Applicable when you have:

• 🖥️ Server or cPanel access
• 🗄️ Database access (phpMyAdmin or MySQL CLI)
• ❌ No access to the WordPress Dashboard

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Identify the Database in Use

Before anything, confirm which database your WordPress site is using.

1. Go to your WordPress installation folder.
2. Open the file: wp-config.php
3. Look for these lines: define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name'); define('DB_USER', 'your_db_user'); define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_db_password'); define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); $table_prefix = 'wp_';
4. Note down the database name and table prefix (e.g., wp_, wz_, etc.).

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Open phpMyAdmin

1. Log into your server control panel (e.g., cPanel, XAMPP, or direct phpMyAdmin).
2. Select your WordPress database from the left sidebar.
3. You’ll see tables like: wp_users wp_usermeta wp_posts ... (Your prefix may differ, e.g., wz_users)

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Check Existing Admin Users

You can easily see which users already have admin rights.

Option A: Manual (through phpMyAdmin)

1. Open the wp_usermeta table.
2. In the Search tab, find meta_key and enter: %capabilities%
3. Check rows where meta_value contains: a:1:{s:13:"administrator";b:1;} The corresponding user_id is an admin.
4. Go back to wp_users → find the same ID to see which username is the admin.

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Option B: Using SQL Query

Run this SQL query directly:

SELECT u.ID, u.user_login, u.user_email, m.meta_value
FROM wp_users u
JOIN wp_usermeta m ON u.ID = m.user_id
WHERE m.meta_key = 'wp_capabilities'
AND m.meta_value LIKE '%administrator%';

This will list all admin accounts instantly.

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Make Yourself an Admin (If You’re Not One Yet)

If you found your user in wp_users but not as an admin, you can assign admin privileges manually.

Step 1: Find your user_id

From wp_users, locate your username — for example:

ID	user_login	user_email
19	rajeshkumar	rajesh@devopsschool.com

So here, your user_id = 19.

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Step 2: Insert Admin Capabilities

Run these SQL statements (replace wp_ with your actual prefix, and 19 with your user ID):

INSERT INTO wp_usermeta (user_id, meta_key, meta_value)
VALUES (19, 'wp_capabilities', 'a:1:{s:13:"administrator";b:1;}');

INSERT INTO wp_usermeta (user_id, meta_key, meta_value)
VALUES (19, 'wp_user_level', '10');

That’s it — your account now has full administrator privileges.

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Log in to WordPress Dashboard

1. Go to your site admin page: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
2. Log in with your existing credentials (same username and password from wp_users).
3. You’ll now have complete access as an administrator.

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Alternative Method (If phpMyAdmin Isn’t Available)

If you have file access but no database access, you can still make yourself admin through your theme.

Steps:

1. Open your server’s file manager or FTP.
2. Go to your active theme directory: /wp-content/themes/your-active-theme/
3. Edit the file functions.php and add this code at the very end: function make_me_admin(){ $user = 'rajesh'; $pass = 'YourSecurePassword'; $email = 'rajesh@example.com'; if ( !username_exists( $user ) ) { $user_id = wp_create_user( $user, $pass, $email ); $user = new WP_User( $user_id ); $user->set_role( 'administrator' ); } } add_action( 'init', 'make_me_admin' );
4. Save the file, then reload your site once in the browser.
   • WordPress will auto-create an admin user with those credentials.
5. After logging in successfully, remove that code from functions.php immediately.

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Optional: Reset Your Password via SQL

If you forgot your admin password, you can reset it directly in the database.

Run this command (replace with your username):

UPDATE wp_users SET user_pass = MD5('NewSecurePassword') WHERE user_login = 'rajesh';

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Troubleshooting Tips

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
You can’t log in even after inserting SQL	Wrong table prefix	Double-check prefix in wp-config.php
Login shows “Incorrect password”	MD5 missing or wrong	Ensure password uses MD5() in SQL
“Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page.”	User not mapped correctly	Re-run both INSERT INTO wp_usermeta statements
You don’t know table names	Check SHOW TABLES; in SQL or phpMyAdmin sidebar
You get duplicate key error	Already have wp_capabilities entry	Use UPDATE instead of INSERT

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Summary

Task	SQL / Step
Find Admins	SELECT ... LIKE '%administrator%'
Make User Admin	2x INSERT INTO wp_usermeta
Reset Password	UPDATE wp_users SET user_pass = MD5('password')
Create Admin via Code	Add snippet to functions.php

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Recommended Best Practices

• Always backup your database before making edits.
• Remove any temporary PHP code after it runs.
• Limit phpMyAdmin access to trusted IPs only.
• Use strong passwords for all admin accounts.
• Once restored, review the Users → All Users page in WordPress and clean up unwanted admin entries.

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