Are you confused about WordPress user roles and capabilities? Want to know when to use each role and how to customize them for your site? You‘re in the right place!
In this ultimate guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about WordPress user roles and permissions. Whether you‘re a beginner setting up your first site or an advanced user looking to fine-tune your setup, you‘ll learn how to effectively manage access and maintain tight security.
Let‘s dive in!
What are WordPress User Roles?
WordPress user roles are like job titles that define what a user can and can‘t do on your website. Each default user role comes with a preset bundle of capabilities, or permissions.
When you add a new user to your site, you assign them one of these roles. This controls their access level in the WordPress admin dashboard.
Why User Roles Matter
Imagine if every user could make any change they wanted on your site. It would be chaos! User roles maintain order by limiting access based on responsibilities.
Thoughtful role assignment is also crucial to WordPress security. According to a study by Wordfence, 61.5% of hacked WordPress sites had an admin account with a weak password. By only giving admin access to those who absolutely need it, you reduce your attack surface.
The Default WordPress User Roles
Out of the box, WordPress offers five default user roles:
| Role | Capabilities | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Full control over all site functions | Site owners, developers |
| Editor | Manage all content (posts, pages, media, comments) | Senior editors, content managers |
| Author | Create, edit, publish their own posts | Regular content contributors |
| Contributor | Write and manage their own posts, but cannot publish | Guest authors, infrequent contributors |
| Subscriber | Read content, manage their user profile | Membership sites, online stores, restricted content |
Let‘s explore each default role in more detail.
1. Administrator
With great power comes great responsibility. Administrators have free rein over the entire WordPress site, including:
- Create, edit, publish and delete any post, page or media file
- Add, manage and delete other users
- Install, activate and delete plugins and themes
- Manage options like settings, permalinks, etc.
On a single WordPress install, the administrator role should be reserved for site owners and developers only.
If you have a large editorial team, instead of making everyone an admin, consider customizing the Editor role to fit your needs (more on this later).
2. Editor
The Editor role is like a "super user" for content. Editors can perform almost any content-related action, such as:
- Create, edit, publish and delete posts and pages from all users
- Moderate, edit and delete comments
- Manage categories, tags and links
Editors cannot change site settings, users, plugins or themes. This role is best for senior editorial staff who need full control over content.
3. Author
Authors can write, publish and manage their own posts. However, they cannot create or edit pages.
Key capabilities include:
- Create, edit, publish and delete their own posts
- Upload media files like images and videos
- View comments on their posts
Use the Author role for your regular content creators, like staff writers or columnists.
4. Contributor
Contributors have limited content permissions. They can write and edit their own posts, but cannot publish them.
Posts by Contributors must be reviewed and published by an Editor or Administrator. They also cannot upload media files or view comments.
This role is best suited for guest bloggers, occasional contributors, or new writers whose work needs review before publishing.
5. Subscriber
Subscribers have the fewest capabilities of any default role. In fact, all they can do is log in and manage their profile!
So why have this role at all? The Subscriber role is designed for membership sites, online courses, forums, and any other case where you want users to be able to register and log in, but not have access to the WordPress admin area.
For example, if you run an online store, your customers would be assigned the Subscriber role when they create an account. This lets them view their past orders and manage their billing/shipping info, but that‘s it.
Super Admin (Multisite Only)
If you run a WordPress Multisite network, there‘s one additional user role: Super Admin.
Super Admins have god-like powers over the entire network. They can:
- Create and delete sites in the network
- Install plugins and themes and activate them network-wide
- Add, remove and manage all users across all sites
- Manage network settings
Unless you have a very large network, Super Admin capabilities are best limited to just one or two people to minimize security risks.
When to Use Each Default WordPress User Role
Not sure which user role to assign? Here are some common use cases:
- Administrator: Site owner, developer, or anyone else who needs full control over every aspect of the site. Use sparingly.
- Editor: Managing editors, content strategists, or SEO managers who need to oversee all content.
- Author: Full-time staff writers, regular content contributors.
- Contributor: Freelance writers, guest bloggers, interns, or anyone else who contributes occasionally but doesn‘t need publishing rights.
- Subscriber: Customers, students, membership site users, or anyone else who needs to log in but not access the WordPress admin area.
Of course, every site is different. In the next section, we‘ll show you how to customize roles to fit your exact situation.
Customizing Default User Roles
If your site needs don‘t map exactly to the default user roles, you‘re not stuck! WordPress allows you to modify the capabilities assigned to each role.
