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From the WordPress installation directory, identify the correct administrator and run wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_pass to choose a new password without putting it in shell history. If you need WP-CLI to generate one, use wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-password, then handle the displayed password as sensitive plaintext.
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What you need before resetting a password
WP-CLI changes the WordPress account through WordPress itself rather than requiring direct edits to database tables. The WordPress Advanced Administration Handbook describes it as a secure, command-line method for password resets without directly modifying database tables. You still need an operating-system account that can run WP-CLI, access to the WordPress files (or a configured remote connection), and enough WordPress permissions for the command to update users.
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- Correct installation: Run commands from the directory containing
wp-config.php, or provide the installation explicitly with--path=/path/to/wordpress. - Correct site: In a multisite network, include
--url=https://example.com/site/so the user lookup and password change apply to the intended site. - Account identifier: Have the administrator’s login, email address, or numeric user ID ready. WP-CLI accepts each of these forms.
- Secure handling plan: Decide where a chosen password will be delivered, or where a generated password will be stored, before you print or transmit it.
The WordPress password-reset guidance was first published on November 6, 2018 and last updated March 27, 2026. Treat those dates as documentation context, not as a guarantee that every installed WP-CLI version has the same flags; verify the local version and command help before production use.
1. Select the WordPress installation
Open a shell on the server and change to the WordPress directory. A typical sequence is:
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cd /path/to/wordpress
wp user listIf you do not want to change directories, put the path on each command:
wp --path=/path/to/wordpress user list--path is a global parameter, so it can be used with both user list and password-changing commands. A path that points to the wrong WordPress copy can produce a perfectly valid-looking user list from the wrong site, so confirm the directory before changing credentials.
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For a remote server or container, WP-CLI also provides the global --ssh parameter. Use it with the same command you would run locally, for example:
wp [email protected] --path=/var/www/html user listThe exact SSH destination and remote path depend on your environment. The important distinction is that --ssh executes against the remote target while --path identifies the WordPress files on that target.
2. List users and verify the administrator
Never reset an account solely because its display name looks familiar. First list users and match the administrator by login, email, or ID:
wp user listThe output lets you distinguish accounts that have similar names. Record the exact login or ID for the account you intend to change. WP-CLI accepts one or more user logins or IDs for wp user reset-password, and accepts a login, email, or ID for wp user update.
If you need to inspect only administrator accounts, ask user list for administrator IDs:
wp user list --format=ids --role=administratorThis returns a role-derived list of IDs that can be passed to a reset command. Review the IDs before acting; a role filter identifies every matching administrator, not necessarily the person who requested the reset.
On multisite, repeat the lookup with the target site’s URL:
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wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user listUse the same --url value on the eventual update or reset. Selecting the user on one site and changing a password against another is an avoidable scope error.
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3. Choose a new password without exposing it in shell history
When an operator must choose the password, use wp user update with the interactive password prompt:
wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passReplace ADMIN_LOGIN with the verified login, email, or ID. WP-CLI prompts for the value instead of placing the password in the command line. This is the safer form recommended by the Advanced Administration Handbook because a password written directly in a command can be retained in shell history or exposed to process-inspection tools.
Do not substitute a literal password in a shared terminal transcript. Although wp user update accepts --user_pass=<password>, putting the value in the command makes the secret part of the command text. Use the prompt form for an interactive change:
wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passWP-CLI reports the result after the update. Keep that status output, but do not copy the entered password into tickets, chat, screenshots, shell transcripts, or other shared records.
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wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_pass --skip-emailBefore using the flag, decide how the account owner will learn that the password changed. Suppressing the message without an alternative notification can leave the owner unaware of the reset.
4. Generate a random password with wp user reset-password
For a generated credential, use:
wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-passwordwp user reset-password is designed to reset the password for one or more users. It generates the new password and, with --show-password, prints it so an operator can deliver it through an approved secure channel.
The display option is useful operationally but creates a plaintext exposure. The handbook warns that --show-password can expose the new password in terminal output, logs, screenshots, or shared support sessions. Treat the terminal as sensitive while the command runs, prevent unnecessary screen sharing, and clear or protect any recorded output according to your organization’s policy.
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If a password-only value is required for another controlled process, the command reference also supports --porcelain:
wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --porcelain--porcelain outputs only the password. That minimal output is convenient for automation, but it is still plaintext and should be handled as a secret. Do not pipe it to an unprotected log, paste it into a shell command, or leave it in a temporary file.
When neither --show-password nor --porcelain is used, the generated password is not printed for you to read. Plan the handoff before running a generated-password reset so you do not have to repeat the operation merely to obtain a deliverable value.
By default, the generated-password flow emails the user that the password changed. The notification does not contain the new password. Use --skip-email only when omitting that notification is deliberate:
wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-password --skip-emailThat combination gives the operator the generated value while suppressing the normal change notice. Record the reason for suppressing the email and use an approved secure channel to tell the account owner what action to take.
5. Reset an account in a multisite network
Multisite requires an explicit site selector when the command is not already running in the intended site context. Add the global --url parameter before the user command:
wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-passwordThe URL identifies the site whose users are being addressed. Use the same selector while listing users and while resetting the password. If the network has several sites with similarly named administrators, verify the URL, login, email, and ID together before confirming the change.
The chosen-password variant follows the same pattern:
wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passCombine site selection with an explicit path when the WordPress files are not the current directory:
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wp --path=/var/www/html --url=https://example.com/site/ user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passGlobal parameters can be combined with the generated-password command as well. The key is to establish both scopes before changing credentials: the filesystem installation through --path (or the remote target through --ssh) and the network site through --url.
