Adding a new user
If someone new needs access to the back end of your website, you can add them as a user by following these steps:
Log in
Log in to WordPress and access the admin area of your website.
If you’re not sure how to do this, see How to Log In
Navigate to the Users tab
In the admin dashboard, on the left-hand side, click on the Users tab. You’ll then see a list of all the users on your website currently.
Add the new user
Click the Add New button at the top. (This button should appear right next to the text that says Users.)
Enter the new user’s info
Enter the information for your new user. At a minimum, you’ll need to provide a username and email address, but you can also add their first and last name or generate a secure password. There is a checkbox to choose to send an email notification to the new user about their account which will allow them to set their own password.
We recommend using email addresses for the username to make it easier for everyone to remember. This means you'll enter the same thing in the top two fields (username and email address).
Caution: If you generate a secure password, we never recommend sending that password via plan text in an email because this can open you up to a hacking risk. Instead, we suggest generating a password but telling the new user to use the Forgot your password? option to reset their password.
Set the new user’s role
Setting your new user’s role is very important as it will determine what they’re allowed to do on your website. Here’s a quick breakdown of the two roles that will be most useful to you:
- Administrator: top-level access to your website. An administrator will be able to do anything and everything, so make sure you have fully vetted someone before giving them this role and ensure that they know what they’re doing. However, this is the role you will likely want to give individuals like an assistant or another team member who needs full access to your site.
- Editor: can publish and manage posts. If someone is only responsible for updating your blog, this will be an excellent role for them. But if they need access to more, you’ll need to give them an administrator role so they aren’t limited.
We recommend going into your Users tab at least once a year and making sure that everyone listed as an administrator still needs that level of access to your site. If someone isn't logging in anymore, it's a good idea to remove them. This helps with security and protects your site from people who shouldn't have access, even if they did at some point.
Removing a user
If you’re cleaning out old users that don’t need to access the site anymore or if you need to revoke access for any reason, you can delete a user by following the steps below:
Log in
Log in to WordPress and access the admin area of your website.
If you’re not sure how to do this, see How to Log In
Navigate to the Users tab
In the admin dashboard, on the left-hand side, click on the Users tab. You’ll then see a list of all the users on your website currently. Hover over a user and more options will appear, including Delete. Click on this option to delete the user.
Confirm deletion
You’ll be taken to a confirmation page that asks you to confirm the deletion of this user.
Caution: Depending on the data associated with the user you are deleting, you will be asked if you want to transfer data to another user. If you do not transfer this data, you will lose anything the deleted user was the "author" of, including entire posts or pages. If you are deleting a user that has done a lot of work on your site, you will want to make sure to select the transfer option. You can then choose to transfer that data to another user such as yourself or a different administrator.
Helping a user with a forgotten password
If someone who should have access to your site has lost their password and asks for assistance, they can always use the Forgot your password? option on the login screen, but you can also lend them a hand.
If you are logged into the admin area, navigate to the User tab. Hover over the user who needs help to see an option for Send password reset.