In PrestaShop, the login timeout is controlled by the Back Office cookie lifetime.
Change Back Office Login Timeout
Go to:
Advanced Parameters → Administration
Look for:
- Lifetime of front office cookies (customer login)
- Lifetime of back office cookies (admin login)
The value is in hours. By default it is usually 480 hours (20 days). (PrestaShop User Documentation)
If You Are Still Logged Out After 15–20 Minutes
This is often caused by the inactivity timeout, not the cookie lifetime.
For some PrestaShop versions, the admin session may automatically expire after about 15 minutes of inactivity regardless of the cookie setting. This behavior has been reported in older versions. (PrestaShop)
Also check:
- Check the cookie’s IP address → Set to No if your IP changes frequently. (PrestaShop User Documentation)
- PHP session settings (
session.gc_maxlifetime) - Reverse proxy/CDN configuration
- HTTPS configuration (mixed HTTP/HTTPS can cause logout issues) (PrestaShop)
For PrestaShop 8 / 9
The recommended method is to configure the Back Office cookie lifetime from the Administration settings page rather than editing core files. (PrestaShop User Documentation)
If you tell me your exact PrestaShop version (1.6, 1.7, 8.x, or 9.x), I can provide the precise menu path or code location.