Add Administrator User in WordPress Using MySQL

Friends,
In today’s article, we’ll learn how to add an administrator user to WordPress using MySQL.
Yesterday, my best friend reached out to me because his WordPress site was hacked, and his admin account was deleted. He asked me how he could add a new administrator without accessing the WordPress dashboard. I gave him a solution: you can add an administrator directly from MySQL.

NOTE: Before proceeding, make sure to back up your website database.

Add an Administrator from the WordPress MySQL Database

Below are the two ways to perform this task. Not to worry, I’ll describe both:

  1. Run a MySQL query
  2. Manual Steps in MySQL

Run a MySQL query

This method is only for those who want to speed up the process. In this process, we have to make sure to change the following things:

  • Table prefix (only if your database table prefix is different).
  • Database name.
  • Values (such as ID, username, etc.).
INSERT INTO 'your-database-name'.'wp_users' ('ID', 'user_login', 'user_pass', 'user_nicename', 'user_email', 'user_url', 'user_registered', 'user_activation_key', 'user_status', 'display_name') VALUES ('84', 'username', MD5('your-password'), 'Your Name', 'test@gmail.com', 'http://www.google.com/', '2017-09-08 16:15:25', '', '0', 'Your Name');
INSERT INTO 'your-database-name'.'wp_usermeta' ('umeta_id', 'user_id', 'meta_key', 'meta_value') VALUES (NULL, '84', 'wp_capabilities', 'a:1:{s:13:"administrator";s:1:"1";}');
INSERT INTO 'your-database-name'.'wp_usermeta' ('umeta_id', 'user_id', 'meta_key', 'meta_value') VALUES (NULL, '84', 'wp_user_level', '10');

Now, copy this query and paste it into the SQL of your database. Great, you are an administrator of your website.

Manual Steps in MySQL

First, you need to log in to your hosting cPanel and access phpMyAdmin, and find your WordPress MySQL database. See screenshots below (Source: GoDaddy cPanel).

phpmyadmin

Once you open your WordPress database, we are going to make changes in two tables, one is the wp_users table and the second one is the wp_usermeta. Let us start with the first table, wp_users, just click on the table name. We need to insert our new Administrator. Let’s click on the insert tab, see below

wp_users

Set Up the User Information

Once you click on the Insert tab, fill in the fields as described below:

  • ID: Leave this field blank. It is an auto-increment field, so its value will be filled automatically.
  • user_login: Insert the username from which you access the WordPress dashboard.
  • user_pass: Enter the username you will use to access the WordPress dashboard.

Add Additional Details

  • user_nickname: Add your nickname
  • user_email: Add your email address to blend with this account.
  • user_url: You can add your website URL here.
  • user_registered: Here, you can select the date/time when the user registers.
  • user_status: By default set as 0.
  • display_name: Add your name you wish to display

After all that, click on the GO button. see below

wp_users information

After inserting the user/admin information in the wp_users table, we are going to add the value in the wp_usermeta table. Here we follow the same steps, just click on the table name(wp_usermeta) and again click on the insert tab.

Now, add the following information in the Insert tab:

  • unmeta_id: Leave this field blank; it’s auto-generated.
  • user_id: In this field, you have to add the ID of the user you created in the wp_users table.
  • meta_key: Insert this wp_capabilities
  • meta_value: Insert this a:1:{s:13:”administrator”;b:1;}

We have to add a few more information in another row:

  • unmeta_id: Leave this field blank; it’s auto-generated.
  • user_id: again ID of the user you created in the wp_users table.
  • meta_key: Insert this wp_user_level
  • meta_value: 10

wp_usermeta information

After all, hit the GO button, and you are now the admin of the website.

The simplest way is we can also add an Admin user in WordPress through FTP.

Hope this article helped you learn how to add an administrator user in WordPress using MySQL. Please share your thoughts in below comment box.

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