Driver Robot automatically downloads the latest drivers for your PC and keeps it running smoothly. Inject new life into your old PC and fix existing problems instantly. Run a free driver scan now and put your PC back in business.
Due to the popularity of our web development contract template, we're offering the contract, estimate, NDA and invoice templates for $199.50 $49.50 if you order by September 05. Click here to learn more.
Want to become a Joomla master in a day? Check out our partner's Joomla Videos. They feature a complete video based Joomla learning system which allows you to master all the basic as well as some advanced functions of Joomla in under 7 hours. That means you won't have to spend your time Googling for solutions to problems such as this one - having lost your admin password.
Before we begin, you must have access to your database. If you don't, pass these instructions on to someone that does. It's also a good idea to backup your database before making changes, just in case something goes awry.
In the password field you'll notice a string of characters. Joomla uses a one-way encoding method, which means you won't be able to retrieve your old password. However, you will be able to reset the password to a new one using mySQL's built in MD5 function:
UPDATE example_users SET password=MD5('new password') WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator";
Voila - you just successfully reset your Joomla password
Go to your joomla domain at example.com/administrator and try logging in with the new password. You should be logged in as Super Administrator.
An alternate method to reset your password, if you're not comfortable with SQL commands, is to simply copy and paste the password hash from another user (to which you know the password) over to your admin user. You'll then be able to login as the admin user using that password. If you don't have another user, you should be able to register as one, and then copy the password over.
Yet another alternate method to retrieving your lost Joomla admin password is to change your admin user's email address to one you are familiar with. Then use the lost password retrieval function (the "forgot password" link in the login section) to have your Joomla password emailed to you.
If for some reason the above method does not work try encoding a password that contains only alphanumeric (a-z, 0-9) characters. This method may not work if your password contains special characters (@!#$).
In each of these examples you'll want to follow the above instructions, but then modify your SQL query to the following, which will reset your password to the one you specify.
UPDATE `jos_users` SET `password` = MD5( 'new password' ) WHERE `jos_users`.`username` = "admin";
If this doesn't work, try changing jos_users to mos_users.
Want to become a Joomla master in a day? Check out our partner's Joomla Videos. They feature a complete video based Joomla learning system which allows you to master all the basic as well as some advanced functions of Joomla in under 7 hours. That means you won't have to spend your time Googling for solutions to problems such as this one - having lost your admin password.
You'll also learn about:
As it's all video based, you simply sit back and watch it on your computer right away. You can also watch the construction of a sample Joomla site, built step by step from scratch. You can pause the video, and follow along step by step if you wish. Click here to learn more about the Joomla Videos now.
All Content © 2005 - 2010 Contract Web Development, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Powered by Drupal
Joomla Password
Using phpmyadmin, I reset the password using this SQL statement
update jos_users set password = md5("password") where username = "admin";
The value of the password field in the jos_users table became 5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99
I could login using this value.
However when I entered Joomla using another super admin account and changed password of admin in user management to the same string "password".
The value in the jos_users table became
1270a4c8bb19aacd1b5e307c9dd4cf33:ZfZ0jpWdrTrqAKnJyfVrBrvCcoBqynSG
The hashed pattern was much longer and I could also login using this value.
I noticed this value changed when I repeatedly perform the change password process inside Joomla.
Can anyone tell me why this happened?
Hashed username and password
Your first hashed value is simply the password. The second one consists of a username and a password, in the form username:password.
Changing the super admin password in Joomla
After reading this what I did was go to my site and register as a new user (for example, JOHN) with a password that I will remember. Then I went to my PHP admin and the user part of my Joomla installation database.
I clicked edit user JOHN and copied the entire string in the password box. Then I clicked the back tab in my browser. Next, I went to my super admin and clicked edit and on the password box cleared the string and pasted the JOHN password I copied. Finally, I went to my admin and logged in using the new password and voila, I was in my admin again.
If you try this and it fails drop me an email rokwama at gmail dot com and I will try to help (www.tips.rahatechnologies.com).
