If you’re logged in as an administrator but the custom admin path still redirects to the homepage, the browser session wasn’t established on the new path. WP Ghost creates sessions on both the default and custom admin paths when you log in. If the session creation fails (due to server config or plugin conflicts), WordPress treats the custom path as invalid and redirects to the homepage.
Log out and log back in
This is the most common fix. Log out of WordPress completely, then log back in through your custom login path. Logging in again forces WP Ghost to create fresh sessions on both the default /wp-admin and your custom admin path. After logging in, try the custom admin path again.
Clear cache and browser cookies
Stale session cookies or cached redirects can prevent the new path from working. Clear your browser cookies for your site’s domain, clear your WordPress cache plugin, and try again in an incognito window. If the custom path works in incognito but not in your regular browser, the issue is a cached cookie or redirect.
Check server configuration
On Apache, verify that .htaccess is writable and mod_rewrite is enabled. On Nginx, verify that hidemywp.conf is included in your Nginx config and the service was restarted after the path change. Some servers block cookie creation on non-standard paths. Check with your hosting provider if custom admin paths are supported.
Deactivate other security plugins
Other security plugins can clear or overwrite WP Ghost’s session cookies. Temporarily deactivate other security plugins (Wordfence, Solid Security, Sucuri, etc.), log out, log back in, and test the custom admin path. If it works, reactivate plugins one at a time to find the conflict.
Revert to default wp-admin
If the custom admin path remains inaccessible after all checks, revert to the default path while you investigate. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > Admin Security and set the admin path back to wp-admin. All other WP Ghost security features (firewall, brute force, login path, 2FA) continue to work normally.
If you can’t access the admin dashboard through any path, use the Safe URL parameter or follow the emergency disable guide.