WordPress user access control gives you complete control over what other users can do on your website. It’s one of the features of WordPress that allows you to decide who can access various parts of your website and the actions they can take.
WordPress default access control is limited, so using access control plugins is necessary for better user role management.
This article outlines the five best WordPress Access Control plugins to help you manage access to your website.
Table Of Content:
What Are WordPress User Roles & Permissions
WordPress user access control is a feature that allows website owners to restrict people from specific permissions or privileges on their site. It involves controlling what users can do on the front end or back end of a WordPress website.
WordPress has a registration feature, which you can turn on to allow users to register on your website. Once a user signs up on your site, you can assign specific roles to them. The user role specifies the capabilities and permissions you want each user to have on the site. Since WordPress sites are frequent targets for cyber attacks, role settings help protect content and sensitive data, but access control is only one part of overall security. Using one of the best WordPress firewall plugins can also give site owners scanning and alerting capabilities alongside role management.
By default, registered users will be assigned the “subscriber” role, which offers no unique capability. But if you want the user to be able to do much more, you can move them to an advanced user role.
For instance, let’s say you run an online store with a team of three people, including a marketer, a content writer, and a website developer. All of these people need varying access to the website:
The marketer would want to be able to access relevant customer signup details, like emails and phone numbers.
The content writer would need access to create pages and posts to publish and edit content.
The website developer, however, would need access to various parts of the site to fix bugs, improve the design, and ensure it runs optimally.
Thankfully, WordPress provides several user roles that allow you to provide a sufficient level of access to each user.
What Are The Different User Roles In WordPress?
WordPress comes with five default WordPress user roles. You can assign any of these roles to users based on the level of access you want them to have.
Subscriber role
Contributor role
Author role
Editor role
Administrator role
Super Admin role
Here’s a breakdown of each of these roles:
5 Best WordPress User Access Control Plugins
There are several plugins out there that can make managing user access on your WordPress site easier, and many also support content restriction rather than only role management. If you’re new to extending your site, it helps to understand what a WordPress plugin is and how to use plugins safely and effectively.
We have outlined the top 5 WordPress access control plugins. Now we’ll look at each one of them and how to use their top features. Some plugins also restrict content based on user role, login status, or membership level, while advanced features can provide more granular control over access rules.
User Role Editor Plugin
User Role Editor is a free plugin for WordPress with over 700,000 active installations, and its free version covers core role editing needs. The plugin allows website owners and administrators to easily control users’ access and capabilities on their WordPress websites.
It is easy to use and comes with several amazing features. The plugin allows you to do the following:
Manage users’ access to various capabilities, like creating, editing, and publishing posts.
Limit access to posts, pages, and custom post types for specific roles
Posts and page view restrictions by categories for specific user roles
Edit existing user roles
Add custom user roles
Make a copy of existing user roles
Network admin for multisite management and more.
How to Use User Role Editor Plugin
To use this plugin, you have to first install it.
So to do that, go to Plugins >> Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
On the plugin page, type ‘User Role Editor’ into the search box located at the top right corner of the page.
The plugin will appear on the search result. Click on the Install Now button to install the plugin.
Next, click on Activate to enable the plugin on your website.
Once you activate the plugin, you will find it on your WordPress dashboard at Users >> User Role Editor.
How to Add a New/Custom Role Using User Role Editor Plugin
To add a custom user role, click on Add Role from the dashboard.
You will be required to enter a role name (ID) and display the role name.
For instance, let’s say you want to add a new role called Customer. To do that, Enter ‘Customer’ as the ID and display name. After that, click on Add Role.
Now, the Customer role will be added as one of the user roles on the site.
Members – WordPress Access Control Plugin
Members is another great plugin to help you manage access to your site. The plugin is designed for membership sites. However, it provides all the functionalities you need to manage user roles and permissions on WordPress.
It works well for members only content and basic content control, including access rules by membership level and simple content teasers for premium content. If you need monetization or ecommerce-specific workflows, Paid Memberships Pro supports various membership models, and WooCommerce Memberships integrates with WooCommerce for site-wide membership solutions.
The plugin allows you to do the following:
Create, edit or delete user roles.
Modify user roles permission.
Clone existing user roles to create a new role with modified capabilities.
Private feature to make your site private and only accessible to people you want.
How to Use Members Plugin
To use the Members plugin on your WordPress, you need to first install it.
To do that, go to Plugin >> Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
On the plugins page, locate the search bar at the top right corner of the page. After that, type ‘Members’ into the search box.
The plugin should now appear on the search result. Click on Install Now to install the plugin and then click on Activate to enable the plugin on your WordPress.
Once activated, the Member plugin will appear as ‘Members’ on your WordPress dashboard.
How to Add a Custom User Role Using Members Plugin
To add WordPress custom user roles, go to Members >> Add New Role.
