Change “wp-admin” URL Without Plugin

Changing the default WordPress login URL from "wp-admin" to a custom URL is a proactive security measure that helps safeguard your site against potential threats.

"There are tons of 3rd party plugin to do it but remember they may slow down your website also may cause security threat."

1. Backup Your WordPress Site

Before making any changes, create a full backup of your WordPress site, including the database and files.

2. Create a Child Theme. Skip if you already have.

Follow the steps in the article How to Create a WordPress Child Theme to create a child theme for your active WordPress theme.

Child theme will safeguard all your custom changes when update parent theme.

By creating a child theme, you maintain a clean separation between your customizations and the parent theme, making it easier to manage and update your site in the long run.

3. Access Your Child Theme Files

Use an FTP client or your hosting file manager to navigate to the directory of your child theme. This is typically located at wp-content/themes/your-child-theme-name/.

4. Edit the functions.php File in the Child Theme

Add the following code to the functions.php file of your child theme:

// Change login URL
function custom_login_url() {
    return home_url('/your-custom-url');
}

add_filter('login_headerurl', 'custom_login_url');

Replace /your-custom-url with your desired custom login URL.

Save the changes in modified functions.php file.

5. Edit the .htaccess File

Edit the .htaccess file in the root directory of your WordPress installation. Add the following lines at the beginning of the file:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^your-custom-url/?$ wp-login.php [L]
</IfModule>

Replace your-custom-url with the same custom login URL you specified in the child theme's functions.php file.

Save the changes in modified .htaccess file.

6. Test the New Login URL

Visit your custom login URL (e.g., https://yoursite.com/your-custom-url) to ensure that the new login page loads correctly. Also, test the login/logout processes, password recovery, and any custom functionality.

7. Update Permalinks

As a good practice, go to "Settings" > "Permalinks" set post name as permalink in your WordPress admin dashboard and click "Save Changes" to update your site's permalinks.

8. Clear Cache

Clear your browser cache and refresh the login page.

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