How To Get A WordPress API Key

Monday, June 25th, 2007 | WordPress Blog with 13 Comments

There seems to be a bit of confusion with one of my instructional posts: Get A WordPress API Key For The Akismet WordPress Plugin. Several people are telling me that they can’t find their WordPress blog API key using my directions in that post so lets try again.

In order to get a WordPress API key you first need an account at WordPress.com. If you have, or had a free WordPress blog hosted on WordPress.com, chances are you already have an API key.

First go to WordPress.com. and click ‘Sign Up’ in the top right side of the site as shown below. Please note that the login information for WordPress.com is completly different than that to login to your self-hosted WordPress blog!!!

After you sign up at WordPress.com you will need to go through the normal email confirmation routine and get your password sent to you. Once you have your username and password go back to WordPress.com and login.

After you login you will see a screen similar to this, without my picture in it I hope

Place your mouse over ‘My Account’ on the top left. A drop down menu should appear, from that click ‘Global Dashboard’.

Now you should be in the WordPress Global Dashboard. Once in here click ‘Profile’ as shown below.

Here, at last you should find the elusive WordPress API key!

Now you can use the API key for all your WordPress blogs and some of the plugins that need it to function.

Important! Your login information for the WordPress Global Dashboard is completely different than your self-hosted blog. If you click Blog Stats from within your blog you may be prompted to login to the Global Dashboard. This can be confusing because both login screens look identical. Remember that your blog is hosted on your website, not on WordPress.com.

Only your blog stats are accessed on WordPress.com and clicking Blog Stats from within your self-hosted blog actually takes you from your site to WordPress.com.

This has caused many new self-hosted WordPress bloggers to think they have forgotten their passwords, when they were actually using the wrong information to login.

Please pay close attention to where you are and use the correct login information for the specific dashboard you are accessing. If you can’t login, chances are you are using the wrong information for the site you are on. The only reason you really need to login to the Global dashboard is to check your blog stats. If you check the remember me box when first logging into the Global dashboard you will most-likely never be prompted for it again.

About the Author:
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Jeff Houdyschell provides proven income opportunities, ideas and information for the best work at home jobs, visit: http://www.eSmartJob.com

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Comments

2
Carl Hendricks // June 25th, 2007 at 8:29 pm

Jefff pretty much breaks it down step by step. It does not get much more helpful than that.
3
Gamy // June 26th, 2007 at 2:03 am

Great job Houdy, with the instructions and pictures given,
it can’t easier then that.

thanks again for all your effort.

gamy
5
lukeMV // July 30th, 2007 at 10:17 am

How do I find my API key if I am hosting my blog on my own server? I am using V 2, and can’t seem to find it anwhere.
6
Jeff Houdyschell // July 30th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

Luke, you need to signup at WordPress.com to get an API key even if you have a self-hosted blog. It is nowhere on your own blog until you put it there.

The username and password to login to the WordPress Global dashboard is completly different than what is used to login to your self-hosted WP blog.

Jeff
7
jameswillisisthebest // September 8th, 2007 at 5:08 pm

This is my first post
just saying HI
9
sybaritic // November 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

hey, they moved the profile link, it’s no longer next to dashboard but on the same line ALL the way to the right, in a regular link
10
Jeff Houdyschell // November 5th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Sybaritic, if you look at the date of this post you might be able to figure out that it was made before those changes in the WP dashboard. I have many posts about WP on several blogs so instead of trying to edit each one every time WP is updated I leave it up to the intelligence of the reader to figure out the subtle changes.
11
Leah // November 22nd, 2008 at 3:34 am

Hi, thank you for the instructions, but when I enter the API key into my self hosted blog I get this message

“The API key “###” belongs to the WordPress.com account of “my account name”. If this is not your account, please re-enter your API key.”

and then there’s an option below that saying

“Add new blog to my account

Do this if this blog is new or has never been associated with your API key. This blog will be added to your WordPress.com account.”

What do I press?

Thank you.
12
Jeff Houdyschell // November 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 am

Press “Add new blog to my account”
13
Diana Freedman // December 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Thanks! This helped me out a lot.