Let’s say you run a membership site and want to create a new role called Moderator. To do that, you’ll first have to enter the name for the user role: in this case; Moderator. You can use this role to define access levels for different groups.
Next, you have to select the capabilities and permissions you want to allow for this user role, so you can define access rules for who can access content based on that role.
Click on the various sections to find more capability options.
Once you’ve selected all the capabilities you want for the role, scroll up and click on Add Role.
To confirm that the new role has been added, you go to Settings >> General then scroll down to the New User Default Section. You can now find the moderator role in the list.
How to Edit User Role Using Members Plugin
To edit a user role using Members, go to Members >> Roles.
Now, hover around the role you want to edit. Let’s say you want to edit the moderator role and remove some of its capabilities.
Hover around it and click on Edit.
On the edit page, add or deny the capabilities you want and click Update to save the changes.
How to Delete User Role Using Members Plugin
To delete a user role using the Members plugin, go to Members >> Roles.
Locate the role you want to delete, hover around it and click Delete. For instance, if you want to delete the Moderator role, just hover around it and click Delete.
PublishPress Capabilities – User Role Editor, Access Permissions, Admin Menus
PublishPress Capabilities is a top WordPress access control plugin that allows you to manage access and permissions on your site, and the plugin offers granular control over permissions and menu visibility.
The free and easy-to-use plugin allows you to manage users and access controls, while also offering advanced features beyond simple role editing. The plugin allows you to do the following:
Create, edit, and clone user roles.
The editor feature allows you to configure what users see when writing posts using the editor.
You can hide items from the user profile screen.
You can restrict user access to navigation menus based on their roles, login status, registration status, device type, and more.
How to Use PublishPress Capabilities Plugin
First, you have to install the plugin to use it. To do that, go to Plugin >> Add New from your WordPress admin dashboard.
After that, type **‘**PublishPress Capabilities’ into the search box. The plugin should now appear on the search result.
Click Install Now, then Activate to enable the plugin on your website.
Once activated, the plugin will appear as Capabilities on your WordPress dashboard.
How to Add New User Roles Using PublishPress Capabilities Plugin
To add a new role using PublishPress, go to Capabilities >> Roles.
Next, click on the Add New button located at the top left corner of the page.
You’ll be required to enter a name for the new role.
For instance, if you want to create a super moderator role, you’ll enter Super Moderator as the name.
Next, click on Create Role.
Now, you’ll have to go to the Capabilities section to configure the capabilities for this new role.
To do that, go to Capabilities >> Capabilities.
Next, select the new Super Moderator role from the drop-down list.
Now, grant all the capabilities you want for the role.
Click through the various sections and select all the permissions you want to allow.
Once you’ve granted the capabilities you want for the role, click Save Changes.
And that’s it. You’ve created a new user role with unique capabilities.
How to Restrict User Access and Navigation Using PublishPress Capabilities Plugin
There are several reasons why you may want to restrict user navigation to various aspects of your site. For instance, if you run a paid site, you may want to hide pages or limit access to entire pages for certain users.
The PublishPress Capabilities Plugin allows you to do this easily.
To restrict user navigation using the plugin, go to Capabilities >> Nav Menus.
Once on the Navigation Menu Restriction screen, choose the user role you want to restrict, though for access content scenarios you may also base restrictions on login status.
For example, let’s say you want to restrict the Subscriber role in WordPress from accessing the Blog, Services and Book Discussion menus.
Choose Subscriber from the drop-down list.
Then tick on all the menus/pages you want to restrict subscribers from accessing.
Then click on Save Changes to apply the restrictions.
Once you do this, any user who is a subscriber will not be able to access these pages.
WPFront User Role Editor Plugin – WordPress Access Control
The WPFront User Role Editor Plugin is a top plugin that makes it easy to manage WordPress access control, including restrictions for media files through media library rules, which is useful for sensitive content or internal resources. This WordPress access manager is free and provides numerous functionalities, including the following:
Create, edit, rename, or delete existing user roles.
Add more capabilities to specific user roles for total control
Hide navigation menus and widgets
Limiting access to the media library
Restore roles to default, etc.
How to Use WPFront User Role Editor Plugin
Just like with the other plugins, the first step to using the WPFront User Role Editor Plugin is to install it on your site.
To do that, go to Plugins >> Add New from your WordPress dashboard. After that**,** type ‘WPFront User Role Editor’ into the search box. The plugin should appear on the search result.
Next, click Install Now to install the plugin. After that, click on Activate to enable the plugin.
Once you activate it, the plugin will appear as Roles on your WordPress dashboard.
How to Add a New Role Using the WPFront User Role Editor
To add a new role using the WPFront plugin, go to Roles >> Add New.
You’ll be required to enter a display name.
For instance, if you want to create a new user role called Fact Checker *you can use that as the display name*.
The next step is to select the capabilities you want to assign to the Fact Checker Role.
Select all the capabilities that you want to allow.
