How to Create a WordPress Custom Reset Password Page (Plugin+Code)

Are you looking for effective ways to improve your site's user experience? One simple yet powerful change is customizing your WordPress password reset page.

By default, WordPress shows a plain, generic reset page that doesn't reflect your site's design or branding. This can feel disconnected for users and may even affect your site's professionalism. That's why creating a seamless, custom reset password page is important.

Luckily, customizing this reset page is easier than you think. It doesn't require coding skills or expensive premium tools.

In this post, we'll explain why it's important to customize your reset password page and show you exactly how to do it with easy-to-follow steps. Let's dive in!

Why You Should Customize Your WordPress Reset Password Page

WordPress comes with built-in features like account creation, login, and password reset. These pages work fine, but they show WordPress's branding by default.

If it's just you or your team using them, it might not matter much. But for an online store or membership site, where customers log in to access their accounts, these default pages can cause confusion.

The default reset password page is pretty plain and shows the WordPress logo. For someone unfamiliar with WordPress, it might look like they've been sent to another site. This can confuse people and even make them hesitate to reset their password.

By customizing this page, you can make it match your website's look and feel. Add your logo, use your brand's colors, and maybe even tweak the text to match your tone. This way, users feel confident they’re still on your site, and it shows that you care about their experience.

It's a small change that makes a big difference in building trust and keeping your audience happy.

Method 1: How to Create a Custom Password Reset Page Using a Free Plugin

Step 1: Install a Free Plugin

Several free plugins can help you create a custom reset password page. For this guide, we’ll use Theme My Login, a popular and easy-to-use plugin.

• Go to your WordPress dashboard.
• Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
• Search for “Theme My Login.”
• Click Install Now and then Activate.

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, it will automatically create URLs for your custom login, logout, registration, forgot password, and reset password screens.

To access these URLs, go to Theme My Login > General and scroll down to the Slugs section. You don't need to do anything on this page.

However, if you want to allow your users to set their own passwords, you can do it from this page by simply click on the Passwords option.

Step 2: Create and Customize a New Reset Password Page

Next, you’ll need to create a new page. This will be your WordPress custom reset password page.

To do that, go to Pages > All Pages and create a new page. Then add a shortcode. Copy the below shortcode and paste it into the editor:

[theme-my-login action=”lostpassword”]

Now, you can add any content you want to the page. You might insert your logo, write your own text, and more.

You might even want to add links to other pages on your site. If you allow users to set their passwords, you could remind them to include a mixture of numbers and letters and use a minimum of eight characters.

Once you are done with the customization, publish the page, and you are done.

Step 3: Test Your Custom Password Reset Page

After publishing the page, now you should test it. Log out of your site and go to the login page. There you will find your newly created password reset page.

Method 2: Create a Custom Password Reset Page with Code

If you’re comfortable with basic coding, you can create a custom reset password page manually. This method requires adding a page template and some custom functionality.

Step 1: Create a Custom Page Template

1. Open your WordPress theme folder via FTP or your hosting file manager.
2. Navigate to the wp-content/themes/your-theme/ directory.
3. Create a new file named reset-password.php.
4. Add the following code to define a custom template:

<?php
/* Template Name: Custom Reset Password */
get_header();
?>

<div class="custom-reset-password">
    <h2>Reset Your Password</h2>
    <p>Enter your new password below.</p>
    <?php
        if (isset($_REQUEST['key']) && isset($_REQUEST['login'])) {
            $key = $_REQUEST['key'];
            $login = $_REQUEST['login'];
            echo do_shortcode('[password_reset key="' . $key . '" login="' . $login . '"]');
        } else {
            echo '<p>Invalid request.</p>';
        }
    ?>
</div>

<?php get_footer(); ?>

Step 2: Create a Shortcode for the Reset Password Form

1. Add the following code to your theme's functions.php file:

function custom_reset_password_form($atts) {
    ob_start();
    ?>
    <form action="<?php echo esc_url(network_site_url('wp-login.php?action=resetpass')); ?>" method="post">
        <input type="hidden" name="key" value="<?php echo esc_attr($_REQUEST['key']); ?>">
        <input type="hidden" name="login" value="<?php echo esc_attr($_REQUEST['login']); ?>">
        <label for="pass1">New Password</label>
        <input type="password" name="pass1" id="pass1">
        <label for="pass2">Confirm Password</label>
        <input type="password" name="pass2" id="pass2">
        <button type="submit">Reset Password</button>
    </form>
    <?php
    return ob_get_clean();
}
add_shortcode('password_reset', 'custom_reset_password_form');

Step 3: Create a Page Using the Template

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Pages > Add New.
2. Title the page “Reset Password” or something similar.
3. Under Page Attributes, select Custom Reset Password as the template.
4. Publish the page.

Step 4: Redirect the Default Reset Password Link

Add the following code to your functions.php file to redirect users to your custom page:

function redirect_reset_password_page() {
    if (isset($_GET['action']) && $_GET['action'] == 'lostpassword') {
        wp_redirect(home_url('/reset-password/'));
        exit;
    }
}
add_action('login_form_lostpassword', 'redirect_reset_password_page');

Step 5: Test Your Page

• Go to your login page and click Lost your password?
• Verify that the email directs users to your custom reset password page.
• Test the functionality thoroughly.

That's it!

How to Set up Custom Password Reset Page – Ending Note

Creating a custom reset password page in WordPress is a small change that makes a big difference. It helps you keep the design consistent, improves the user experience, and makes the whole login flow feel more professional.

If you still have confusion, feel free to share it with us using the comment box below. We would love to address your query in the fastest possible way.

Want to create a child theme for your WordPress site? Check out our blog on how to create a child theme and do it by yourself without hiring an expert. Good luck!