Encountering the 'Could not save password reset key to database' error in WordPress? This issue often strikes during login attempts, locking you out of your own site. Drawing from years of managing WordPress sites for clients, our team has resolved this countless times. Follow our proven step-by-step guide to regain access quickly and securely.
The first clue is a endlessly refreshing login page, preventing access to your WordPress dashboard.
When you attempt a password reset, the error message appears: 'Could not save password reset key to database'.
If you don't see this exact message, your login trouble might stem from other causes. Check our comprehensive guide on fixing WordPress login page redirection and refresh issues.
This specific error signals that WordPress can't write to the database—typically because your hosting account's disk space is full. The WordPress database counts toward your allocated storage, so once it's maxed out, no new data can be added.
Connect to your site via an FTP client (like FileZilla) or your cPanel File Manager.
Navigate to the /wp-content/uploads/ folder and identify large image files consuming space. Download them to your computer as backups before deleting.
With space freed up, revisit your WordPress login page—it should work now.
Once inside, audit your files for space hogs, especially in /wp-content/ or /wp-content/uploads/. Common offenders include bloated cache files from plugins that aren't purging automatically.
WordPress backup plugins are another frequent culprit—if they're storing archives on your server, they're eating up precious space. Best practice: Offload backups to secure cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
If space remains tight, consider upgrading to a VPS or managed WordPress hosting for scalable storage and performance.
We hope this guide restores your site access swiftly. For more, explore our roundup of the most common WordPress errors and fixes.
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