Have you ever wondered why one person on your site can publish posts while another can only leave comments? The answer is user roles. A user role is nothing but a set of permissions that decides what a logged-in user can and cannot do in WordPress.
If more than one person works on your site, roles keep your content and settings safe. In this article, we will see the default roles and how to manage them.
What are User Roles in WordPress?
Think of user roles as the keys you hand out in an office. The owner holds a master key, a manager can open most rooms and a visitor only gets into the lobby.
In WordPress, each key is made of small permissions called capabilities, such as publish_posts or install_plugins. A role simply bundles a group of these capabilities together under one name.
The six default roles
Here are the roles that come with WordPress, from the most powerful to the least:
- Super Admin manages the whole network. This role exists only on a Multisite installation.
- Administrator controls everything on a single site.
- Editor manages and publishes all posts and pages, including other people's.
- Author writes and publishes only their own posts.
- Contributor writes posts but cannot publish them.
- Subscriber can read content and manage their own profile.
For a deeper comparison, read our guide on WordPress user types and their capabilities.
How to change a user's role
- First, go to Users → All Users in your dashboard.
- Now, tick the checkbox next to the user you want to change.
- Next, pick the new role from the Change role to dropdown above the list.
- Finally, click the Change button to save it.
By default, WordPress gives new users the Subscriber role. You can change this under Settings → General → New User Default Role. If the default roles don't fit your team, plenty of free plugins let you create custom roles too.
Always give people the lowest role that lets them do their job. A guest writer rarely needs more than Contributor access.
Roles decide who holds which key, so choose them with care. That's all about user roles in WordPress. Do let us know in the comment box below if you have any doubts.