Do you need to know how to log into your WordPress site? Are you having trouble logging into the WordPress admin area?
In this guide, we will show you how to log into your WordPress site using several different methods. We will also show you how to add a login to your WordPress site, add a WordPress custom user, and some troubleshooting tips.
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Introduction to Logging into WordPress
Before we show you how to log into your WordPress site, we first need to note that this guide is for the free and open-source WordPress.org software, often called self-hosted WordPress. Not to be confused with WordPress.com, a for-profit service owned and operated by Automattic.
If you are interested in learning more about the two, check out our guide on the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com to help you choose the right one for you.
How to Log into WordPress.com
To log into your WordPress.com site, navigate to the WordPress.com homepage. Then click on the Log In link at the top right of the page.
On the login page, enter your username, then click on Continue. Now enter your password, then click on the Log In button. Once successfully logged in, you will get redirected to your WordPress.com control panel.
Alternatively, you can simply visit the WordPress.com Log In page directly by typing wordpress.com/log-in into your web browser’s address bar.
How to Log into Your WordPress Site
Now let’s look at how to log into your self-hosted WordPress site. First, you’ll need the username and password you used during the WordPress installation. If your web host installed WordPress for you, they should have sent you an email with instructions for logging in.
Log into WordPress with a Direct Link
Let us start by learning how to log into your WordPress site with a direct link to your WordPress login page.
Step 1. Enter your WordPress Site URL into your Browser’s
Navigate to your website’s address in your web browser and add ‘/login‘ to the end of the URL.
WordPress Login URL Examples:
Replace ‘yourdomain‘ with your site’s address.
- www.yourdomain.com/login
- www.yourdomain.com/wp-login.php
- www.yourdomain.com/admin
- www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin
Step 2. Enter your Username, Password, then Click on Log In
When you see the WordPress login page enter your username or email address and password, then click on the ‘Log In‘ button.
Log into WordPress on a Subdirectory
If you have WordPress installed on a subdirectory, your login URL will look a little different. You’ll need to add the folder path and then the login path to the end of your domain’s address.
Subdirectory WordPress Login Example:
- www.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/login
- www.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/wp-login.php
- www.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/admin
- www.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/wp-admin
For instance, if my website address is www.awesomewebsite.com and I have WordPress installed on a subdirectory named ‘blog,’ my WordPress login would then be www.awesomewebsite.com/blog/wp-login.php.
Now enter your credentials to log in to your WordPress admin area.
Log into WordPress on a Subdomain
This method is similar to the subdirectory. You will need to add your subdomain to your site URL to access the WordPress login page. The WordPress login URL will look like the following:
Subdirectory WordPress Login Example:
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/login
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/wp-login.php
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/admin
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/wp-admin
Now use your credentials to log in to your admin area.
Log into WordPress on a Subdirectory within a Subdomain
And if you have WordPress installed on a subdirectory within a subdomain. The WordPress login URL will look like the following:
Subdirectory & Subdomain WordPress Login Example:
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/login
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/wp-login.php
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/admin
- www.subdomain.yourdomain.com/subdirectory/wp-admin
Add a Bookmark to your Login page
We recommend adding a bookmark in your web browser. This way, you won’t have to enter the WordPress login URL every time you want to log in to your website.
Each web browser has its own process for creating a bookmark. Below we’ll explain how to do this for the three most popular browsers, Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
Mozilla Firefox
In the Mozilla Firefox browser, click on the star icon within the address bar or press Ctrl + D on your keyboard (Mac: Cmd +D) to create a bookmark.
Alternatively, you can use the hamburger menu at the top right corner, then select Bookmarks > Bookmark current tab.
Firefox will then show an Add bookmark pop-up where you can enter a name, choose a location, and enter tags.
Google Chrome
With Google Chrome, you can use the star icon in the address/search bar or the shortcut by pressing Ctrl +D (Mac: Cmd +D) on your keyboard.
Alternatively, you can use the menu with three dots located at the top right corner of the browser. Then select Bookmarks > Bookmark this tab.
Microsoft Edge
In Microsoft Edge, click on the three horizontal dots at the top right corner and select Favorites. Then you can either click the little star icon or click on the three horizontal dots and select Add this page to favorites.
Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut and press Ctrl + Shift + O or click on the star icon in the address/search bar.
Add a Login Link to your Website Menu
Another great way to speed up logging into your WordPress website is to add a login link to your website menu. To get started, go ahead and log into your WordPress admin area. Once logged in, follow the steps below.
Step 1. Navigate to Appearance > Menus
On the left side of the WordPress admin area, hover with your cursor over ‘Appearance‘, then click on ‘Menus‘. Doing so will open the Menus administration page.
NOTE: If you need to create a menu, take a look at our guide on how to create a menu in WordPress.
