Unable to login to WordPress.org, “Lost Password” doesn’t work

Resolved Ben
(@benmears)

6 years, 3 months ago

Hello,

I just tried to login to my wife’s WordPress.org account to update her website but the login didn’t work, using either username or email address. When I try the “Lost Password” option it says “ERROR: There is no user registered with that email address.” for either the username or email address we’ve always used to login to WordPress.org. I have to post this support request from my account because I can’t login to her account.

So wtf is going on here? It’s like her WordPress.org account has been deleted completely, however her site is still up and visible at saramears.org. At this point there’s no way to work on her website due to the login issue, and seemingly there is no way to contact WordPress support about WordPress.org problems, which seems like a big problem. I’ve been in support chat with someone on WordPress.com, but they’ve told me they can only deal with WordPress.com issues, not WordPress.org. I seems like there’s no way to email support at WordPress.org and this forum is the only viable support channel.

Has anyone else experienced this login and lost password rejection? It’s extremely frustrating and at this point we’re looking at ditching WordPress and switching to Squarespace instead. Any help (especially from WordPress itself) would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time.

TLDR, I can’t login to my WordPress.org account, lost password doesn’t work, I have to stop using WordPress soon unless this issue gets solved.

The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)
(@sterndata)

Volunteer Forum Moderator

6 years, 3 months ago

This article lists 7 completely different ways to reset your password. Any one of them will work and do the job. Find the one that’s right for you and use that: https://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password

Note that your wordpress.org account (for this site) has nothing to do with the ID/password used on your self-hosted wordpress site(s).

Thread Starter Ben
(@benmears)

6 years, 3 months ago

Thanks for your reply Steve, I appreciate you taking the time.

However, resetting the password is not a solution because it seems like the account has been deleted from WordPress.org completely. I’ve definitely tried resetting the password many times, but when I put in the username or email (and I’ve tried all the possible usernames or emails there could be) the system doesn’t recognize them. The “lost password” option is useless at this point, and because there’s no other way to contact WordPress.org support, I am locked out of the account.

So at this point I still can’t access the WordPress.org account, which means I’m going to have to use some other service instead, probably Squarespace. The lack of support for WordPress.org is both surprising and frustrating, they’d be smart to fix that.

RossMitchell
(@rossmitchell)

6 years, 3 months ago

Hello Ben, It seems that you have a conceptual problem as to what wordpress.org is and what an account here can do. Primarily wordpress.org does not host client websites, hence it does not host your wife’s website, the using using https://www.whoishostingthis.com/ the website “http://saramears.org/” gives “saramears.org is hosted by CyrusOne”. You will have a subscription and login with them.

What wordpress.org does provide is access to and support for the free WordPress software. I strongly suspect that your wife never had an account here.

Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)
(@sterndata)

Volunteer Forum Moderator

6 years, 3 months ago

Please tell me what site you cannot log in to. If it’s this one (wordpress.org), I can provide you an email address for assistance. If it’s a website on some other domain, then the “7 ways” link is your best best and, failing that, contacting the host for that site.

WordPress.org does not provide hosting for sites, it provides the software for other people to use their own sites on their own hosts.

womensmosque
(@womensmosque)

6 years, 3 months ago

I am having the exact same problem as the OP. It just started all of a sudden, and it’s very frustrating.

Thread Starter Ben
(@benmears)

6 years, 3 months ago

Thanks again for the replies and attempts to solve this issue, unfortunately I’m still stuck.

@rossmitchell – Yes, I’m well aware that WordPress.org does not host websites. I’m also aware that HostGator is the host of my wife’s website (though I’m not sure what CyrusOne is, but it appears to be part of HostGator somehow). My issue is that I can’t login to the WordPress software in order to work on her website. I don’t think HostGator will be able to help me access the WordPress software, correct?

@sterndata – Thanks again for your replies and please do provide the email address to contact for assistance.

Currently, I am unable to login to either http://saramears.org/wp-login.php or WordPress.org itself (hence, I’m using my own account instead of hers to post in this forum). This is not because of the password though, it’s because the account isn’t being recognized at all. When I try the “lost your password” option on that login page and enter the email for the account (the same email I’ve always used) it returns with “ERROR: There is no user registered with that email address.”

So at this point it seems like her WordPress.org account has been deleted completely and there’s no visible way to recover it. I am unable to login into her website admin page, which means I’m unable to update her website at all. Do you have any solutions for recovering a lost account?

@womensmosque – I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing the same issues, I feel your pain….
Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)
(@sterndata)

Volunteer Forum Moderator

6 years, 3 months ago
@womensmosque, I replited to your at https://wordpress.org/support/topic/unable-to-log-in-43/ Please continue there; don’t hijack threads.

Ben: forum-password-resets@wordpress.org

So at this point it seems like her WordPress.org account has been deleted completely

No. Accounts are never deleted.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Steven Stern (sterndata).
RossMitchell
(@rossmitchell)

6 years, 3 months ago

My issue is that I can’t login to the WordPress software in order to work on her website. I don’t think HostGator will be able to help me access the WordPress software, correct?

Not correct.

Steve gave you the link: https://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password
that covers seven different ways of breaking into your WordPress site and changing the password. Depending upon circumstances any of these will work. Some of them require you logging into your hostgator management (cPanel) and using phpmyadmin etc from there. This is something that hostgator can and will assist you with.

On a related task, this support forum and the rest of WordPress is run by the community. This is your chance to assist your fellow WordPress users in preparing for them the information you would have liked to see when your problem started. You have had a “sucky” experience. Please help us fix that.

Thread Starter Ben
(@benmears)

6 years, 3 months ago

Thanks @rossmitchell, contacting HostGator support and having them reset the login email address so that I could use the “lost password” option worked and I’m now able to access the WP-admin site again (even though he basically just reset the email to the same email it was before).

I asked what might have caused the problem to begin with and he replied “The email registered on your account is wrong and i update it with the correct email you have.”

RossMitchell
(@rossmitchell)

6 years, 3 months ago

Well Ben, it is a relief that you have that sorted out, that you can now access and update your wife’s WordPress site.

My invitation remains, “What would you have needed to know 4 days ago to save your frustration?” Without addressing this “surprising and frustrating” deficiency (your words), you are subjecting other people in the community to your experience, and telling us that now your problem is resolved that this is acceptable. As a worker in this community I do not like this.

Thread Starter Ben
(@benmears)

6 years, 3 months ago

I explained clearly the solution that solved the problem. Somebody in the community could read this thread and use the same solution, why don’t you like that?

What would I have needed to know 4 days ago save this frustration?

I would’ve needed to know that WordPress.org and/or HostGator might randomly screw up my login email for no reason at all, thus rendering the “lost password” option useless.

I would’ve needed to know that HostGator is able to reset wp-admin logins. With my limited knowledge of website hosting I assumed that WordPress.org and HostGator were separate from each other, but thanks for clearing that up for me.

Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)
(@sterndata)

Volunteer Forum Moderator

6 years, 3 months ago

WordPress.org and HostGator were separate from each other/blockquote>

They are. Any host (if they care to) has full access to all your stuff and could reset passwords. After all, it’s their machine on which your site is running.