6. Reset every administrator only when that is actually required
Most incidents involve one account. If an approved recovery procedure requires rotating all administrator passwords, first obtain the administrator IDs and inspect the list:
wp user list --format=ids --role=administratorThe command reference shows those IDs being passed to wp user reset-password. A shell substitution can perform that operation, but review the generated ID list before executing a multi-account change. A safer two-stage workflow is to save the displayed IDs in a protected, short-lived working note, verify the scope with another operator, and then run the reset for the confirmed IDs.
For a single site in a multisite network, include --url in both stages:
wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user list --format=ids --role=administrator
wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user reset-password ID_1 ID_2 --show-passwordReplace the example IDs with the values you verified. Because each generated password is sensitive, establish how each recipient will receive their own value before starting a multi-user rotation. Do not send a group message containing all administrators’ credentials.
7. Select the command that matches the situation
| Need | Command | Password handling | Notification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose a password interactively | wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_pass |
The value is entered at a prompt and is not placed in the command text. | A change email is sent unless --skip-email is added. |
| Generate a password and display it | wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-password |
Generated plaintext appears in terminal output; protect it from logs and screenshots. | The user is emailed that the password changed; the email does not contain the password. |
| Generate a password for controlled automation | wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --porcelain |
Only the password is printed, but the output remains sensitive plaintext. | The normal change email is sent unless --skip-email is added. |
| Suppress the change email intentionally | Add --skip-email to either command. |
Does not change how the password itself is exposed. | No change notification is sent; provide another approved notification path. |
| Target a non-current installation | Add --path=/path/to/wordpress. |
Applies the command to the files at that path. | Uses the selected command’s normal notification behavior. |
| Run against a remote server or container | Add the global --ssh parameter. |
Protect the remote terminal and any returned password output. | Uses the selected command’s normal notification behavior. |
| Select a site in multisite | Add --url=https://example.com/site/. |
Applies the reset to the selected site’s user context. | Uses the selected command’s normal notification behavior. |
8. Verify the result without exposing the credential
After a successful command, verify the account and sign-in path without printing the password again. Confirm that:
- The login, email, or ID in the command matched the account you intended to recover.
- The command ran against the expected installation path, remote target, and, where applicable, multisite URL.
- The account owner received the change notification or the approved alternative handoff.
- The owner can sign in through the normal WordPress login page.
- Any temporary or emergency credential is rotated again if your policy requires a second change after access is restored.
A generated password is not included in the default notification email. If you used --show-password or --porcelain, transmit the value only through a channel approved for credentials, then remove unnecessary copies from terminal history, logs, screenshots, notes, and temporary files.
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WP-CLI reports that it cannot find WordPress
Change to the directory that contains the installation or add --path:
wp --path=/path/to/wordpress user listIf the command is remote, ensure the path is the path on the remote host and include the appropriate --ssh target. Re-run user list before attempting a password change; a successful listing confirms that WP-CLI is operating against a WordPress installation.
The wrong user appears in the result
Stop and repeat the identification step. Compare the login, email, and ID from wp user list. In multisite, add the exact --url used by the site’s administrative address and list users again. Do not guess an account from a display name.
A multisite reset affects the wrong site
Run both the listing and reset with the same --url selector:
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wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-passwordCheck the site path, domain, and account identifier before accepting the generated password.
The operator cannot find the generated password
--show-password displays the generated value, while --porcelain emits only that value. If neither option was used, the password was intentionally not printed. Do not assume that the notification email contains it; the default email reports the change but does not include the new password. If policy permits, perform one new reset with a prearranged secure handoff rather than searching uncontrolled logs.
The account owner did not receive an email
First check whether --skip-email was supplied. If it was, the missing message is expected and you must use the alternative notification path. If it was not, preserve the command result and follow your mail-delivery troubleshooting process, while keeping the password out of email unless your security policy explicitly permits that channel.
A command-line audit log contains a password
Stop sharing the log and treat the exposed value as compromised. Reset the account again using --prompt=user_pass or a controlled generated-password flow, then remove or restrict the accidental copy according to your incident procedures. The purpose of --prompt=user_pass is specifically to avoid putting a chosen password in shell history.
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- Confirm the requestor’s identity and the account that must be recovered.
- Use
wp user listto verify the login, email, or ID. - Confirm the WordPress path, remote target, and multisite URL before changing anything.
- Prefer
wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passwhen an operator must choose the password. - Use
wp user reset-passwordwhen a generated value is preferable, and decide in advance how it will be handed off. - Treat
--show-passwordand--porcelainoutput as sensitive plaintext. - Use
--skip-emailonly when suppressing the notification is deliberate and an alternative has been arranged. - Check the command result and confirm sign-in without recording the password in shared systems.
- Rotate temporary credentials again when your policy calls for post-recovery rotation.
- Verify command flags against the WP-CLI version installed on the server before a production run.
Command reference at a glance
These are the core forms, with scope options shown separately so they can be combined consistently:
# List users from the current installation
wp user list
# List administrator IDs
wp user list --format=ids --role=administrator
# Choose a password interactively
wp user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_pass
# Generate and display a password
wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-password
# Generate password-only output
wp user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --porcelain
# Select a multisite site
wp --url=https://example.com/site/ user reset-password ADMIN_LOGIN --show-password
# Select a WordPress path
wp --path=/path/to/wordpress user update ADMIN_LOGIN --prompt=user_passUse one verified account identifier, one verified installation context, and one deliberate notification decision for each reset. That combination avoids the two most serious operational errors: changing the wrong account and exposing the new credential while trying to deliver it.
Version and documentation notes
WP-CLI command pages are regenerated at every release. Before using a flag in production, run the command’s local help or consult documentation matching the installed version. The password-reset guidance maintained by WordPress Developer Resources was last updated March 27, 2026, and its recommendations on prompting for passwords, handling displayed output, and controlling email notifications remain the relevant safety considerations for this workflow.
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