Can't Access a Wp-Admin Page

Security plugins are one of the most common reasons for WordPress login issues. Typically, there are two possible scenarios.

Temporary block due to failed login attempts

You are blocked because you exceeded the maximum number of login attempts set by the security plugin. The first solution is to wait because such blocks are temporary.

The second solution is to deactivate the plugin via FTP or the hosting file manager. 

Go to wp-content > plugins > {your security plugin folder} and rename it. The simple way to do this is to add -old to the folder’s name. It will automatically deactivate the plugin. 

Try to log in again (it might also be helpful to clear your browser cache before doing it).

After the successful login, don’t forget to rename the plugin folder back.

The login URL was changed

Many security plugins allow changing the default WordPress login URL as an additional security measure. Instead of using:

yoursite.com/wp-admin

The website may use a custom URL like:

yoursite.com/custom-login 

However, this unique URL can be easy to forget. In this case, use the instructions from the previous paragraph: using an FTP client or hosting file manager, rename the plugin’s folder responsible for the URL change (e.g., by adding “-old”), and log in using the default yoursite.com/wp-admin link.

If you’re not sure which plugin is causing the issue, you can deactivate all plugins via FTP. To do this, navigate to {yoursite.com}/wp-content and rename the plugins folder (“plugins-old”, for example).

Don’t forget to rename them back after you have logged in successfully.

The website URL can be changed in WordPress Dashboard > Settings > General, and sometimes the admin can accidentally change it to the wrong or non-existent one. In this case, the URL will look like anothersite.com/wp-admin instead of yourwebsite.com/wp-admin. 

There are three methods to fix it.

Edit the Database

This is the most reliable method. 

First, back up the database and save it locally. Then log in to phpMyAdmin and find the wp-options table. In that table, find siteurl and home records, click the “Edit” button, and replace their values with the correct website URL. Save the changes for both records.

Edit the functions.php File via FTP

Connect to your website via FTP and open the functions.php file located in: 

{yoursite.com}/wp-content/themes/your-theme/functions.php

Add the following lines immediately after the opening <?php tag:

update_option( 'siteurl', 'https://yoursite.com' );
update_option( 'home', 'https://yoursite.com' );

Replace the “https://yoursite.com” with the actual URL of your website. 

After that, try opening the login page. Clearing your browser cache beforehand may also help. Once you regain access to the dashboard and correct the URL in WordPress Dashboard > Settings > General, remove these lines from the file.

Hard-Code the URL in wp-config.php

You can also define the website URL directly in the wp-config.php file via FTP.

Find this line:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */

Insert the following code directly above it:

define('WP_HOME','https://yoursite.com'); 
define('WP_SITEURL','https://yoursite.com');

Replace the “https://yoursite.com” with the actual URL of your website.