Everything you do in WordPress, writing posts, installing themes and plugins, managing users, happens in the admin dashboard, also called wp-admin. This guide shows the ways to reach it and what the main menus do.
Before you start
- A WordPress site on your hosting, for example installed with Softaculous.
- The admin username or email and password you set during installation.
Log in from the browser
- Go to
https://example.com/wp-admin(orhttps://example.com/wp-login.php). If WordPress is in a folder, add it:https://example.com/blog/wp-admin. - Enter your Username or Email Address and Password.
- Tick Remember Me on your own device only.
- Click Log In.
Bookmark the login page. Some security plugins move it to a custom address; if /wp-admin shows a 404, check the plugin settings or your notes for the new address.
Log in without a password from cPanel
- Softaculous: cPanel → Software → Softaculous Apps Installer → Installations, then click the admin (person) icon next to the site.
- WP Toolkit (where available): cPanel → Domains → WP Toolkit and click Log in on the site card.
Find your way around
| Menu | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | See updates, site health and quick drafts. |
| Posts / Pages | Write blog posts and static pages. |
| Media | Upload and manage images and files. |
| Appearance | Change themes, menus and the site editor. |
| Plugins | Install, activate and update plugins. |
| Users | Add people and change roles and passwords. |
| Settings | Site title, URLs, reading, discussion and permalinks. |
Troubleshooting
- Forgot password: click Lost your password? on the login page, or reset it in phpMyAdmin; see reset the WordPress admin password.
- Login page reloads without error: clear cookies for the site; check that the site URL in Settings → General matches the address you use (http vs https, www vs non-www). See change the WordPress site URL.
- Too many login attempts / 403: a security plugin or the firewall blocked your IP; wait or ask support.
- White screen or critical error after login: see WordPress critical error and recovery mode.