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How to Locate and Secure the Admin URI in Magento 2

Published on: September 12, 2024 | Last Updated: May 9, 2026 | Category: Magento 2 Development

Finding your Magento 2 Admin URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) is a common hurdle for store owners, developers, and administrators—especially after a fresh installation or when taking over an existing project. Unlike older e-commerce platforms, Magento 2 does not use a predictable default admin URL like /admin or /backend. Instead, during the installation process, Magento generates a randomized, unique admin path (e.g., /admin_1a2b3c) to protect your store from brute-force attacks and automated bots.

If you have misplaced or forgotten this custom URL, do not panic. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the three most reliable methods to locate your Magento 2 admin URI. Furthermore, we will explain how to safely change it and outline the best security practices to protect your e-commerce storefront.

Pro Tip: Always bookmark your admin URL immediately after setting up your store. However, avoid sharing this URL publicly or linking to it from the frontend of your website.

Method 1: Using the Magento CLI (Recommended)

The Command Line Interface (CLI) is the fastest, safest, and most reliable method to retrieve your admin URL. This approach guarantees accuracy because it queries the core framework directly.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Connect to your server: Open your terminal and connect to your web server using SSH (Secure Shell).
2. Navigate to the root directory: Change your directory to the location where Magento 2 is installed. For example:

   cd /var/www/html/magento2

3. Execute the info command: Run the built-in Magento CLI command specifically designed to output the admin URI:

   php bin/magento info:adminuri

Once you execute the command, the terminal will instantly return the path. For example, if your admin panel is located at www.yourstore.com/admin_custom_path, the output will look like this:

Admin URI: /admin_custom_path

Simply append this path to your store's base domain to access the backend login panel.

Method 2: Checking the env.php Configuration File

If you do not have SSH access to your server (which is common in shared hosting environments), you can locate the admin URI by directly inspecting Magento's environment configuration file using an FTP/SFTP client like FileZilla or your host's cPanel File Manager.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP or open your web hosting File Manager.
2. Navigate to your Magento 2 root directory.
3. Go to the app/etc/ folder.
4. Open the env.php file using a text editor.

Scroll down until you find the backend array. Inside this array, look for the frontName key. The value assigned to frontName is your admin URI.

<?php
return [
    'backend' => [
        'frontName' => 'admin_custom_path'
    ],
    'crypt' => [
        'key' => 'b1a2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0'
    ],
    // ... other configurations
];

Warning: Be extremely careful when opening the env.php file. Do not accidentally delete or modify any other arrays or commas, as a syntax error here will crash your entire Magento 2 store resulting in a 500 Internal Server Error.

Method 3: Checking via the Database (phpMyAdmin)

In rare scenarios, developers may force a custom admin URL directly through the database configuration rather than relying solely on the env.php file. You can verify this by checking the core_config_data table.

1. Log into your database management tool (e.g., phpMyAdmin).
2. Select your Magento 2 database.
3. Run the following SQL query in the SQL tab:

   SELECT * FROM core_config_data WHERE path LIKE '%admin/url%';

4. Check the results for paths named admin/url/use_custom and admin/url/custom. If a custom URL is defined here, it will override the env.php settings.

How to Change Your Magento 2 Admin URI

Leaving your admin URL as the default (or keeping it static for years) poses a significant security risk. We highly recommend changing your admin path periodically. The safest way to do this is via the CLI.

To change your backend URL to a new, secure path (e.g., portal_xyz987), run the following command from your Magento root directory:

php bin/magento setup:config:set --backend-frontname="portal_xyz987"

After running this command, you must flush the Magento cache for the changes to take effect on the frontend router:

php bin/magento cache:flush

Security Best Practices for Magento 2 Admin

Knowing your admin URI is just the first step. Securing it is what protects your business data and customer information. Implement these security measures to harden your backend:

• Never use predictable paths: Avoid using names like /admin, /backend, /manager, or /login. Use a randomized alphanumeric string.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Since Magento 2.4, 2FA is enabled by default. Ensure it is configured properly with Google Authenticator or Duo Security.
• Implement IP Whitelisting: If you have a static office IP address, restrict access to the admin path at the server level (using Nginx or Apache .htaccess) so that only your IP can load the login page.
• Use Strong Passwords: Enforce strict password policies for all admin users, requiring at least 12 characters, symbols, and numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why am I getting a 404 Not Found error on my admin page?

A 404 error usually occurs if the cache hasn't been cleared after changing the URI, or if there is an issue with your server's URL rewrites. Run php bin/magento cache:flush. If using Apache, ensure the mod_rewrite module is enabled.

Can I have multiple Admin URIs?

No, Magento 2 only supports a single active admin URI (frontName) at a time per installation. Attempting to create multiple entry points can cause routing conflicts and session invalidation.

Does changing the Admin URI affect my SEO?

No, the admin URI is completely hidden from search engines and users. Changing it has absolutely zero impact on your frontend SEO rankings, indexing, or site performance.

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