MCF35
Gracias muy buena info
Probably old news
I tried everything above for two days with no success. It wasn't until i went to reinstall that i noticed my .htaccess was changed to htaccess.txt, (don't know if it was a theme or plugin). I changed it back & previously reset pwd in phpmyadmin. All good now!
Joomla password security
My friends gmail account got hacked months ago because she had a password with a bunch of numbers. Then she resets her password to a more secure password with a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters. Of course - she can't remember this password, so proceeds to restore the old one, thinking no one will hack in again. Oops - less than 48 hours later the account gets hacked again.
So my question - how does the security of a gmail password, which is a common email service, relate to the security of a Joomla password? Can I have my password be a bunch of numbers or do I need to create a super secure password that is non-dictionary word, letters, special symbols, etc.?
Security does not just reside
Security does not just reside in the actual password, though it does play a big part. I do not know about Gmail's way of securing accounts, but I do know that Joomla is in no way secure without the proper knowledge of security itself. I'll get to that in a bit.
Unless I knew of who cracked the password or how the password was cracked on your friend's Gmail, I can't explain the similarities. In fact, there really is no way to compare the two, in my opinion. Every server and website is differently setup, and has completely different code. Also, it would be helpful to know what browser your friend was using. If the connection to Gmail wasn't secure, through SSL, then that would seriously compromise your password. As I said, security does not only have to do with the password itself. If your friend did not have a secure connection, then it wasn't encrypted, meaning that anybody on your friend's network or even the Internet (with proper tools) could see her password clearly. But, even with encryption, there's a possibility of someone brute-forcing the password, in which case, whether they obtain the password depends on how secure your password is.
Of course, secure passwords need a mix of numbers, letters (both capital and non-capital), and symbols (alt-characters are the best, but I don't know if your Joomla installation is set up to allow those in passwords...you need a Unicode setting on your database). But, you also need to keep in mind that brute-forcing is usually able to crack any password up to 15 characters, so 16 or more is ideal. Also, the best secure passwords don't have any words, ID numbers, or dates, as that can compromise your password to hackers that can look up that information.
So, to answer your question, yes, you do need to create a secure password with those characteristics, but on top of that, you need to make sure your server is secure. Joomla administration, for instance, should never be running without SSL encryption. Talk to the host or server administrator about how to set that up. One last thing, make sure that you limit what plugins/components are installed on your Joomla website. Look them up on the Joomla vulnerable extensions list: http://docs.joomla.org/Vulnerable_Extensions_List
The best security is re-writing Joomla's code, in my opinion. The base of Joomla attacks, is the code itself. If common things in the code are changed, (value names, class names, etc) then a hacker's tool can't tell what CMS you have, thus it fails to hack.
My advice, encrypt with SSL, search around Google for ways to secure Joomla, maybe even changing the Super Administrator account.
Good luck!
Thank you so much!!
Wow, this is very helpful advice indeed. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful and extended explanation of Joomla security, and security in general.
I will look into setting up SSL on my Joomla server, and maybe even switching my CMS to a different system, such as Drupal.
How secure is Drupal, compared to Joomla, in your opinion?
Forget my last query for
Forget my last query for exact wording about the password. I have figured it out.
Script to change password
I am having trouble getting this changing of the administrator password to work and get error messages. I have copied and pasted your whole string and tried the password various ways. I have cut some words off to see if that would do it, but did not get it. Here's the last attempt:
SET password=MD5(slowcow) WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator"
What exactly would you type in if you are trying to use "example" as a password. ( I will change later)
thanks
thank u bebeh...u make my job done! walah!!!
Reset Joomla Password
This is just what I was looking for. Nice to know there are so many different ways to reset your Joomla password. Considering how easy it is to lose a password, it's nice to have options handy.
Bottom line I need to find a better way of storing passwords. Does anyone have a recommendation? Maybe a password file?
Joomla Rocks
I love working with Joomla - it's by far the easiest and most robust CMS out there. The admin panel is a breeze, article posting is super easy, and with all the available modules - like CB and Virtumart, there are few limits to what you can do in Joomla.