Some common reasons to customize user roles:
- Plugins that add new capabilities you want to assign to certain roles
- Functionality you want to add or remove from a default role (e.g. give Editors access to settings)
- Separating capabilities that are bundled together in a default role (e.g. allow Authors to edit published posts, but not delete them)
To customize user roles, you‘ll need a role editing plugin. Some of the most popular options are:
- Members by MemberPress
- User Role Editor by Flatbase
- PublishPress Capabilities
We‘ll use the free Members plugin for this example.
Editing Capabilities for User Roles
After installing and activating the Members plugin, go to Members > Roles in your WordPress admin area.
You‘ll see a list of all your existing roles. Click the Edit link under the role you want to modify.
On the edit screen, you can:
- Rename the user role
- Add or remove capabilities using the checkboxes
- Assign new capabilities at the bottom
Be careful when removing capabilities. If you uncheck a box, any users with that role will lose that capability immediately.
When you‘re finished, click Update Role to save your changes.
Adding New Capabilities
What if the capability you want to assign doesn‘t exist yet? You can create your own!
Scroll down to the Add New Capability box and enter a unique Capability Name. A common convention is to use your theme or plugin name as a prefix to avoid overlap.
Choose which roles to assign the new capability to, then click Add New Capability.
Some examples of custom capabilities you might add:
- edit_theme_options: Allow users to change theme settings
- view_analytics: Let users access your analytics dashboard
- manage_store: Give full control over your WooCommerce store
- moderate_forum: Allow moderating forum posts and comments
The sky‘s the limit! Custom capabilities let you assign exactly the right permissions to each user.
Creating Custom User Roles
Sometimes editing the default user roles isn‘t enough. If you find yourself wanting to assign different sets of capabilities to many users, it‘s time to create a custom user role.
With the Members plugin, go to Roles > Add New Role.
Enter a name for your new role and select the capabilities to assign. You can also assign multiple roles to a single user for even more flexibility.
Click Add Role, and your new role will be available to assign to users.
Custom roles are useful for all kinds of sites, such as:
- Ecommerce stores (Customer Service, Store Manager, Inventory Manager)
- Membership sites (Premium Member, Group Leader, Content Creator)
- Large publications (Staff Writer, Copy Editor, Fact Checker, Social Media Manager)
For example, if your site offers online courses, you may create roles like:
- Course Creator: Can create and manage courses, lessons, and quizzes
- Teaching Assistant: Can moderate student discussions and grade assignments
- Student: Can view course content, submit assignments, and participate in discussions
By defining roles around the specific needs of your site, you can ensure the right people have access to the right tools.
User Roles and WordPress Security
Besides organizing responsibilities, user roles are critical to maintaining WordPress security. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Only give admin access to trusted users who need it. The more admins you have, the greater the risk of account compromise.
- Encourage all users to use strong, unique passwords. According to WPBeginner, 8% of WordPress hacks are due to weak passwords.
- Regularly review and clean up your user list. Remove or downgrade accounts that are no longer active.
- Use a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri to monitor for suspicious user activity.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for an extra layer of login security, especially on admin accounts.
By following the principle of least privilege and only granting the exact capabilities needed, you can significantly reduce the risk and impact of security breaches.
Managing User Access with Membership Plugins
For even more granular control over what users can see and do on your site, consider a membership plugin.
Membership plugins let you restrict access to specific content, like posts, pages, and custom post types. You can create multiple membership levels, each with different permissions.
Some popular membership plugins for WordPress include:
- MemberPress
- Paid Memberships Pro
- Restrict Content Pro
- WooCommerce Memberships
For example, let‘s say you run a news site with three tiers of content:
- Free: Articles available to the public
- Premium: In-depth reports and analyses for paying subscribers
- VIP: Exclusive interviews, events, and behind-the-scenes content
With a membership plugin, you can create three corresponding user roles and automatically assign capabilities based on a member‘s subscription level.
You could also use membership levels to create a "paywall" where readers can view a limited number of articles for free before being asked to subscribe.
By combining WordPress user roles with membership levels, you can build a highly customized permission system to fit any site.
Conclusion
We covered a lot of ground in this guide! Let‘s recap the key points:
- WordPress user roles define what actions a user can take on your site
- Out of the box, WordPress includes five default user roles with preset capabilities
- You can customize user roles by adding or removing capabilities
- Custom user roles let you define permissions that fit your unique needs
- User roles are a key part of WordPress security, so it‘s important to follow best practices
- Membership plugins offer even more control over what content users can access
Armed with this knowledge, you‘re ready to intelligently manage user roles on any WordPress site.
Remember, your users are one of your greatest assets. By assigning the right roles and capabilities, you empower them to do their best work while keeping your site running smoothly and securely.
Now go forth and conquer those user roles!
