Password reset not working in WordPress

Introduction

You click “Forgot password” on your WordPress site hoping to receive a reset link, but nothing happens. No email in your inbox, no new password — just frustration. I recognize this issue and know how confusing it is when the password reset doesn’t work as expected. In this article I explain why the WordPress password‑reset process sometimes fails. The goal is to give you insight into the possible causes without diving straight into technical fixes. That way you understand what’s going wrong and can search for the right solution.

What happens when the reset doesn’t work?

When the password reset fails, you’ll notice a few clear symptoms. Common signs include:

• No email received: You don’t get a reset email from WordPress in your inbox (not even in spam). It looks like no email was sent at all.
• Error message on screen: WordPress can show an error during or after requesting your new password. For example a message that something went wrong, or that the reset link is invalid or expired.
• Redirect with no result: After entering your email address and clicking “Reset password,” you’re simply sent back to the login screen without confirmation that an email was sent. It feels like nothing happened.
• No confirmation: You see no success message and receive no confirmation that a reset was requested. The process seems to fail silently, so your login attempt stalls.

Do you recognize one or more of these symptoms? Then there’s a good chance the “Forgot password” process isn’t working. Below I cover the most common causes — and, crucially, how they show up from the user’s perspective.

Why can’t you reset your password?

Email never arrives

A common cause is that the reset email simply doesn’t reach the user. In many cases WordPress does send the reset link, but it never reaches your inbox. This can happen for several reasons:

• Spam filter blocks the email: Your email provider may consider the reset email spam. A spam filter can send it to the spam folder or reject it entirely.
• Email marked as untrustworthy: Many WordPress sites run on shared hosting. Because of that, emails from your site may be seen as untrustworthy by providers like Gmail or Outlook. WordPress sends the email, but it never arrives in your inbox.
• Sending error or server setting: Sometimes something technical goes wrong during sending. WordPress usually shows an error if it can’t send email, but not always. If your domain or DNS settings (such as SPF records) aren’t correct, the email can be blocked in transit. In some cases it doesn’t even land in spam, especially with stricter providers like Outlook/Hotmail and Gmail.
• Hosting blocks outgoing mail: Some hosting providers disable outgoing mail by default. On those hosts, no email is sent from your WordPress site at all. In that case you’ll never see a reset email. WordPress may try to send it, but the server doesn’t allow it — your inbox stays quiet.

Not receiving the reset email is the most obvious problem for end users. You used “Forgot password,” but without the email you can’t go any further. This usually isn’t your fault: spam filters, email settings, or server restrictions are often the culprits.

No valid user account

Another explanation is that WordPress can’t send a reset email because the entered user details don’t match an account. In other words: you’re trying to reset the password for an account that doesn’t (or no longer) exist. This can happen in a few ways:

• Typo or wrong email address: If you enter the wrong email address or misspell your username, WordPress can’t find your account. The system doesn’t recognize the address, so it doesn’t send an email. Often you’ll see a message that the user isn’t known — or on some sites, no error at all (for security reasons). Either way, you don’t receive a reset link.
• Account no longer exists: It may be that the account you’re trying to reset doesn’t exist anymore. Maybe it was deleted, or you’re trying to log in to the wrong WordPress site. A common mistake is trying to log in to WordPress.com or another site instead of your own. In that case the “Forgot password” feature won’t work because your account isn’t known there.
• Wrong or old email attached: Sometimes a user has multiple email addresses and the WordPress account is linked to a different one than expected. You keep checking your inbox, but the reset email goes to another address or an old account. If you no longer have access to that address, you won’t receive it. If the email address is no longer active (for example an old company address), nothing will arrive either.

For you as a user this looks simple: nothing happens (no email), or you immediately see an error about an unknown user. It’s frustrating, but the cause is that WordPress can’t find a match for the details you entered. Tip: double‑check that you’re using the email address tied to your account. If you have multiple addresses, try those too — the reset email may have been linked to one of them.

Wrong login URL or blocked reset flow

Sometimes the problem isn’t your details or email, but the login page itself. WordPress can be secured or customized in ways that break the default reset flow:

• Custom login URL: Many websites use security plugins that move or hide the standard login URL (wp-login.php). If you go to the usual “forgot password” page, you may hit a dead end. The page might show an error or not exist (404 error). A security plugin could put wp-login.php elsewhere. In that case the standard reset link doesn’t work and nothing appears to happen. You might even be redirected to the homepage without explanation.
• Plugin blocks reset: Some security plugins block password resets after certain actions to prevent abuse (like mass reset emails). The result is that your legitimate attempt is blocked too. You enter your email, but the plugin stops WordPress from sending the reset email — again resulting in no email or an unexpected redirect for you.
• Wrong site or subdomain: It sounds simple, but always check the URL. With multiple environments (a staging site, subdomain, or WordPress.com), you might request the reset in the wrong place. You won’t get a usable link for your actual site. Often you’ll see a redirect or message that doesn’t match what you expect.

Symptoms of a wrong login URL or a blocking plugin include not being able to reach the “Forgot password” page at all, unexpected error messages, or no response after clicking reset. In effect the feature looks broken — and in a sense it is, but because of an intentional security or structural change on the site.

Outdated site or faulty plugin causing a failure

Finally, the issue can sit in the technical state of the site itself. A WordPress install that hasn’t been updated for a long time, or a plugin with errors, can cause the password reset process to stop working. Possible scenarios include:

• Plugin or theme conflict: WordPress often runs with multiple plugins and themes at the same time. One of them can interfere with the reset flow. For example an outdated plugin that tries to send its own emails but fails, or a theme that overrides the reset page with a custom template that doesn’t work. In that case you’ll notice the reset process stalls: you click “Reset password” and nothing happens, or you see an unexpected error due to a code issue.
• Outdated WordPress version: If the site hasn’t been updated in a long time, bugs or incompatibilities can break the reset functionality. Think of outdated mail settings or scripts that no longer work with the current server configuration. The result can be a failure right when you try to reset your password — from a blank page to a technical error. This is less common than email issues, but it does happen in older versions.
• General site outage: Sometimes the password reset is just a victim of a broader problem. For example if the site has database issues, broken .htaccess rules, or other errors. As an end user you’ll notice multiple functions failing, including the password reset. In that case the root cause isn’t the reset feature itself, but a broader failure that affects it too.

In all of these situations the core problem is that something inside the site isn’t functioning correctly, so your reset request never gets handled properly. For you it remains a failed login attempt. Often the clue is that other parts of the site also behave oddly (for example forms not submitting). But even if it’s only the reset: a conflict or code error can be the culprit.

Closing: frustrating but explainable

Not being able to reset your WordPress password is extremely frustrating — I understand that all too well. You feel locked out of your own site, and the usual “Forgot password” option lets you down. Luckily this situation is usually explainable. In this article I listed the most common causes, from emails that never arrive to incorrect details or technical failures. Often there isn’t a mysterious issue without cause, but a concrete reason why the reset fails.

The most important thing is to realize you’re not the only one with this problem, and in most cases it’s solvable once you find the cause. Whether it’s a strict spam filter, a wrong email address, or a plugin — there’s usually a logical explanation. Hopefully this gives you a clearer idea of why the WordPress password reset isn’t working. With that knowledge you can take more targeted steps (or get help) to regain access to your site. Remember: it’s annoying, but usually explainable — and once the cause is resolved, you can log in again without issues. Good luck!