How to Automatically Change WordPress SALT Keys

Recently one of our readers asked if it was possible to automatically change WordPress SALT keys? WordPress security authentication or SALT keys are the encrypted code that secure your login information. One way to enhance your WordPress security is by automatically changing your SALT keys. In this article, we will show you how to automatically change WordPress SALT keys without any code.

What are SALT Security Keys?

Salt Keys aka security keys in WordPress are the variables that store your login credentials in an encrypted form. By default, WordPress saves your login information in cookies which given the right conditions can be compromised specially when using public computers.

One way to stay ahead of this risk is to change your security keys manually from your wp-config.php file that is available in the root folder of your WordPress site. The security and SALT keys will look like this:

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We recommend changing these codes on a regular basis to improve your website security (every 3 – 6 months). You can manually generate the Salt keys from WordPress.org secret-key service.

While changing the keys manually isn’t hard, it’s still time consuming to manually edit a core file and upload via FTP. In case, you don’t have coding knowledge, or don’t have the time, then this solution is for you.

Let’s take a look at how easily you can set an automated process to change security and SALT keys in WordPress:

How to Change WordPress SALT Keys?

The first thing you need to do is install and activate Salt Shaker plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is activated, you need to go to Tools » Salt Shaker page in your WordPress admin to set a schedule for changing the SALT keys.

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You need to check the option for automatically changing the Salt keys and then select your schedule from the dropdown. You can automatically change the authentication keys daily, weekly, and monthly.

In case you want to change the security and Salt keys manually, then you can do so by clicking on the Change Now button.

Note: Every time your WordPress SALT keys are changed, you and other users will be automatically logged out from your WordPress site on all devices. You can easily re-login to your WordPress dashboard by going to the WordPress login page.

We hope this article helped you automatically change the WordPress SALT keys. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide to improve your website security.

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