How to add a new user

Adding a user to WordPress takes about two minutes. You'll create an account with a username, email address, and role. WordPress sends the new user an email invitation with a link to set their password.

What you'll need

Administrator access to your WordPress site (only Administrators can add users)
The new user's email address
Knowing which role to assign. See WordPress user roles explained

Each step outwards adds power the role before it does not have. That is why the safe choice is the least powerful role that still lets the person do their job.

Read this as text

WordPress has five built-in roles, and they are not five separate lists of permissions. They run in order of power, from Subscriber up to Administrator, and each one is a step up from the one before it. Subscriber is the smallest: a Subscriber can log in and update their own profile, but cannot create or edit any content.

A Contributor can write and edit their own draft posts but cannot publish. Their work goes into Pending Review for an Editor or Administrator to approve. An Author can write, edit, publish, and delete their own posts, but cannot edit other people’s content and cannot create or edit pages. An Editor can create, edit, publish, and delete any post or page, including content created by other users, but cannot change site settings, install plugins, or manage users. An Administrator can do everything: install and delete plugins, change the theme, manage all users, access all settings, and edit any content.

Because the roles run in order of power, picking one is mechanical: start at the least powerful and stop at the first role that covers what the person actually needs. Subscriber suits a member of a members-only section, Contributor a guest blogger or intern, Author a team member or contractor who writes blog posts, Editor a content manager or marketing team member, and Administrator only the primary business owner and the Chykalophia team.

These are the roles WordPress builds in. Some plugins add custom roles of their own alongside them: WooCommerce, for example, adds a Shop Manager role for store management.

Go to Users → Add User in your dashboard. In the left sidebar, hover over "Users" and click "Add User." (Older versions of WordPress call it "Add New User" or "Add New.")

Fill in the Username field. The username is how WordPress identifies this account internally. It cannot be changed later, so choose something sensible, usually the person's first name, or firstname.lastname. Keep it lowercase with no spaces.

Enter the person's email address in the Email field. This is where their invitation link will be sent and how they'll log in.

Fill in the First Name and Last Name fields (optional, but recommended, it helps you identify who's who in the Users list).

Choose a Role from the dropdown. For most team members, this is Editor or Author. For Chykalophia, select Administrator. See WordPress user roles explained for guidance.

Under Send User Notification, make sure "Send the new user an email about their account" is checked. This sends the invitation email with a link to set their password.

Click "Add User." WordPress creates the account and sends the invitation email.

The user is added

The new user appears in your Users list. They'll receive an email with a link to set their password. Once they click the link and set a password, they can log in immediately.

Adding Chykalophia as a user

To give us access to work on your site, add us as a user with the following details:

Field	Value
Email	support@chykalophia.com
Role	Administrator
First Name	Chykalophia
Last Name	Support

Use a different email address only if your project lead has explicitly told you to.

More access options

Some tasks only require Administrator access to WordPress. Others also require hosting, DNS, or other platform access. See access checklist for a new project for a full list of what we typically need.

Username and password notes

The username cannot be changed after creation. Choose carefully. If you make a mistake, you'll need to delete the user and create a new one.

You don't need to set the password yourself. When the Send User Notification box is ticked, WordPress emails the new user a link to create their own password. You never need to know it.

If the person doesn't receive the email, check these first:

Ask them to check their spam or junk folder
Confirm the email address was entered correctly
Send them a fresh link with the Send Reset Link button (on the user's edit screen, under Password Reset)

Managing the new user after creation

Once a user is added, you can edit their details at any time:

Go to Users → All Users.

Hover over the user's name and click "Edit."

Make your changes: update their role, name, or email address.

Click "Update User" to save.

To change only someone's role without editing other details: go to Users → All Users, check the box next to their name, use the "Change role to…" dropdown at the top, and click "Change." See how to change someone's role for more detail.

Common questions

The invitation email isn't arriving. What do I do?

First, ask the recipient to check their spam folder. If it's not there, go to Users → All Users, hover over the user, and click "Send password reset." Or click "Edit" and use the Send Reset Link button under Password Reset. Either one emails them a fresh link to set their password. If it still doesn't arrive, your site's outgoing email may need configuration. Contact us for help.

I made a typo in the email address. Can I change it?

Yes. Go to Users → All Users, click Edit on the user, correct the email address, and click Update User. The next time a password reset or notification is sent, it will go to the corrected address. Because the first invitation went to the wrong address, click Send Reset Link on the same screen so they get a link to set their password.

Can I set the password for the new user myself instead of sending an email?

Yes. On the Add User screen, there's a "Password" field. Click "Generate password" to see a strong password WordPress suggests, or type your own. However, we recommend letting users set their own passwords. It's more secure and means you never have to share passwords.

How many users can I add to WordPress?

WordPress is open-source software and doesn't charge per user, so add the accounts your team needs. If you expect a very large number of accounts (for example, members or customers), talk to us first so we can check your hosting is up to it.

I want to add a user with access to only specific pages. Is that possible?

Not with default WordPress roles: the built-in roles don't restrict access to specific pages. Partial-access permissions require a plugin or custom code. Let us know what you need and we'll recommend a solution.

How to add a new user

What you'll need