Reset a Joomla admin password from a Linux terminal

Here are couple simple to follow steps on how to reset a Joomla password from a Linux terminal. This guide assumes that you have an access to your mysql database via Linux terminal.

First choose your new password. For example let’s use “joomla-password-reset” as a new password. Generate md5-hash from your new password:

$ echo -n "joomla-password-reset" | md5sum
7263e3513f08b709f55626bcc6d75ac7

Have your md5 hash password ready and login to your database:

$ mysql -p -u username

In the next step select your joomla database.

mysql> use joomla_database_name;
Reading table information for completion of table and column names
You can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A

Database changed
mysql>

The default ID of an admin user is 62. Unless you have not done anything to change it this is your admin user too. Execute a following mysql command to reset your joomla password to “joomla-password-reset” password:

mysql> update jos_users set password='7263e3513f08b709f55626bcc6d75ac7' where id='62';
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.01 sec)
Rows matched: 1  Changed: 1  Warnings: 0

mysql> 

All done. Now navigate your browser to your admin page and enter new password: joomla-password-reset