Awesome
Thx, I just created a new user as advised above, then copied the password hashes back into the super admin.
Awesome
thx Dude
Back in Joomla
Fantastic - the MD5 method (using the MD5 has for "admin") above helped me get right back into my Joomla website. Now I just need to remember to change my password back!
Still unable to login
Hi Folks,
First of all thanks for your effort in letting us know how we might be able to reset the admin password. However, I can't get it to work. Basically I tried all the tricks and tips you've given but have not had any success so far. Here is what I did:
First I tried the UPDATE `jos_users` SET `password` = MD5( 'new password' ) WHERE `jos_users`.`username` = "admin"; command, as I am running the latest 1.5 version of Joomla. After that I tried this one:
if ( $crypt == $testcrypt) { so that it reads:
if ( true /* $crypt == $testcrypt */ ) {
and Joomla still wants to have a password. And if I say i.e. blablafoo I still get that Authentication Error. Well, I then tried the first recommended Update Version:
UPDATE example_users SET password=MD5('new password') WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator";
And still no success! It is a local installation with the latest XAMPP on a Win/Professional System. So, has anyone some more ideas, am I having a rights issue? I simply got stuck and hope that one of you might kick me off the horse! Thanks a lot for your highly appreciated help!
Regards
Niels
2 years on Jack still rocks!!!!!!
I had my passwords written down but could not gain access any way. Tried 6 sites and none of the solutions worked.
Then did what jack said and it worked!!!!!!
Thanks jack!!!! Your one minute posting has helped many people all over the world for years!!!!!!!
Thanks! You saved my a__ big time :)
Worked like a champ.
Can't login
I have been getting the error message "Username and password do not match"
I have tried Jack's solution to modifying the joomla.php file and that has produced no effect. (and I have used this in the past on another site)
I have checked the configuration.php file and confirmed I am using the correct password.
What can I do?
You may have deleted JOOMLA USER PLUGIN
You may have deleted JOOMLA USER PLUGIN.
To enable this plugin from backend. Goto your Joomla database. Locate jos_plugins TABLE, then set the PUBLISHED status of USER JOOMLA to 1 (i.e enabled). Then you can relogin or tried other password reset suggestions. That should solve your problem
Olatunde-Hythe
www.Xybertek.com
Hi I tried exactly what you
Hi, I tried exactly what you suggested, but this didn't work. So instead of User Joomla I noticed that Authentication - Joomla was set to 0. I changed this to 1 and I was able to get back in. Your post put me on the right track so a big thank you for that! Colum - quinncolum at hotmail dot com.
Thanks a million times
you saved my life..
i did exactly as you explained..
now i m able to login
thanks alot
Doesn't work?? maybe this is a simple solution
I had the same problem, it was the Joomla user plugin which was disabled!
This one's the winner for me!!
After beating my head against the screen and mouthing insanities about phpMyAdmin passwords that I couldn't remember I found this (on this very page):
Submitted by a visitor from afar on Fri, 2007-08-31 08:09.
By temporarily removing the authentication in PHP, you can let anyone login. So, in Joomla 1.5 RC, you can go to plugins/authentication/joomla.php and modify the line:
if ( $crypt == $testcrypt) {
so that it reads:
if ( true /* $crypt == $testcrypt */ ) {
Now everyone can login with any password. Change your password to something that you can remember. Do not forget to put the original authentication code back in.
Jack
www.jackbriner.com
Thanks heaps Jack! You saved my bacon!!
This one's the winner for me!!
It is better to replace:
if ( $crypt == $testcrypt) {
if ( $crypt == $testcrypt || $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] == "your ip address") {
Only the people with that IP can login to your system.
password update..
simple logic, but didn't come to my mind.. u saved my day ..Thanks
Doesn't work
According to MySQL this is wrong.... this is useless information.
Specific problem?
Would you care to go into detail? Works for us and appears to work for most of the people visiting this page...
