Do you want to allow users to register on your site? You can enable user registration in WordPress to allow users to add posts, or comment, or perform other actions on your website. In this article, we will show you how to allow user registration on your WordPress site and how to manage users.
Video Tutorial
If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.
Enabling User Registration in WordPress
WordPress comes with built-in functionality to manage user registrations. By default, it is turned off but you can easily turn it on.
Head over to Settings » General page in your WordPress admin area. Scroll down to the ‘Membership’ section and check the box next to ‘Anyone can register’ option.
Next you need to select the default user role. This is the user role assigned to each new user who registers on your website.
Each user role in WordPress comes with its own permissions and capabilities. See our guide on WordPress user roles and permissions to learn more about user roles in WordPress.
The default user role is subscriber, which you can change to any other user role available. For example, if you want users to write posts on your website then you can change the default user role to Contributor or Author.
Important : Never use ‘Administrator’ as the default user role for user registrations.
Don’t forget to click on the Save Changes button to store your settings.
Now your WordPress site is open to user registrations.
Adding Login and Register Links in WordPress
You are now allowing users to register on your website and login. You need to let your users know that they can register and login to your site by adding the links to login and registration pages.
There are multiple ways to do that.
Method 1: Adding The Meta Widget to WordPress Sidebar
The simplest way to add a login link is by adding the meta widget to your sidebar.
Go to Appearance » Widgets page and add the ‘Meta’ widget to a sidebar. See our guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress for detailed instructions.
This is how the login link will appear on your website.
Method 2: Creating Custom Login Pages
The problem with the first method is that it gives users access to the admin area of your WordPress site. Using your own custom login pages will allow users to login without accessing your WordPress admin area.
Here is how to create your own custom login and registration page in WordPress.
First thing you need to do is install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
WPForms is a premium WordPress forms plugin. You will need at least pro license to access user registration addon.
WPBeginner users can use the WPForms Coupon: SAVE50 to get 50% off on their purchase.
Upon activation, you need to visit WPForms » Settings page to enter your license key. You can get this license key from your account on WPForms website.
After verification, you need to head over to WPForms » Addons page.
Scroll down to ‘User Registration Addon’ and click on the Install Addon button next to it.
WPForms will fetch and install the addon. You will need to click on the activate button to start using this addon.
You are now ready to create custom registration and login forms using WPForms.
Creating a Custom Registration Form
Visit WPForms » Add New page. This will launch WPForms’ form builder.
First you need to enter a form name and then from ‘Select a Template’ section click on ‘User Registration Form’ template.
WPForms will create a simple WordPress user registration form for you.
You can add new fields from the left panel as well as customize the order of existing fields by using a simple drag and drop interface.
Once you are done adding the fields, click on the ‘Settings’ menu on the left and then select the ‘User Registration’ tab.
Here you can map each field, select user role, enable notifications, select the confirmation page, and enable user activation.
The user activation feature helps you reduce spam user registration in WordPress.
If you select the manual method, then all users must be approved by an admin before they can login to your site. If you select the email method, then the user must click on an activation link before they can login.
You can combine the user registration addon with other WPForms addons. You can use WPForms email marketing addons like MailChimp and AWeber as well as payment addons like Stripe.
Don’t forget to click on the save button at the top right corner of the screen to save your form settings.
You can now exit the form builder by clicking on the close button.
Your user registration form is ready to be added to your WordPress site.
Simply create a new WordPress page or edit an existing page that you would like to use as registration page.
On the page edit screen, you will notice the ‘Add Form’ button.
Clicking on it will bring up a popup where you can select the user registration form you just created.
Click on the ‘Add Form button’ and you will notice a WPForms shortcode will appear in the post editor.
You can now save or publish your page. Visit the page in a new browser tab to see your custom user registration page in action.
Creating a Custom Login Form
Now that your custom user registration page is active. Let’s add a custom login form to your WordPress site.
Visit WPForms » Add New page. This will launch the Form Builder interface of WPForms.
You need to provide a name for your custom login form and then select ‘User Login Form’ as your template.
WPForms will now create a form with the login fields.
You can add additional fields to the form by adding them from the left panel.
Next you need to click on the settings tab and then click on ‘Confirmation’ tab. This is where you can define what to do after a successful login.
You can show users a message, redirect them to the page they came from, or redirect them to any other page on your site.
Click on the Save button on the top right corner of the screen to store your form settings.
You can now exit the form builder interface by clicking on the close button.
You custom login form is ready to be added into your WordPress site.
You can add your custom login form to a page by creating a new page and then clicking on the Add Form button.
You can also add your custom login form to a sidebar. Simply head over to Appearance » Widgets page and add WPForms widget to a sidebar.
Select the custom login form you just created and then click on save button to store your widget settings.
You can now visit your website to see your custom login form in action.
For more on this topic, see our guide on how to create a custom login page for WordPress.
Managing Users in WordPress
You can view all registered users on your website by clicking on Users in the WordPress admin. WordPress will show you a list of users with their usernames, names, role, and email addresses.
As an administrator, you can delete any user at any time you want.
You can also edit user profiles, change their roles, and you can even change their passwords.
This gives you full control on what users can or cannot do on your WordPress site.
That’s all, we hope this article helped you learn how to allow user registration on your WordPress site. You may also want to learn how to add or remove capabilities to user roles in WordPress.
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Is there a way to have login access required to access a specific page or set of pages and not the entire site?
