Administrator Rescue Link

If you can no longer access the WordPress admin because your role or capabilities were changed, you can restore your Administrator access yourself:

1. Go to your site’s login page: yoursite.com/wp-login.php
2. In the address bar, add ?action=members_rescue so the URL is: yoursite.com/wp-login.php?action=members_rescue
3. Enter the email address of an account that currently has the built-in Administrator role, or is a Super Admin (multisite).
4. Click Send Rescue Link. If that account is eligible, a secure link will be sent to that email (you may need to check spam).
5. Open the link from the email within 15 minutes. The Administrator role will be restored to its default capabilities, and you’ll be redirected to the login page to sign in.

Only users who currently have the built-in WordPress “Administrator” role (or Super Admins on multisite) can use this feature; custom or cloned roles are not eligible. The link expires after 15 minutes and is limited to a few attempts per IP to prevent abuse.

Didn’t get the email?

The rescue link is sent by your site, so it only arrives if your site can send email. Check your spam folder first. Many hosts don’t deliver WordPress email reliably; the free WP Mail SMTP plugin sends it through a proper email service instead, and is worth setting up before you need it.

If you can’t get the email at all, you can still use Reset Roles once someone with Administrator access is logged in, or restore a backup of your site.