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WordPress user roles explained

By Nicholas Coupland
March 21, 2023

Understanding the different user roles in WordPress is essential for managing a website effectively. WordPress offers six pre-defined user roles with varying levels of permissions, including Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber.

Each role has its own set of capabilities and restrictions, which determine what actions a user can perform on the website. In addition to the pre-defined roles, WordPress also allows website administrators to create custom roles with specific capabilities. By learning about these roles, website owners can provide appropriate access and permissions to users, ensuring that the website runs smoothly and securely.

WordPress has six pre-defined user roles that determine what actions a user can perform on a website. These roles are:

  1. Super Admin - This role is available only on WordPress multisite installations and has complete control over all network sites.

  2. Administrator - This role has full control over the website, including managing other users, editing content, installing themes and plugins, and changing website settings.

  3. Editor - This role can create, edit, publish, and delete any content on the website, including posts, pages, and media.

  4. Author - This role can create and publish their own content, but cannot edit or delete content created by other users.

  5. Contributor - This role can create and edit their own content, but cannot publish it. Instead, their content must be submitted for review by an editor or administrator.

  6. Subscriber - This role can only view content on the website and cannot create or edit any content.

WordPress allows website administrators to create custom roles with specific capabilities using third-party plugins or custom code. By creating custom roles, website owners can provide access to specific features and functions without giving users more control than necessary.

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