Once you’ve selected the capabilities, scroll down and click Add New Role.
As you can see below, the Fact Checker role has been added.
How to Edit User Role Using the WPFront User Role Editor
WPFront also allows you to edit the capabilities of existing user roles, including the default WordPress user roles. This way, you can grant them more access or limit their capabilities for total control over who can access specific content.
So to edit a user role using WPFront, go to Roles >> All Roles.
Now, locate the user role you want to edit.
For instance, if you want to give the subscriber role advanced access, hover around Subscriber and click Edit.
Once you are on the edit screen, you can assign any new capabilities or restrict specific capabilities for the role.
Select all the capabilities you want to add or remove, then scroll down and click Update Role to save your edit and help limit access for specific rules tied to a role.
User Roles and Capabilities Plugin
The User Role and Capabilities plugin is a free plugin for WordPress whose core plugin handles role and capability management, letting you control user access to your site and its content. Depending on the tool, you may also get a free plan for basic restrictions or paid plans for more advanced features, and Advanced Access Manager can automatically audit roles and permissions.
This WordPress advanced access manager can allow you to do the following:
Create WordPress custom user roles
Edit and manage existing roles
Clone existing roles
Change the default user role
Manage user capabilities and more.
How to Use User Roles and Capabilities Plugin
To install the User Roles and Capabilities Plugin, go to Plugins >> Add New.
Next, type ‘User Roles and Capabilities’ into the search box.
Click Install Now, then Activate.
Once you activate the plugin, it will appear under the Users Menu as Roles & Capabilities.
How to Add a Custom User Role Using User Role and Capabilities Plugin
To add a new role using this plugin, go to Users >> Roles & Capabilities.
Click on Action and select +Add New Role.
You’ll be required to enter a role ID and role display name. You can also copy the capabilities of any of the existing roles for this one, allowing users to set up custom access levels more quickly.
For example, let’s say you want to create a new role for an investor. In that case, the role ID and role display name will be Investor.
Type in the name and click Add Role.
Once you add the new role, you’ll be redirected to the plugin’s Roles dashboard, where you can find all the roles on the site.
Search for the new role you created (it will typically be the last item on the right).
Now, you need to assign capabilities for this role.
So look through the various capabilities and select any one you want to assign to the investor, as these permissions define how users access content on the site.
Once you’ve selected all the capabilities you want for the new role, click on Save Changes.
And that’s it. You’ve successfully created a custom user role for your site.
While these plugins offer powerful features for managing access, regular updates and checks are necessary to maintain their effectiveness. Our WordPress maintenance plans and broader WordPress support services can handle these tasks, ensuring that your access control plugins are always up-to-date and functioning properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is WordPress access control and why is it important?
WordPress access control enables site admins to restrict which users can perform certain actions or view specific content. Since default WordPress roles (like Subscriber, Author, Editor) are limited, using access control plugins gives you more granular and secure control over user permissions, and stronger security often includes login protection measures such as Two-Factor Authentication, which reduces account takeover risks significantly and helps when you need to fix common WordPress admin login problems.
How do I choose the right access control plugin for my website?
Consider your needs first, and factor in reliable support and overall support quality when choosing a security plugin; reviewing our FixRunner WordPress support FAQs can also clarify what ongoing help you might need:
Want to create custom roles? Look at User Role Editor or Members.
Need granular restriction of menus or capabilities? Try PublishPress Capabilities.
Want full content management including frontend and backend control? Advanced Access Manager (AAM) is an excellent choice.
If security is the priority, Wordfence combines a firewall with a malware scanner for protection, and knowing what to do when you can’t delete a WordPress plugin helps keep your security stack lean and effective.
Sucuri offers a web application firewall to block DDoS attacks, and pairing strong security with website visitor tracking in WordPress lets you monitor both traffic patterns and suspicious activity.
Can I create custom user roles with these plugins?
Yes. Plugins like User Role Editor, Members, PublishPress Capabilities, and Advanced Access Manager allow you to create, clone, and customize roles with granular capabilities. Advanced Access Manager also gives more granular control, helping you define access levels and access rules for custom roles, and guides such as how to disable a WordPress theme using FTP are useful when troubleshooting conflicts that affect role-based access.
To use a password, go to Posts >> All Posts. Hover around the post you want to restrict and click Quick Edit. Next, enter a password for it and click Update. If you run into issues customizing how your protected content looks, resources like fixing a WordPress Customizer that’s not working can help restore full control.
Conclusion – WordPress Access Control
While there’s no one-size-fits-all access control configuration, the plugins listed in this post can help you manage content restriction and protect premium content or sensitive material on your website as you like.
We took the time to introduce some of the features so that you could get hands-on experience with how each WordPress Access Control plugin works. Consider trying out various plugins until you get what you want. Balance advanced features with reliable support to avoid performance issues and consider a dedicated WordPress speed optimization service if performance suffers as you add more plugins.