How to change someone's role
Learn how to change a WordPress user's role so they have the right level of access for their job.
WordPress lets you control exactly what each person on your team can do by giving them a role — think of it as a job title that comes with a set of permissions. Changing a role takes less than a minute.
Quick summary
Go to Users → All Users in your WordPress dashboard, click the person's name, scroll down to the Role dropdown, pick the right role, and click Update User. Done.
What you'll need
Beginner 2 minutes- Administrator access to your WordPress site
- The name or email of the user whose role you want to change
Understanding WordPress roles
Before you change anything, it helps to know what each role can do.
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Everything — full site control |
| Editor | Create, edit, and publish any content, including other people's |
| Author | Create and publish their own posts only |
| Contributor | Write posts, but cannot publish — someone else must approve |
| Subscriber | Log in and read; cannot create content |
Be careful with Administrator
Only give Administrator access to people who truly need it. Too many admins is a security risk. For everyday content work, Editor or Author is almost always the right choice.
Most clients give their content team Editor access. Authors or Contributors work well for guest writers. Subscribers are typically used for members-only or course sites.
How to change a user's role
Log in to WordPress. Go to your site's login URL and sign in with your administrator account. If you're not sure of your login URL, see How to find your WordPress login URL.
Go to Users. In the left sidebar, click Users, then click All Users. You'll see a list of everyone with an account on your site.
Open the user's profile. Find the person you want to update and click their name (or hover and click Edit).
Scroll to the Role section. Partway down the profile page, you'll see a Role dropdown menu.
Choose the new role. Click the dropdown and select the role you want this person to have.
Save the change. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Update User. The change takes effect immediately.
You're done
The user's role is updated. They'll notice the change the next time they log in or refresh their browser.
Changing multiple users at once
WordPress also lets you bulk-change roles without opening each profile.
Go to Users → All Users.
Check the boxes next to all the users you want to update.
Use the "Change role to…" dropdown at the top of the list. Select the new role.
Click Change. All selected users are updated at once.
Granting Chykalophia access
If we've asked you to give us access to your site, please add support@chykalophia.com as an Administrator — unless your project lead has given you a different address. You can do this through Users → Add New. Full steps are in Give us WordPress admin access.
Common questions
Related guides
- WordPress user roles explained
- How to add a new user
- How to remove a user safely
- Managing your own profile
- Give us WordPress admin access
Need a hand?
Learn more
How to remove a user safely
Learn how to safely delete a WordPress user, handle their existing content, and revoke access for contractors, former staff, or Chykalophia when a project ends.
Managing your own profile
Learn how to update your WordPress profile, including your name, email, password, and display preferences.