Lost joomla admin pw, none of these answers work
OK, thanks but after careful reading and changing the password for the super admin and even adding a new super, none of the MySQL entered passwords work.
I have full MySQL access and ftp access...how do I go in and do serious surgery?
There was a method in 1.5RC to make it possible to enter any password and get in. I am in 1.5.12, having been up to 14 and rolled back to 12 where it happened.
Alternatively, if something is screwing up the passwords entered when I add a new one, can I activate the show+send password box in the modules without having access to the admin back end. In theory yes, but where???
Thanks
thanx
thank you
Thank you so much!
Thanks for posting this quick little tutorial. I was about to freak out when I realized I couldn't change my unknown password. This saved me a huge headache.
Can't login
Hi there. I am having trouble with my footprints filmworks administrator and the steps instructed seem not to be working for me. Any other ideas, please assist.
Md for footprints filmworks
Omar Abdulla
Email lost password
Hi Omar,
Did you try the "forgot password" link - to have your email password, or a password reset link - emailed to you? If the email address stored with the user is still active, you should be able to restore your password using this less intrusive method.
Lost username and pw
Hi there. I have lost my administration username and password for my domain. How do I go about resetting it and entering into my website domain.
Regards
Omar Abdulla from Footprints Filmworks
Back in Joomla
Awesome - thank you. Back inside my Joomla website now. I'll be sure to backup the password for next time! Thanks again for bailing me out
Worked great
Thanks very much for posting this. Saved me quite a bit of trouble!
Doesn't work in 1.5.10
I tried everything above. I changed the joomla.php file, no help. I ran the sql, no soap: UPDATE `#__users` SET `password` =MD5("getsmart") WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator";
I think Joomla sucks.
Try Drupal
Sorry you're having trouble with this. Why not give Drupal (drupal.org) a go? That is our CMS of choice
Awesome!
Thanks, it worked! You might want to be a bit clearer with the instructions. Initially I wondered if I was supposed to copy the text string into the "password" field for administrator because I (and probably many others) have no idea what an "MD5 function" is.
I entered the text string in the field under the "SQL" tab (using cPanel) and it worked!
Thank you.
U save me
I don't know how to thank you...your technique save my website from some [expletive]. Thanks very much!
How to reset Joomla 1.0 super admin account
I am using Joomla 1.0, and I lost my password. How do I reset it?
Jun
Resetting Joomla 1.0 password
We updated the article to include instructions for resetting passwords in earlier versions of Joomla. Please see the updated article above for details.
instructions easy to follow
It works for me. Thanks.
I do not know how to reset my password
I have downloaded the Hash Calc.and mysql. What is the stored connection, and default schema? Where do I find that info?
Janith
Use mySQL (via phpMyAdmin)
Hi Janith,
Try using mySQL's built in MD5 function as described above:
UPDATE example_users SET password=MD5('yourpassword') WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator";
Joomla Password Retrieval
Thanks a lot!!! It worked like a charm.
Does Joomla support secure password login?
Thanks for the tip. Now that I have my Joomla admin password back, is there any way to engage SSL when logging into Joomla? In other words, does Joomla support a secure login protocol? I ask because I'm planning on transferring some sensitive information from my old website to my new Joomla based site and my first priority is to ensure that the information stays secure and away from prying eyes.
Thanks,
Jenny
Reset Super Admin Password
Many Thanks!!! You just saved me a whole load of bother!
Martin
Joomla - got password back
Sweet! I just got my Joomla password back using the password recovery method you described. I suppose there's different ways of doing it, but the first approach you described did the trick. Thank you!
THANKS THANKS and THANKS!
THANKS THANKS and THANKS! From Romania
Script to reset your Joomla/Mambo password
Hello guys, in case you don't wanna have trouble accessing phpMyAdmin, there's a script which allows you to reset any Admin password EASILY. This works for Joomla 1.x and 1.5.
Lost PW change very easy
I just followed the instructions for update command in phpmyadmin and PW change was a snap - very easy. Thank you.
