Title: Lost admin access
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Lost admin access

 *  [rockbeare](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rockbeare/)
 * (@rockbeare)
 * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lost-admin-access-3/)
 * I am unable to gain administrator access to a wordpress site I created some time
   back and remain the only administrator for, but now want to transfer to another
   more appropriate person. I have editing access. The site is clarenceking.co.uk.
   I am posting using my other familiar id to WordPress, Rockbeare.
 * I contacted my hosting company and they say they “can’t help me directly” and
   gave me this link [http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password](http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password).
   It’s not helpful – eg the link’s first solution starts ‘in the admin panel’. 
   I can see no such panel and further reading suggests that it might now have been
   superseded and be somewhere in a thing called toolbar??).
 * I am not experienced in WordPress and don’t understand much of what is written
   in the ‘help’ forums, so I’ll need very clear step-by step instructions. Hopefully
   someone will be able to help, otherwise it’s the scrapheap for the current clarenceking
   site.
 * Thanks.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/)
 * (@jdembowski)
 * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
 * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lost-admin-access-3/#post-2744687)
 * > so I’ll need very clear step-by step instructions.
 * While it’s a shame that your hosting company didn’t provide more support, they
   did give you the correct link.
 * Try this method via FTP or whatever file management tools your host provides 
   you with. As with most of the other methods in that article, it doesn’t require
   access to the WordPress dashboard.
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password#Through_FTP](http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password#Through_FTP)
 * You will need to be able to retrieve files from your server, edit those files
   and put the edited copies back.
 * Make sure you make a backup of any files you edit first.
 *  Thread Starter [rockbeare](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rockbeare/)
 * (@rockbeare)
 * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lost-admin-access-3/#post-2744688)
 * Thanks, but sorry, this is already way, way beyond me.
 * If I follow the link you sent me, the first instruction is : “Login to your site
   via FTP and download your active theme’s functions.php file”. I’m lost already
   and I haven’t started.
 * Is there anybody out there I can get to help me walk me through what I need to
   do in english? It’s a harmless little site whose sole aim is to promote a functions/
   covers band in London. There’s nothing sensitive on it so security isn’t an issue.
 *  [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/)
 * (@vtxyzzy)
 * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lost-admin-access-3/#post-2744806)
 * You will need to be able to either upload or download files to the site using
   ftp or a ‘file manager’ supplied by your hosting service before you can regain
   access. If you can’t do that, its the scrapheap.
 * Once you can upload a file, there is an emergency password recovery script here:
 * [http://yoast.com/wordpress-scripts/](http://yoast.com/wordpress-scripts/)
 * at the ’emergency script’ link.
 * Upload that file to your site and run it to either update your user id or add
   a new admin user.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘Lost admin access’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 3 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/)
 * Last activity: [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/lost-admin-access-3/#post-2744806)
 * Status: not resolved

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