I forgot my admin password

Which method to use

If your account has a working email address and your site can send mail, the normal reset link is the quickest. If not, Joomla documents two recovery methods that need access to your hosting: one through configuration.php, one through the database.

1. With email

1. Open your site's login page and click Forgot your password?.
2. Enter your account's email address and follow the link in the email to set a new password.

2. Temporary Super User (configuration.php)

1. You need another account in the Manager or Administrator group whose password you know.
2. Set configuration.php to 644 and add public $root_user='thatusername'; before the last closing brace.
3. Log in with that account: it now acts as a Super User. Change the Super User's password in Users → Manage.
4. Remove the line again: use the link "Select here to try to do it automatically" in the alert, or delete it by hand.

3. phpMyAdmin

1. Open phpMyAdmin from your hosting panel and the table ending in _users.
2. Edit your account. In the password field enter the value from the official guide that stands for the temporary password "secret", or choose the function MD5 and type a temporary password.
3. Log in, then change the password in your profile straight away. Joomla stores it securely again.

Good to know

• Joomla 6 still accepts an MD5 password set in phpMyAdmin and upgrades it at your next login; Joomla 7 will remove that.