Thanks
Joomla rocks
How did this happen!?
I am freaked out that my password did not work in the first place. yes, I know, you think I mistyped or forgot, but NO, I was typing in the correct password. Well, using the SQL UPDATE statement worked like a charm for me, still freaked out.
The easiest thing to do!
You can use phpMyAdmin to view & edit the mos_users table?
insert
21232f297a57a5a743894a0e4a801fc3
in the password field of the admin user.
it's the md5 result of the standard password "admin".
This is really great
This is really great. Thank you so much.
Database error: can't access Joomla site
Please, for god's sake help me.
I don't really know what really happened. I was using myPhpAdmin. I went in the jos_users Database. Clicked SQL. And ran the following query, exactly like that:
UPDATE example_users SET password=MD5('admin') WHERE usertype = "Super Administrator";
Now my site just busted down completely !
When I try to access it, it says: Database Error: Unable to connect to the database:Could not connect to MySQL
Please give me a light !
Restore Joomla backup
Hi there,
First I would simply recommend loading a backup of your Joomla database. Also, I'm assuming you updated "example_users" to reflect your user name? If not, you may want to rerun the SQL statement with your user name inserted.
Thanks my friend
Thank you so much. Worked like a charm.
IT WORKS
Thanks for the UPDATE string, it works a teat.
James.
Joomla Password Reset Not Working
I get the message "Invalid session." Any help?
Clear cache and sessions
It sounds like you might need to clear your cache and your sessions tables. You can try doing it via your browser, if that doesn't work you might need to truncate the database tables.
still not working
I have tried all of this to no avail. I see my user name and MD5 password in phpMySQL. I've changed it, saved it, done everything. I go to login on my admin site and STILL get that my user name and password do not match! Any other trouble shooting tips??
Thanks Community
That was great to reset the password.
It's working, perfect.
Thanks
M. Javed Rahmani
Unable to login from the front end
Hi there, I did a site "clone" installed joomla in a test server, when everything was ready ...moved it to prod..a sister domain on the same server, everything is working fine, but cannot login to the "members" area...
I have no prob. on the admin side.....any ideas...
Password
This is great! Thanks a ton you just saved me a complete re-install. (blech!)
still wont login
Help! i've tried to change the password with MD5 encoding, but it still wont work.
the login page doesn't give any error message if i enter the right password, but it also wont login to the administrator page. it only take me back to the login page.
but if i entered the wrong password, it said "Username and password do not match"
anyone can help..?
i previously installed the same joomla 1.5RC but with different localhost/...... name and different db.
the old joomla cannot login, but the new joomla can...
Oh and the if ( true /* $crypt == $testcrypt */ ) wont work also
thx4 any help =)
cannot login backend and no errors
this is most likely because you session directory is not writable. you need to check with your host to make this directory 755
if you have root access you can putty into server and change permissions your self
which one is the session
which one is the session directory?
same problem
mine does the same thing. It gives you a need to login and not a bad username or password in the address bar.
index.php?mosmsg=You%20need%20to%20login
Any help?
Could be done much easier
Hi guy,
nice, but too complicated. MySQL and hence also phpmyadmin already offer the MD5 function. So you don't need a seperate website to create the MD5 hash.
Bests,
Daniel
Thanks Daniel
You're right - I've simply been to lazy to update the article until now. Thanks for the push!
Thank you
Thank you!
If you have access to your
If you have access to your server, then it should be in configuration.php file.
Thank you so much !
Hello,
Just thought I'd take the time to thank you profusely !
You've just saved me hours of pulling my hair out...
This does suck a bit security-wise though, no ?
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Marie (Avignon, France)
Simple UPDATE ... SET
Simple UPDATE ... SET password=MD5('yourpassword') doesn't work ?
MySQL has MD5 built in function.
Lost Password
Thank you - worked a treat
lost username to Joomla
the site MD5er.com is inactive. i lost my username, not the password. the username is no longer admin. how do i proceed? why is it so challenging to get through this process. any other system has a simple "forgot username/password" button at the login stage...
