🎚️ The Hide My Login Switch

Once you have chosen an address, a Hide my login switch appears on the Settings tab. It lets you go back to the normal WordPress login for a while without losing your hidden address.

You might use it while a developer works on your site, while you test another plugin, or while you show someone how WordPress signs in. When you are done, one tick brings your hidden address straight back.

Where it is:

Open AiX Login Guard, then the Settings tab, and find the Your login address section. The switch sits above the Sign in at box. It only appears once an address has been saved, and it is on by default.

Next to the switch, a short line says what it does right now: On: you sign in at your hidden address below. As soon as you change the tick, it says what will happen when you save, for example Off when you save: your site signs in at the normal wp-login.php.

Switching it off:

1. Untick Hide my login.
2. Press Save settings.
3. Login Guard asks first: Switch off "Hide my login"? From the moment you save, your site signs in at the normal wp-login.php again, for everyone, robots included.
4. Press Yes, switch it off. Press Cancel to keep it on.

From the moment you save:

• wp-login.php works again for everyone, and /wp-admin/ behaves as normal WordPress does
• Your hidden address is kept, but it stops answering while the switch is off
• Every administrator is emailed that the login is back at the normal address. The subject is Your login for (your site name) is back at the normal address
• The Settings tab says Saved. "Hide my login" is off, with the normal address, and the box is now labelled Your hidden address (used when "Hide my login" is on)
• The Dashboard tab says "Hide my login" is switched off and offers an Open Settings button. What is protected shows Not hidden for wp-login.php and for /wp-admin/
• Diagnostics shows Saved, but "Hide my login" is off
• The help page tells anyone who opens it that the site signs in at the normal login page, and sends nothing

Switching it back on:

1. Tick Hide my login.
2. Press Save settings.
3. Login Guard asks: Switch "Hide my login" back on? It names the address you will sign in at and says wp-login.php stops working.
4. Press Yes, switch it on.

Your saved address works again straight away, and every administrator is emailed it, with the subject Your login address for (your site name).

A real example:

Willow Creek Pottery hires a web developer for one afternoon to update the shop. Sam would rather not share the secret address, so Sam unticks Hide my login, presses Save settings and confirms. The developer signs in at yoursite.com/wp-login.php with a temporary account.

In the evening Sam deletes the temporary account, ticks Hide my login, saves and confirms. yoursite.com/kiln-room-42/ is the login again, and Sam and Priya get the email.

Good to know:

• While the switch is off you can clear the box and the saved address is kept. While it is on, the box cannot be saved empty.
• You can also type a new address while switching back on. The new one goes live and is emailed.
• Switching the whole plugin off and on again with the same address does not email anyone a second time.
• If you cannot sign in at all, use the emergency line in wp-config.php instead. See Forgot Your Login Address? Every Way Back In.

Tips:

• Switch it back on as soon as you are done, so the robots go back to finding nothing.
• To change the address rather than pause it, see Choosing Your Secret Login Address.