How to Log In to Plesk?

Plesk is a widely used web hosting control panel that simplifies server management and website administration. Gaining access to the Plesk interface is the first step in managing your websites, domains, emails, and server settings. This guide provides detailed instructions on how to log in to your Plesk account using various authentication methods, ensuring you can efficiently manage your hosting environment.

Applicability

These login methods are applicable to both:

• Plesk for Linux
• Plesk for Windows

Accessing the Plesk Web Interface

To access the Plesk interface in a web browser, you have several authentication options. You can use your Plesk account credentials, the root or administrator password for your server, or generate a one-time login link via an SSH key. It is crucial to ensure that the necessary port for Plesk access over HTTPS, typically port 8443, is open in your server's firewall.

Note: A port to log in to Plesk over HTTPS must be opened in a firewall. By default, the port is 8443.

Method 1: Logging in with Plesk Account Credentials

This is the most common and recommended method for accessing your Plesk panel. Follow these steps to log in using your Plesk account username and password:

1. Open your web browser and in the address bar, enter the Plesk login page link. The format should be: https://<Server hostname or IP address>:8443.

   Note: You might encounter an SSL warning. This typically indicates that a proper SSL certificate has not yet been installed on your Plesk server. It is generally safe to proceed past this warning for the initial login.

2. On the login page, enter your Plesk account username and password. For instance, the default administrator username is often "admin" as shown in the example image below:

   

3. Click the Log In button to proceed.

Upon successful authentication, you will be directed to the Plesk web interface, where you can begin managing your services.

Method 2: Logging in with Server Root/Administrator Account Password

You can also log in to Plesk using the root password for Linux servers or the administrator password for Windows servers. This method grants full access and should be used with caution.

1. In your web browser, navigate to the Plesk login page using the format: https://<Server hostname or IP address>:8443.

   Note: Similar to the previous method, you may encounter an SSL warning, which can be safely bypassed for initial access.

2. Enter either root (for Linux servers) or administrator (for Windows servers) as the username, and then provide the corresponding root/administrator password you use for connecting to the server.

   

   For Windows servers, the administrator credentials would appear as:

   

3. Click the Log In button.

You will then gain access to the Plesk web interface with administrative privileges.

Important Note: If access to Plesk is disabled for the root user, you will not be able to log in to Plesk using this method. This is a common security practice to enhance server protection.

Method 3: Accessing Plesk via SSH with a One-Time Login Link

For enhanced security or when direct browser access is problematic, you can generate a one-time login link to Plesk via SSH. This method requires initial access to your Plesk server via an SSH client.

1. Connect to your Plesk server using an SSH client. The choice of SSH client depends on your operating system:

   • For Linux and macOS users: You can utilize any preferred SSH client. Ensure that your SSH key has the correct permissions set and is placed in the designated folder.

   • For Windows users: We recommend using PuTTY, a popular free SSH client. If you opt for PuTTY, you might need to convert your SSH key into the PuTTY-specific format for compatibility.

2. Generate a one-time login link. Once you have successfully accessed the Plesk server via SSH, execute the following command in the terminal:

   # plesk login

   The command will output two links, typically in these formats:

   • https://<Server hostname>/login?secret=<session_token>
   • https://<Server IP address>/login?secret=<session_token>

3. Use the generated link to log in. Copy one of the generated links and paste it into your web browser's address bar:

   • Initially, try using the link that includes the server hostname: https://<Server hostname>/login?secret=<session_token>.

   • If the hostname link does not function correctly, use the link with the server IP address: https://<Server IP address>/login?secret=<session_token>.

   Important Consideration: If your Plesk server is situated behind a NAT (Network Address Translation), the command will only generate a link with a private IP address. In such cases, you must manually change the private IP address to your server's public IP address before pasting the link into your browser.

   Note: As with other methods, an SSL warning might appear. It is generally safe to bypass this warning for the purpose of initial login.

Additional Resources

For further assistance or related topics, please refer to these helpful articles:

• I Forgot my Plesk User Account Password
• How to log in to Plesk on Amazon Lightsail/DigitalOcean using SSH keys

Important Note: If you are a Plesk administrator and have forgotten your credentials or do not have them, please contact your server hosting provider for assistance. If you are any other type of user, kindly reach out to your Plesk administrator to recover your login information.