Lost Admin Access

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  festmindfullyc94dbdc6ec · Member · Sep 4, 2025 at 7:03 pm

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  I recently joined a company whose website is handled by WordPress. However, it seems that the sole admin account removed their website/admin access. Customer support says it’s only for paid plans, and I can’t verify if they have a paid plan. How would I go about reconnecting an account to the site?

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  himanshumehrawp · Member · Sep 4, 2025 at 7:11 pm

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  Lost Admin Access

  Sharing the URL may help a bit.

  It is a tricky situation, if the sole admin removed their access and you’re unsure if the WordPress site has a paid plan, here’s how to regain control:

  1. Verify Plan Status:
     • Try logging into the site’s WordPress.com account or hosting dashboard to check if there’s an active paid plan linked to the site.
     • If it’s a self-hosted WordPress site, log into the hosting provider’s control panel.
  2. Access Hosting Control Panel:
     • If it’s self-hosted, use hosting credentials (FTP, cPanel, or similar) to access site files and database.
     • You can create a new admin user directly in the WordPress database via phpMyAdmin in the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables.
  3. Password Reset for Admin Users:
     • Use the database or WordPress password reset if an admin email is accessible.
  4. Contact WordPress.com Support:
     • If the site is on WordPress.com and the plan is paid, support can assist with account recovery for site admins.
     • For free sites, admin recovery is limited; account ownership verification is required.
  5. Check Email Accounts:
     • See if any company email accounts are linked to admin access; they can request password resets.
  6. Create New Admin via Database (Technical): Risky
     • Using hosting access, add a new admin user in the database to regain admin access.

  If unsure about the hosting details or technical steps, get help from your IT team or a WordPress developer to regain admin access safely.