WordPress comes with a user role management system which, defines what a specific user can and cannot do on your website. Understanding, these user roles and permissions are essential as your WordPress site grows.
In this guide we will compare each WordPress user role and its permissions.
When you install WordPress you will get these 5 default user roles:
1. Administrator
2. Editor
3. Author
4. Contributor
5. Subscriber
Let’s start by looking at each user role and their permissions.
1. Administrator
In WordPress Administrator or Admin it can be referred to as the most powerful user. Users with Administrator permission can add new posts, edit any posts by users and delete them, they can also install plugins and themes on the website. Additionally, Administrators can also add new users to the site.
2. Editor
Users with editor permission on a WordPress site have control of content sections. They can add, edit, publish and delete any posts on site and this includes ones by other users.
Editors do not have access to change your site settings, install plugins and themes, or add new users.
3. Author
Users with Author permission can write, edit and publish their own posts. They can also delete their own posts, even after own publication.
Authors cannot create categories however they can chose from existing categories. They can also add tags to their posts. Authors can view comments even the ones that are pending for review, but authors cannot moderate, approve or delete any comments.
They do not have access to settings, plugins, or themes, so it is a fairly low-risk user role on a site with the exception of their ability to delete their own posts once they’re published.
4. Contributor
Contributors have permission to add new posts and edit their own ones, they cannot publish any posts at all and this includes their own.
When writing posts they cannot create new categories and will have to choose from existing categories.
They can also add tags to their posts. There is one issue with the contributor profile that needs highlighting. They cannot upload files which, means they can’t upload images to their posts and another user needs to upload the files.
Also Contributors can view comments on a WordPress website and the ones waiting for moderation but they cannot approve them or delete the comments on the website. Contributors do not have access to the following controls: settings, plugins, or themes. Therefore, they cannot change any settings on the website.
5. Subscriber
Users with Subscriber permission can login to WordPress and update their profiles. They can also change their own password but they cannot write posts, view comments or anything else inside your WordPress website.
We hope you found this blog post useful and we look forward to your comments and contributions.
