Not Everyone in Your Business Needs Admin Access to Your WordPress Site. Here Is How to Assign the Right Access.
WordPress user roles control what each person can do on your site — from publishing posts to installing plugins to managing other users. Giving everyone admin access is the most common WordPress security mistake. Assigning the right role to each person protects your site from accidental damage and intentional misuse.
“Admin access is not a status symbol. It is a security risk. The fewer people with admin access, the safer your site.”
WordPress User Roles Explained
Administrator: Full control. Install plugins, change themes, edit code, manage users, delete content. Only give this to the site owner and the developer. Editor: Publish and manage all content — posts, pages, comments. Cannot install plugins or change settings. Give this to your content manager. Author: Write and publish their own posts. Cannot touch other people’s content. Give this to regular writers. Contributor: Write posts but cannot publish them. An editor or admin must review and publish. Give this to guest writers. Subscriber: Can only manage their own profile. Used for membership sites where users need an account but no content creation ability. Custom roles: Create roles with specific permissions — a shop manager for WooCommerce, a support agent for a help desk, a trainer for an LMS. For professional role configuration, see our WordPress Services page.
“User roles are not about trust, they are about need. Give each person exactly the permissions their job requires — and nothing more.”