MD5 Encryption
The solution: use Drupal instead
OR
We've updated the article with a mySQL UPDATE statement you can use to reset your password using mySQL's built-in MD5 function.
i changed the password and my site is down
HI!
I folowed these steps and now my site is completely down. I cant login or do anything. help!
Restore database
You may have inadvertently edited the wrong fields in the database. That, or your host is having issues unrelated to your changes. Does the site not load at all? Or you simply can't log in? Either way I recommend restoring a backup of your DB.
Thanks!
Worked perfectly - I'll have to remember this method for next time...
Great!
Helped me a lot.
Thanks.
ClickMedia.TV
A different approach ...
By temporarily removing the authentication in PHP, you can let anyone login. So, in Joomla 1.5 RC, you can go to plugins/authentication/joomla.php and modify the line:
if ( $crypt == $testcrypt) {
so that it reads:
if ( true /* $crypt == $testcrypt */ ) {
Now everyone can login with any password. Change your password to something that you can remember. Do not forget to put the original authentication code back in.
Jack
www.jackbriner.com
a different approach
Jack, YOU ARE THE MAAAAAANNNN!!! (maybe God?)...
worked like a charm!..what a guy. thanks a lot for saving my bacon. bims
A different approach.......
OMG OMG OMG
after hours of searching and trying nothing worked
till I read Jacks one woot thanks heaps
HUG HUG HUG
............
Great solution!!
I was tearing my hair out! Was following the Joomla tutorial and couldn't get past the phpMyAdmin or MySQL Administrator passwords so I was well and truly stuffed here. Had all the files on Localhost because the site is not live yet so was able to easily find and edit the correct line. You saved my bacon!!
What a guy!
That worked a treat, much appreciated mate….
Saved me hours/days/weeks…..
Cheers
Thank you!
You rule, buddy.
Thanks
Thank you Jack. That is a real help, you saved me a lot of stress!
Joomla Website
Thank you, the first approach didn't work for me.
If you want check out our joomla website - we're currently working on updating the site and since my developer is as slow as a snail I'm trying to learn how to develop my own site.
Thank YOU Very much!!
This was an invaluable piece of information and worked like a charm. Thanks for this!!!
Also with Joomla 1.0.15?
Hi Jack,
I have joomla 1.0.15 installed, and am unable to reset the password (MD5 from phpMyAdmin...).
I wanted to ask you if you know of a "different approach" which would also apply to my version of Joomla, as opposed to 1.5?
Thanks
Michael
Joomla 1.0.15 password recovery
I found a solution for 1.0.15
search in administrator/index.php and find the line (approx. 105)
if (strcmp( $hash, $cryptpass ) || !$acl->acl_check( 'administration', 'login', 'users', $my->usertype ) )
and change it to:
if ( false /* strcmp( $hash, $cryptpass ) || !$acl->acl_check( 'administration', 'login', 'users', $my->usertype )*/ )
now you can login and generate a new user or set your password in the backend.
all other versions of creating new passwd with or without salt didn't work in Joomla 1.0.15
Thank you, JACK!
Thank you, JACK!
Great
Many thanks Jack,
Saved me lot of trouble!
Regards,
Marcel
Thnks a million!
Thank you for the useful info. I regained my access to the admin section now!!!
May I add that once you get to see your password in the _users , you should again use MD5er.com to decode it, because it is encoded there.
Cheers,
Nik
www.hotparishilton.net
Thanks sooo much
It works !!!!!
password lost
I have lost my super adminsitrator password in joomla. no i cant looge to my super administrator
so ineed to get my super adminsitrator password. IS THERE ANYWAY I CAN GET MY PASSWORD BACK
Lost password reset
Unfortunately because the system stores the password in a one-way hash there is no way that I know of to get it back. This article does describe, however, how to reset the password (so you can regain access as Super Admin). Please let me know if you need help with or more detail on a particular step.
can`t reset my admin pass
I can not reset the admin password by following the steps. maybe i am doing something wrong? can you help please?