Fixing Common WPS Hide Login Redirect and Access Issues
Content
WPS Hide Login is a popular plugin for securing your WordPress login page by changing the default wp-admin and wp-login.php URLs. However, users sometimes encounter redirect loops, 404 errors, or unexpected accessibility of the old admin URLs. Based on community reports and solutions, this guide covers the most common problems and how to resolve them.
Common Issues and Their Solutions
1. Redirect Loops and 404 Errors on Login
Problem: After setting a custom login URL, you are redirected to the homepage or see a 404 "Not Found" error when trying to access your new secret login link.
Why it happens: This is often caused by conflicts with other plugins that manage redirects (like Redirection plugins) or server-level caching that has stored the old redirect rules.
Solution:
- Check for conflicting plugins: Temporarily deactivate other redirection or security plugins to see if the issue resolves.
- Clear all caches: Thoroughly clear your browser cache, any WordPress caching plugin's cache (e.g., WP Super Cache, Litespeed Cache), and your server or CDN cache if applicable.
- Manual plugin deactivation: If you are completely locked out, you can deactivate WPS Hide Login via FTP or your hosting file manager. Navigate to
wp-content/plugins/and rename thewps-hide-loginfolder to something likewps-hide-login-off. This will restore the defaultwp-login.phpaccess so you can log in and reconfigure the plugin.
2. Default wp-admin URL Still Accessible
Problem: Your new custom login URL works, but the default https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/ address is also still accessible, which defeats the purpose of hiding it.
Why it happens: This is almost always a caching issue. A cached version of the redirect rule or page is being served by your browser, a plugin, or the server.
Solution:
- Perform a full cache clearance as described above. After clearing, test in a private/incognito browser window to ensure you are seeing uncached results.
- Check your caching plugin's settings to ensure it is not caching the
wp-adminorwp-login.phppages. Exclude these paths from being cached.
3. Slowness on Admin Pages After Activation
Problem: After activating WPS Hide Login, your WordPress admin dashboard becomes noticeably slower.
Why it happens: While the plugin itself is lightweight, conflicts with certain server configurations or other plugins can sometimes introduce performance overhead during the redirection process.
Solution:
- Investigate other plugins. Temporarily deactivate all other plugins and see if speed improves. If it does, reactivate them one-by-one to identify the conflict.
- Check if you have any manual redirects set up in your
.htaccessfile (Apache) or server configuration (Nginx) that might be interacting poorly with the plugin's rules.
4. WP-CLI Commands Cause Redirect Warnings
Problem: When running WP-CLI commands with the --exec="define('WP_ADMIN', true);" flag, a warning about a URL redirect appears, often to a 404 page.
Why it happens: The WPS Hide Login plugin intercepts requests to the admin area, and WP-CLI commands that simulate being in the admin can trigger this redirection logic incorrectly.
Solution:
- The most straightforward workaround is to temporarily disable WPS Hide Login before running WP-CLI commands that require
WP_ADMIN. You can reactivate it afterward.
5. The /wp-admin/ Path is Still Visible in the Admin Bar
Problem: After logging in, the admin toolbar and links within the dashboard still contain the /wp-admin/ path.
Why it happens: This is expected behavior. The WPS Hide Login team designed the plugin to only change the login URL for security purposes. It does not rewrite all the internal links within the WordPress admin area itself. Its primary goal is to prevent brute force attacks by obscuring the login page, not to hide the entire admin backend.
Solution:
- This is the plugin's intended functionality. If you require the admin URLs to be completely rewritten, a different plugin or a more comprehensive solution would be necessary.
Important Notes on Security
WPS Hide Login is effective against casual bots scanning for default login pages. However, as noted in the community, determined individuals may still access admin pages if they guess a direct path to a script (e.g., wp-admin/profile.php). For a stronger security posture, it is highly recommended to use WPS Hide Login in conjunction with a comprehensive security plugin like Wordfence, which can actively block such attempts and harden your site further.
By understanding these common issues, you can effectively troubleshoot and maintain a secure and accessible WordPress admin login for your site.
Related Support Threads Support
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Can’t access backend, it redirects me to home pagehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/cant-access-backend-it-redirects-me-to-home-page/
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Running WP-CLI with WP_ADMIN causes redirecthttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/running-wp-cli-with-wp_admin-causes-redirect/
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Change the admin URL for the bedrock wordpress structure.https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-the-admin-url-for-the-bedrock-wordpress-structure/
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htpps://url/wp-admin still accessiblehttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/htpps-url-wp-admin-still-accessible/
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安装插件，设置其他后台后不能访问。https://wordpress.org/support/topic/%e5%ae%89%e8%a3%85%e6%8f%92%e4%bb%b6%ef%bc%8c%e8%ae%be%e7%bd%ae%e5%85%b6%e4%bb%96%e5%90%8e%e5%8f%b0%e5%90%8e%e4%b8%8d%e8%83%bd%e8%ae%bf%e9%97%ae%e3%80%82/
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Hides /wp-admin, but not /admin?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/hides-wp-admin-but-not-admin/
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fixhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/fix-7/
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!is_admin()https://wordpress.org/support/topic/is_admin/
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slowness back end redirectionhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/slowness-back-end-redirection/
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Cache issue errorhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/cache-issue-error/
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The hidden admin login is still foundhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/the-hideen-admi-nlogin-is-still-found/
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support for backend?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/support-for-backend/
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Does this plugin affects what’s written in robots.txt file?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-this-plugin-affects-whats-written-in-robots-txt-file/
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Able to see admin panel up top after logging in though can not access adminhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/able-to-see-admin-panel-up-top-after-logging-in-though-can-not-access-admin/
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Incorrect redirectionhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/incorrect-redirection-3/
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Hide my WP Ghosthttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/hide-my-wp-ghost-2/
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HIDE WP-ADMIN IN BACKENDhttps://wordpress.org/support/topic/hide-wp-admin-in-backend-2/
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Hides /wp-admin, but not /admin?https://wordpress.org/support/topic/hides-wp-admin-but-not-admin-2/
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Uncaught ReferenceError: wp is not defined – Using WP 5.51https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-5-51/