A-Short-Guide-to-WordPress-Roles

A Short Guide to WordPress Roles (From Super Admin to Subscribers)

➡️ Quickly jump to the WordPress user roles table.

When using WordPress, there are a number of different roles that can be set up to grant individuals different permissions, ranging from full control of the website(s) to users who can upload content, with some restrictions in place.

This helps protect the website from a security point of view and also enables moderation before any content goes live.

This is a short guide to WordPress roles, providing an overview of what a Super Admin can do and working our way down to the subscribers, as well as everything in between. 

⚡ Read more about ➡️ WordPress Pros and Cons (Explained)


Why Would Someone Use WordPress?

People use WordPress because it is one of the best platforms on the market when it comes to building and managing a website. Allowing both beginners and experts to create fully-functional websites that can serve a range of purposes, from blogs to E-Commerce. 

WordPress is very SEO-friendly, which is why many bloggers and content creators choose the platform to help them gain more exposure and rank well on Google.

People who are interested in the content that is created on the blog can also subscribe so they can be notified whenever a new article is published

The wide range of plugins means webmasters can add useful functions to their blog or website with little to no coding experience, this is helped by a very user-friendly interface.

If you want to build a website but lack any technical expertise, then WordPress could be the best option for you. 

🔔 Check also ➜ How to Build a Website (Blog) From Scratch: A Step-By-Step Guide


What Are the Different Roles Within WordPress?

There are six main roles, that can be designated within WordPress, these are Super Admin, Admin, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. We will discuss each role in more depth in the next section. 

WP user roles
WordPress User Roles

WordPress User Roles – Explained

Below is a table that describes the functions of each role within WordPress.

We have tried to simplify this as much as possible to make it easy to understand:

WordPress User Roles Table

RoleAccess
Subscriber– Reading content and leaving comments
ContributorEverything a Subscriber can do
Creating and deleting draft posts
Submitting drafts for review
AuthorEverything a Contributor can do
Publishing their own posts without moderation and deleting them
Uploading and deleting media on their own posts
EditorEverything an Author can do
Creating pages
Editing all posts (regardless of author), categories, tags, and media
Moderating and editing comments
Admin– Everything an Editor can do
Importing and exporting all content that has been uploaded to the website
Managing user permissions, demoting, promoting, and deleting as needed
Managing themes and plugins
Super Admin Has all the powers of the previous users, as well as overall network management privileges, allowing them to control multiple WordPress websites
Creates a network of WordPress websites
Manages all the sites within the network
Manages the themes and plug-ins of each individual website

In Summary:

  • Subscribers can read posts and add comments.
  • Contributors can make draft posts, submit them for review, and delete them.
  • Authors can publish their own posts and media.
  • Editors can create pages, have full permissions to manage posts, and can moderate and edit comments.
  • Admins can do all of the above, as well as importing and exporting content and managing user roles, plugins, and themes on a single site.
  • Super Admins can set up a network of websites and control the individual elements and users on each of them.

Who Needs Super Admin Permissions?

An individual would need Super Admin access if they need to manage multiple websites across a WordPress network.

This is the highest level user role within WordPress and is needed if a person needs full control of numerous websites on the same network.

WordPress Super Admin Options

Super Admin options
Source: WordPress.org

⚡ Learn more ➡️ How to Edit WordPress Site? (For Beginners)


Conclusion

There are six user roles within WordPress. The lowest level of these are subscribers, and the user with the highest permissions are Super Admins.

Subscribers are limited to just viewing posts and leaving comments, whereas a Super Admin can manage a full network of WordPress sites, as well as all the elements and users within that site.

Browse the rest of our blog for more information about using WordPress. 


⬇️Further Reading:

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NJ

NJ is all about websites and AI. With years of experience building cool sites, he's also got a knack for diving into AI's exciting possibilities. Always on the hunt for the next big thing, NJ loves to share his discoveries with the world. Whether it's a groundbreaking tool or a fresh concept, if NJ's talking about it, you know it's worth a look.

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