Need to switch Admin role. Current site Admin no longer available

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  nboyle796440c4a9 · Member · Dec 30, 2025 at 8:20 pm

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  The person who set up our site years ago is no longer with us, and we can’t find their Admin login credentials. We need to access plugins and other site owner functions, but we are unable to do so. How do we get around this/gain access?

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  james3265166 · Member · Dec 31, 2025 at 4:12 pm

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  To regain administrative access after a staff transition, the most direct path is to verify ownership through your hosting provider. If your site is hosted on WordPress.com, you can use their Account Recovery form by providing a recent Transaction ID from your billing records. If you are self-hosted, you can bypass the login screen entirely by using the ‘One-Click Login’ feature found in your hosting control panel (like Bluehost or SiteGround). This will allow you to access the Users menu, where you can promote your own account to Administrator and remove the old credentials.

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  veryccf916f8b48 · Member · Dec 31, 2025 at 5:46 pm

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  I was admit of my blog. I tried to make some else admin and I would be contributor. Now neither of us can enter the site.

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  james3265166 · Member · Jan 1, 2026 at 12:13 am

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  @veryccf916f8b48 When a site is left without an active Administrator, you must bypass the WordPress login screen and use your hosting provider’s tools to restore access. If your host offers a ‘One-Click Login’ through their WordPress Management panel, that is the fastest solution. Otherwise, you can promote your account back to Administrator by editing the wp_usermeta table in phpMyAdmin. By locating your User ID and updating the wp_capabilities field to the administrator string, you will instantly regain full access to the dashboard and the ability to manage other users.”