How to Log Into Your WordPress Dashboard on SiteGround

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You’ll log into your WordPress dashboard more than any other screen, so it’s worth knowing every route in, and what to do when the usual one fails. On SiteGround there are three, and between them you can almost always get back in.

Route 1: The Login Page

Go to:

https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

WordPress redirects you to the login page (/wp-login.php) if you’re not signed in. Enter your WordPress username or email and password. Bookmark it.

If that address shows a “not found” page, a security plugin may have moved your login to a custom URL. SiteGround’s Security Optimizer, for example, offers this. Check the plugin’s settings once you’re in, and bookmark the new address.

Route 2: From Site Tools, No Password Needed

If you can log in to SiteGround but not to WordPress:

1. Open Site Tools for the site.
2. Go to WordPress › Install & Manage.
3. Under Manage Installations, click the Log in to Admin Panel icon next to your site.

SiteGround opens your WordPress dashboard in a new tab, already logged in. It signs you in as the administrator that comes first alphabetically, which matters if your site has several admins.

This is the easiest way back in when you’ve forgotten your password or the reset email doesn’t arrive.

Route 3: WP-CLI Over SSH

If the dashboard itself won’t load, or you prefer the command line, WP-CLI works directly on the database. SiteGround includes it; connect over SSH (see our SSH guide), go to your site’s public_html folder, and:

wp user list --role=administrator
wp user update YOUR_USERNAME --user_pass='a-new-long-password'

The first command shows the administrator usernames; the second sets a new password for one of them. Change it again from your profile afterward if the password was visible to others on screen.

If You’ve Forgotten Your Password

1. On the login page, click Lost your password?
2. Enter your username or email address. WordPress emails a reset link to the address on your WordPress user account.
3. If the email doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, check spam, then use Route 2 to get in.
4. Once in, go to Users › Profile, set a new password, and make sure the email address is one you can receive. An old or mistyped address is the most common reason reset emails “never arrive.”

If your site’s emails generally don’t arrive, the problem is usually how WordPress sends mail. Our contact form guide covers fixing that.

Common Login Problems

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Login page reloads without logging you in	Browser cookies, or a caching or security plugin	Clear cookies for the site, try a private window, then deactivate recently added plugins
“Too many failed attempts” or locked out	Login limits from a security plugin	Wait for the lockout to expire, or log in via Site Tools
/wp-admin shows “not found”	Custom login URL from a security plugin	Check the plugin’s settings via Route 2
White screen after logging in	A plugin or theme error	Enable debugging or rename the plugin’s folder over SFTP; see our installation requirements guide for the debug log steps
Browser asks for a separate username and password first	A password-protected folder	Check Site Tools › Security › Protected URLs

Keep Your Login Secure

Once you’re in, take a few minutes to make the login harder to attack:

• Use a long, unique password stored in a password manager.
• Turn on two-factor authentication for administrators. SiteGround’s free Security Optimizer plugin includes it.
• Limit login attempts, also in Security Optimizer.
• Remove any user called “admin”, since it’s the first username automated attacks try.

Our WordPress security guide covers the rest.

FAQ

Next Up

Now that you can get in reliably, take a tour of the WordPress dashboard to see what lives where.