Manual Method
First create a .htpasswds file. You can do so easily by using this generator. Upload this file outside your /public_html/ directory. A good path would be:
home/user/.htpasswds/public_html/wp-admin/passwd/
Then, create a .htaccess file and upload it in /wp-admin/ directory. Then add the following codes in there:
Tables can't be imported directly. Please insert an image of your table which can be found here.
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You must update your username in there. Also don’t forget to update the AuthUserFile location path.
I have a 404 Error or a Too many redirects error
Well this can happen depending on how your server is configured. To fix this issue, open your main WordPress .htaccess file and add the following code there before the WordPress rules start.
Tables can't be imported directly. Please insert an image of your table which can be found here.
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Well there you have it. Now you have double authentication for your WordPress admin area. This is a good alternative to limiting wp-admin access by IP address.
Update: Here is how to fix the Admin Ajax Issue
If you password protect your WordPress Admin directory, then it will break the Ajax functionality in the front-end (if it is being used). In our case, we don’t have any plugins that is using ajax in the front-end. But if you do, then here is how you fix that issue.
Open the .htaccess file located in your /wp-admin/ folder (This is NOT the main .htaccess file that we edited above).
In the wp-admin .htaccess file, paste the following code:
Tables can't be imported directly. Please insert an image of your table which can be found here.
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