What is User Role Editor plugin?
User Role Editor is the most widely used WordPress plugin for managing user roles and capabilities, with over 700,000 active installations. WordPress ships with five default user roles (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber) each with a predefined set of capabilities. User Role Editor extends this system by allowing administrators to create custom roles, modify which capabilities any role has, assign multiple roles to a single user, and copy role definitions — all through a simple checkbox-based interface without writing PHP code.
The free version handles the core use cases: editing capabilities for existing roles, creating new roles, duplicating roles as a starting point for custom configurations, and assigning roles on a per-user basis. Practical examples include creating a “Shop Manager” role that can manage WooCommerce orders but cannot edit posts or install plugins, or a “Content Editor” role that can publish but not manage users or site settings. The plugin integrates with WordPress’s native capabilities system, meaning any theme or plugin that uses has_cap() checks will correctly honor User Role Editor configurations.
User Role Editor Pro ($29/year) adds per-post access control (restrict specific posts and pages to specific roles), widget visibility by role, shortcode visibility by role, and WooCommerce-specific permissions for granular control over which roles can view or access specific WooCommerce reports, products, or order statuses. For multisite networks, the Pro version manages roles at both site and network levels. For most single-site WordPress installations needing custom role configuration, the free version is sufficient.
Need Help With User Role Editor Setup, Troubleshooting, or Customization?
Need help with User Role Editor? Whether you are dealing with errors, broken functionality, styling problems, plugin conflicts, or advanced customization, we can help you fix the issue and get the plugin working properly on your WordPress site.
Get User Role Editor Expert HelpKey Features
- Edit capabilities for all existing WordPress roles via checkboxes
- Create new custom user roles
- Duplicate existing roles as a starting point
- Assign multiple roles to a single user
- Batch capability assignment across selected roles
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Most widely installed role and capability manager — battle-tested on 700,000+ sites
- Checkbox-based interface requires no coding knowledge for common role customizations
- Works with any plugin that uses standard WordPress capability checks
Cons
- Pro pricing at $29/year is modest, but the per-post access control in Pro overlaps with dedicated content restriction plugins like Restrict Content Pro
- Interface can become overwhelming when managing many capabilities across many roles
Free vs Premium
Free: edit roles and capabilities, create/duplicate roles, assign multiple roles per user. Pro ($29/year): per-post access control, widget and shortcode visibility by role, WooCommerce permission controls, multisite management.
Common Problems & Fixes
A user with a custom role created in User Role Editor cannot access a specific plugin's admin page — they get a permissions error. How do I fix this?
Plugins register their admin pages with specific capability requirements (e.g., manage_woocommerce, edit_shop_orders). If a custom role lacks the capability the plugin requires, access is denied. Open User Role Editor → [your custom role] and find the required capability in the capability list. Enable the checkbox for the specific capability needed. If you are unsure which capability a plugin requires, temporarily grant “manage_options” (broad admin access) to identify whether it resolves the issue, then narrow down the specific capability. Some plugins use custom capabilities not in the default list — use the “Add capability” field in User Role Editor to add any custom capability by name.
After modifying role capabilities with User Role Editor, the changes are not taking effect for currently logged-in users. How do I force the update?
WordPress caches user capabilities in the session. Changes to role capabilities apply on the next login — currently logged-in users see the old capabilities until they log out and back in. For immediate effect, ask the affected user to log out and log in again. For testing your own changes, log out and log back in. If users report seeing new capabilities before they should (or missing capabilities after a grant), clear any object caching (Redis/Memcached) that may cache WordPress user meta.
User Role Editor shows all capabilities as unchecked for a role that should have many capabilities — the role appears to have no permissions. How do I fix this?
This can happen if the role’s capabilities were accidentally cleared or if the database storing role capabilities (wp_options, specifically the wp_user_roles option) is corrupted. First, go to User Role Editor → select the role and look at the raw capabilities list. If truly empty, restore from a site backup or re-add capabilities manually. For a freshly created role with no inherited capabilities, use the “Duplicate” function on an existing role (e.g., Editor) as a starting point, then adjust. Avoid clicking “Delete” on a role and re-creating it unless you intend to start fresh.
Customization & Developer Notes
How do I create a custom WordPress user role for a client to manage WooCommerce orders without admin access?
Go to User Role Editor → Add Role. Name the role (e.g., “Store Manager”) and give it a display name. Select “Subscriber” or “Editor” as the role to copy capabilities from, then adjust. Enable these capabilities: read, edit_posts, edit_others_posts (for order notes), manage_woocommerce, edit_shop_orders, read_private_shop_orders, publish_shop_orders. Disable: manage_options, install_plugins, edit_themes, and other administrator-level capabilities. Assign this role to the client user in WordPress → Users → [user] → Role.
How do I restrict a user role from accessing specific WordPress admin menu items?
In User Role Editor Pro, go to the role settings and use the Admin Menu Restrictions feature to hide specific admin menu items from the selected role. In the free version, admin menu restriction requires code: use the remove_menu_page() and remove_submenu_page() functions in a plugin or theme, conditioned on current_user_can() checks. Alternatively, the free Adminimize plugin handles admin menu visibility by role without code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is User Role Editor compatible with WooCommerce user roles (Customer, Shop Manager)?
Yes — User Role Editor displays all roles registered by active plugins, including WooCommerce’s Customer and Shop Manager roles. You can view and modify their capabilities just like WordPress core roles. However, modifying WooCommerce role capabilities can break expected WooCommerce behavior — for example, removing a capability that WooCommerce checks can prevent order processing. Modify WooCommerce roles carefully, test in staging, and maintain a backup of the original role configuration before making changes.
Can User Role Editor manage roles on a WordPress Multisite network?
Yes — User Role Editor Pro includes multisite support. In Multisite, user roles and capabilities exist at two levels: the network level (Super Admin) and individual site levels. The Pro version allows managing roles at both levels from the network admin panel. Changes made to a role at the network level can be applied across all sites in the network. Free version only manages roles on individual sites, not at the network administration level.
Can User Role Editor break after updates?
Yes, that can happen, especially on older sites with many plugins. This usually happens when the plugin, theme, and add-ons are updated out of sequence. In most cases, testing on staging catches the issue before it reaches the live site. From experience, backups and changelog reviews save a lot of cleanup time.
What should I check before installing User Role Editor?
Start by checking whether another plugin already does the same job. In most cases, overlap is what creates avoidable conflicts and performance issues. A common issue is installing a plugin because it looks convenient without checking the stack first. From experience, a short compatibility review avoids most of the pain later.