Step 2. Select a WordPress Menu to Add a Login to
Here you need to select the menu to which you want to add your login URL. In the dropdown, select the menu, then press the ‘Select‘ button.
Step 3. Click on Custom Links under Add menu items
Within the Custom Links area, enter your login URL into the ‘URL‘ box and the text you would like to appear in the ‘Link Text‘ box. Then click on the ‘Add to Menu‘ button.
Once your custom login link has been added to your menu click on the ‘Save Menu‘ button towards the bottom right.
Now take a look at the front of your website and verify that it works.
The following two sections will be about WordPress widgets. If you’re unfamiliar with these, we recommend reading our guide on how to add widgets in WordPress.
Add a Login Link to your Website Footer or Widget Area
For this part of the guide, we will show you how to add a login link to your footer or widget area. In our example, we will be using the footer.
Step 1. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets
Navigate to ‘Appearance > Widgets‘ in your WordPress admin area. Next, select the widget area you want to add your login link to, then click on the ‘block inserter‘ toggle located at the top left next to Widgets.
Step 2. Locate the Login/out Widget
Either scroll down to the ‘Themes‘ section and locate the ‘Login/out‘ widget block or use the search and type in login. Once you have found the Login/out widget block, you can click or drag and drop the block to add it to your widget area.
Tip: If your widget is in the wrong location try using the arrows on the toolbar to move it up and down.
When you’ve finished, click on the ‘Update‘ button at the top right of the page.
That’s it! Take a look at the front of your site. You should see a ‘Log in’ link in the widget area you chose to use.
Add the Meta Widget
It is also possible to use the Meta widget to add a login link to your site. Exactly like the previous section, the Meta widget can be used in any widget area of your site.
To add the Meta widget, first, navigate to ‘Appearance > Widgets‘. Then click on the ‘block inserter’ toggle and search for meta in the search box. Next, click or drag and drop the widget to add it. Now, give the widget a title.
When you’ve finished, click on the ‘Update‘ button at the top right. Finally, go to the front of your website and see how it looks.
How to Create a Custom User Login
If your WordPress site has multiple users, you’re not going to want them all using the same credentials. A more secure way is to create a custom login for each user.
Step 1. Click on Users from the Main Navigation
Click on the ‘Users‘ option from the main navigation. Doing so will display the Users screen where you can add, edit, and delete site users.
Step 2. Click on the Add New Button
To add a new user account, click on the ‘Add New‘ button, located at the top left, next to Users. Doing so will display the Add New User screen.
Step 3. Complete each field for the New User
On this screen, complete each field, check the ‘Send User Notification‘ box, and select a ‘Role‘ for the new user.
NOTE: Username, email, and password are the only required fields all other fields can be updated at a later time.
Step 4. Click on the Add New User button
Once you’ve completed filling in the fields and are ready to proceed, go ahead, and click on the ‘Add New User‘ button at the bottom of the form. The new user will receive an email about their new account and can now log in.
Troubleshooting WordPress Login Page Problems
If you find yourself having trouble logging into WordPress, here are some helpful troubleshooting tips that may help.
Using an Incorrect Password
Using an incorrect WordPress password is one of the most common problems a user can’t seem to log in. To log in to your WordPress admin area, you need to use the correct username/email and password. Otherwise, WordPress will show the following error message:
To change your WordPress password, click on the ‘Lost your password‘ link below the login form and enter your username or email address. WordPress will then send you an email with a reset password link within. Change your WordPress password and try to log in again.
WordPress Database Connection Error
Another reason you may be having trouble logging into WordPress could be a database connection error. This means that your website is having a problem establishing a database connection. If WordPress is unable to make a database connection, it will not be able to display or retrieve information.
A few reasons why WordPress is not able to establish a connection:
- Incorrect database credentials
- Database connection error caused by a WordPress plugin
- Database server unable to handle Traffic (Web Hosting)
- Database Error (Need to repair database)
- Corrupted WordPress files (needs Fresh installation of WordPress)
WordPress Login Redirect Loop
Some users have had an issue with the WordPress login page redirecting to the wp-admin page after successfully entering their credentials.
Here are some common ways to fix this:
- Clear your browser cache and cookies
- Restore/Repair your .htaccess file
- Deactivate all themes and plugins, then re-enable them one at a time until you find the culprit.
Too Many WordPress Login Attempts
If you’ve failed too many WordPress login attempts, the login page will become disabled to help protect against brute force attacks. You will need to wait for 20 mins and try again. If you’ve forgotten your password, try resetting it.
Wrapping Up!
In this guide, we showed you several different methods you can use to log into your WordPress admin area. We also showed you how to create a custom user login for your site’s users and some helpful troubleshooting tips in case you have any trouble.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand how to log into your WordPress site, which is necessary to manage, create, and customize your site’s content.
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