How to Change Your Password in WordPress
WordPress is a powerful and refined content management system that provides the foundation for nearly any kind of website that you can conceive. One of the advanced features of a WordPress installation is that it does not use a default password. Default passwords are dangerous because they are known, and if the web developer forgets to change them, it compromises the security of the entire site. Instead of a default password, WordPress creates one randomly during the installation. The downside to this auto-generated password is that it’s not easy to remember, so the user forgets it or must record it somewhere, which is itself a security issue. The better alternative is to change the password to something that is not only secure but also memorable to the site admin(s).
How to Change Your Password in WordPress
• This video tutorial assumes that you have already logged in to the WordPress dashboard.
• On the dashboard main page, locate the links in the left-hand navigation column.
• Click the tab labeled ‘Users,’ which will open a user options submenu.
• Click the ‘Your Profile’ link, the last option in the Users submenu.
• In order to access the password section on this page, you’ll likely have to scroll down, depending on screen size.
• Find the label ‘New Password.’
• In the text box to the right of it, enter your new password.
• In the text box below that one, reenter your new password.
• Note the ‘Strength Indicator.’
• If it reads ‘mismatch,’ that means that the two text boxes did not match. Reenter the password twice again.
• Otherwise, the indicator will read ‘very weak,’ ‘weak,’ ‘medium,’ ‘strong’ and ‘very strong.’
• Create a very strong password by using a combination of lower- and upper-case letters, numbers and symbols.
• When finished, click the blue oval button labeled ‘Update Profile.’
• If successful, there will be two success confirmations.
• One will be an orange message box that reads, “Your password has been changed.”
• The second will be an in-page notification that reads, “User updated.”
• Exit the control panel. Go to the access point for your WordPress website, and confirm the new password.
More about WordPress and WordPress Passwords
A strong password is vital to a safe and secure WordPress installation. Do not underestimate the value of your password. A good way to create a strong yet memorable WordPress password is to combine the names of family members and dates associated with them. However, don’t make it too simple, such as your name and birthdate. It is possible to reset passwords and to recover lost passwords. Nevertheless, this can be a complicated and frustrating process, one that you’d rather avoid. There are situations, such as suspicious activity, where WordPress will force a password change. In that case, WP emails you the new password, which you can then use to change the password to something more user friendly.
