Getting a Gravatar account back is crucial, as it is the primary way to add an avatar across various platforms. Though you could infer it has to do something with avatars from the name, you may not realize its importance. We’ll explain that in a moment, but know the platform neither recycles accounts nor do they expire. In other words, once lost and never recovered means you can never reuse that account information, and may not find your collection of Gravatars again. We’re not saying this to scare you, only motivate you into giving it your all. With that out the way, let’s dive into how to recover a Gravatar account.
Check for an existing Gravatar account on the WordPress.com network
We’ll first explain why you should do so. Then, we’ll get to the steps and what you can conclude. Let’s start.
Sign up for Gravatar, even if you have an account already. Here’s why
Gravatar is directly tied to the WordPress.com network and utilizes it for authentication. Therefore, when you need to regain access to the former, you’ll have to go through the latter, a link they call WordPress.com Connect. However, that’s not the only service that takes advantage of WordPress.com—other Automattic products such as Crowdsignal and Akismet also do. This can lead to confusion, especially if you decide to call it quits and simply create a new Gravatar account, though we hope it won’t come to that.
On the topic of starting from scratch, we should also inform you that WordPress.com doesn’t reuse usernames. Thus, they won’t rename it for you to create a new account with the old username. Additionally, even if you deleted an account in the past, the data tied to it will still hinge on the username in their system, but remain invisible, as an “empty profile” or “abandoned profile”. You can link and unlink e-mail addresses, though.
In contrast, if you learn the username is already taken, you’ll know it belongs to your account and might aid recovery. In all cases, you know which username is off-limits when starting anew, and knowing why can bring relief.
Steps to check if Gravatar account exists
Hopefully, we helped you understand the truth of the matter. With that acknowledged, we suggest you:
- Visit the Gravatar Sign Up page.
- Enter an e-mail address and username you feel are correct.
- If you get an error stating, “Sorry, that email address is already used” or the identical one mentioning username, you’re on the right path. Otherwise, keep trying.
Note. If you created an account before 2007, you did so before WordPress.com acquired it. If you never changed passwords or the e-mail address, which, frankly, is rare, your account is independent of the platform. In that case, we propose you reach out to WordPress.com Customer Service, described in method 3, and chose one of the offered ways to recover your account for Gravatar.
Recover Gravatar account by resetting the password
We’ll likely dedicate an article to WordPress.com account recovery. However, for now, we’ll show you a quick set of steps that will get you through. Let’s start.
I’m still logged in
This is the best-case scenario. You’re signed in on one or more devices and can access the account panel, despite the fact you can’t log out because you don’t remember the password. If that’s the case, follow these steps to reset the password for Gravatar via WordPress.com:
- Visit www.wordpress.com and make sure you’re logged in. You’ll recognize this from the top menu.
- Go to the WordPress.com Password Settings page from the account dashboard.
- Type your new password, then repeat it for confirmation.
- Click the Save Changes button at the bottom.
- Visit Gravatar’s official website and click the Sign in link in the upper right corner.
- Enter your e-mail address or username and click on Continue.
- Enter your newly created password to access your Gravatar account.
I cannot sign in
Though seemingly terrifying, being unable to log in to Gravatar is not a massive problem, so long you have access to the e-mail address on file. As you can see above, you can sign in with a combination of an e-mail address and password. Even if you don’t remember it, you can click the Email me a login link button to gain one-time access through an e-mail on the Sign in page. Further, you can reset the password like this:
- Select the Lost your password? link.
- Enter the username or e-mail address for the Gravatar account.
- Click on Get New Password.
- You’ll get a password reset link to your e-mail. It will take you to the WordPress.com page, and let you configure a new one by entering it twice.
I used Google or Apple to create my account for Gravatar
Good on you! Doing so made things convenient and extra secure. However, it also means you have to rely on external services and their account rescue methods. Luckily, we went over Gmail account password recovery and methods to restore Apple ID. Consequently, you can regain access to your account on the Gravatar platform.
Contact WordPress.com Customer Service for help with Gravatar
If everything else fails or your case is specific, the only method to recover an account on the Gravatar platform that remains is this one. With that acknowledged, you can reach out to WordPress.com Customer Support using:
- Live chat. If your WordPress.com account uses a Premium or Business plan, you can get 24/7 Live Chat Support from WordPress.com.
- Phone number. Call the toll-free WordPress phone number 1-877 273-3049 and press 2.
Note. They also have a comprehensive Contact Us form and a team of Happiness Engineers that will provide basic help free of charge. However, you need to be logged in to your account already to gain access, rendering the procedure moot.
