This is an add-on to my last post about customizing the login page. My client wanted to (very slightly) change the text a user sees on the Forgot Password page.
It took me way too long to come across the login_message filter.
here’s my function:
function forgotpass_message() {
$action = $_REQUEST['action'];
if( $action == 'lostpassword' ) {
$message = '<p class="message">Please enter your email address. Then check your email inbox for instructions to reset your password.</p>';
return $message;
}
}
add_filter('login_message', 'forgotpass_message');
The url on the forgot password page includes the query string “action=lostpassword” so that’s what I’m checking for with my $_REQUEST call. If we’re on the forgot password page, then make a new message and return it.
Some other possible values of the action query string (taken from wp-login.php):
- logout
- retrievepassword
- resetpass
- rp
- register
- login
I think “rp” is another form of reset password.
Happy WordPress login page customizing! Hopefully someone who is looking for this comes across it quicker than I did.

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6:25 pm
Just what I needed!
Thanks for sharing mate
12:41 pm
Very useful. Looked for it for a while. Thank you very much!