory contains the wp-config.php file, so before you upload to any directory, make sure this file is present in the directory you are in.
You can upload this using an FTP client such as FileZilla or CuteFTP Lite. (both are free.) If you don't know how to do this, there are vast resources online that will show you how, YouTube is a great place to go and watch a video tutorial.
Even better...
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/ftp-filezilla-connecting-to-domain-via-ftp
This tutorial is specially customized for Wealthy Affiliate! Now that you know what's involved here and you know how to upload a file via FTP if you didn't know already,
Get the file...
Join the Discussion
healthywendy
Premium
Thank you for the detailed instructions Daniel. I will take extra care not to lose my password!!
Reply
Labman
Premium Plus
Great Training, I hope you never need to use it. I use a program called Last Pass. It is free and stores all of your passwords in a protected file off of your computer. You do need to remember one password to get into the program but one is much better than hundreds and if you need to access your stuff from another computer, all of your passwords can be accessed from there.
Daniel Euergetes
Premium
If something ever happens to Last Pass and it malfunctions in some way what do you do about getting access to all your sites? It may be a great program but I have been leery of it.
I am leery of using clouds because this, in my mind means less control over what can happen. If I use them, I also have stuff in the conventional ways too. I was with the person I'm working with today and we discussed cloud storage (data.) If I used cloud storage, I would also use external hard drives and discs.
I am leery of using clouds because this, in my mind means less control over what can happen. If I use them, I also have stuff in the conventional ways too. I was with the person I'm working with today and we discussed cloud storage (data.) If I used cloud storage, I would also use external hard drives and discs.
Daniel Euergetes
Premium
reefswimmer
Premium
Ah, the ol' ounce of prevention thing.
I do like telling Chrome to save my passwords, so if I have to I can use its retrieval list in the chrome menu . I realize there's a security problem inherent in doing this. (If I can access this menu, so can anyone who gets access to my computer. Far too easy.) So I am careful about what sites I let Chrome save passwords for.
Second, I do the send-myself-an-email trick for each user/password combo. I collect them in an oh-so-cleverly-named file. And I think I am so very clever when I just say in the email, follow algorithm. i hope my attempts at being sufficiently paranoid are never tested.
Thirdly, the algorithm itself. I never write it down anywhere, It's my own and I better never forget what it is. It does let me generate a password that is unique to each site. And i guess I could recreate it by looking at some of the passwords I have asked Chrome to save.
Fourth, when a site gives me an impossible-to-remember password, I go in and change it to my algorithm.
Last but not least, banking sites are an exception to all above rules.
And oh dear, just writing this makes me feel paranoid !
I do like telling Chrome to save my passwords, so if I have to I can use its retrieval list in the chrome menu . I realize there's a security problem inherent in doing this. (If I can access this menu, so can anyone who gets access to my computer. Far too easy.) So I am careful about what sites I let Chrome save passwords for.
Second, I do the send-myself-an-email trick for each user/password combo. I collect them in an oh-so-cleverly-named file. And I think I am so very clever when I just say in the email, follow algorithm. i hope my attempts at being sufficiently paranoid are never tested.
Thirdly, the algorithm itself. I never write it down anywhere, It's my own and I better never forget what it is. It does let me generate a password that is unique to each site. And i guess I could recreate it by looking at some of the passwords I have asked Chrome to save.
Fourth, when a site gives me an impossible-to-remember password, I go in and change it to my algorithm.
Last but not least, banking sites are an exception to all above rules.
And oh dear, just writing this makes me feel paranoid !
excaliba
Premium
I had so many passwords to so many systems accumulated over the years that it was driving me nuts. The Mac / Chrome save password feature was my early saviour! And then I went and got myself an iPad and iPHone ... what was I do do? LOL
I ended up using 1Password - was able to beef -up my security by resetting my passwords to unimaginably complex ones - and synchronise them between devices. Oh, and still use Chrome as my backup!
Not suggesting mind you that any of you go down that path - I now have put my total faith in the app - so that is perhaps a risk in itself!
I ended up using 1Password - was able to beef -up my security by resetting my passwords to unimaginably complex ones - and synchronise them between devices. Oh, and still use Chrome as my backup!
Not suggesting mind you that any of you go down that path - I now have put my total faith in the app - so that is perhaps a risk in itself!
Tom Robarge
Premium
Nice post. I will have to remember to save email to this lesson. so if I have to I can find the resource again
Daniel Euergetes
Premium