For that, you would want to use a membership plugin such as one from our list below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/5-best-wordpress-membership-plugins-compared/
Hi, I’ just started using WordPress 3 days ago to start developing my e-commerce website but my general setting doesn’t include the membership option to enable users to register on my website nor the option to choose the new user default role. I’m wondering if it’s because I’m using the multi-site network. Please help me out I’m lost.
If you are using multisite then you would need to go to your network admin site and allow registrations in the settings for that site to allow your subsites to accept registrations.
Hi there,
There is no ‘Membership’ section in my WP Settings. Have these settings been moved since this article was written?
If you are on WordPress.com instead of WordPress.org it would be the most common reason, you can see our guide on WordPress.com vs WordPress.org below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-com-infograph/
Hello. What if you don’t want people to register on your website, but rather you assign a username and password and then they just go on to log in? Can that be done?
You can do that and manually create users for each person in which case you do not need to enable user registration.
Is there an addon to upload a csv list with 5000 usernames and passwords?
You would want to take a look at the plugin in our article below for importing users:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-easily-import-and-export-wordpress-users
My son runs the school newspaper and wants to set up an online version. The IT staff at his school want to set up a WordPress site and his head teacher wants to limit the people who can view the paper to pupils only. Is the best way to do this by setting up usernames and passwords as per this article (and only allowing subscribers with a school email address) or is there a better way?
It would be personal preference question on what would be the best method but you can certainly do it that way for one option to limit access.
Hi, I want to force ‘number only’ in username field in new user registration. This is to force the user to enter his mobile number as his username.
Does WPFORMS new user registration have this facility/function?
You would need to use an input mask for what you’re wanting and WPForms would be able to do what you’re wanting.
This tutorial was extremely clear and helpful!
I followed the tutorial for creating a Login WPForms widget. One problem I had was that after the user logged in, they could still see the widget. After a user registers on the User Registration page, then logs in, they can still see the User Registration page. Is there a way to hide pages from users that are logged in?
We do not have a specific recommendation at the moment, we will be sure to keep an eye out for a plugin we would recommend.
I work on a WooCommerce site and about 5 or 6 of us in the office use the same admin user account.
We quite often get server errors, 503 I think.
Is this because we’re all using the same user account at the same time?
Thanks!
You would want to try having a user for each person if possible to see if that is the issue.
I use Woocommerce website. If I uncheck “anyone can register”, will people still be able to create an account and buy? people who have purchased show up as “customers” and people who register show up as “subscribers”.
Rather than that, you may want to go under Settings>General and set the default user role to customer. That way any user who signs up to your site by default is a customer
Hi,
Is there any way by which the user automatically gets added to subscription list when he posts a comment on any post with their email id?
You are required to make that an option rather than automatic to comply with laws like GDPR
Hi, just something I am doing some research and didnt find any solution yet. Many plugins offers the ADMIN APPROVAL feature for new users registration. Is there a way to allow EDITORs to approve? The reason why is to keep the admin profile to the developers, no one else.
Thanks in advande!
Best,
Lucho.-
You could change user permissions for your editors using the method from our guide here:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/wordpress-user-roles-and-permissions/
Hello,
Can you have the details page, edit details, edit password, logout on a post page?
We do not have a recommended method for placing that on the front end of your site at the moment.
The tutorial is a great help. Very imprtessive! HOWEVER, the way the steps are decribed goes extremely fast. I have to keep replaying five times, at least, to be able to get one instruction then move on… then replay again… then move in 3 seconds, then replay again… Extremely fast. I wish you could speak even just 20 percent slower. Thank you
Thank you for your feedback on our video, you should have the option using the cog in the bottom right of the video to change the playback speed
I want to allow users to register on my site. When I follow the tutorial, it tells me to go to wp admin – settings – general – membership and select allow anyone. I don’t see this option. What now?
You may want to ensure you are an admin of your site and that you are actually in the wp-admin area of your site.
Before I go crashing around and mess something up … Is there a way to *require* registration?
For that, you would want to create a membership site using one of the plugins in our list here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/5-best-wordpress-membership-plugins-compared/
what is the role for online store
should be subscriber or customer ?
Thanks,
Normally the ecommerce plugin should set them as customers and not subscribers
Hello Team, I wish to follow the here numbered steps to create a user registration mechanism but “Settings” tab within WPForms is missing “User Registration” option and controls.
Why would this be and how do I enable it to follow steps in article please?
For the WPForms method, the user registration is under the addons section to install and enable the addon.
Hello,
I am new to PHP and WordPress hence i need some help. There is website, where they use wp-members plugin for user registration and it is working fine. I need to call one rest service after user registration is successful.
Can you provide me some hint?
WordPress should send you an email when a new user is registered to the email you have under Settings>General so you can know about new users being registered.
Can I give my subscribers the role to edit any of my pages – just like Wikipedia where anybody can edit anything? or Do I need some extra Plugins to do so?
Hi Ravikiran,
Subscribers do not have permission to edit posts in WordPress. For editing privileges they will need to be assigned the editor user role.
Having a new subscribers, does it contributes to the website traffic!
Hi Frank,
It depends on why you are allowing users to register and what they can do on your website.
How can I change preference of a particular page to be seen only by logged in user and not by copy/pasting the URL?
Best Regards,
KS
one of my site i have not given registration link but people are registering without my permission what should i do
Hi Shubhangi,
Go to Settings » General page in your WordPress admin area. Scroll down to the ‘Membership’ section and make sure that the option ‘Anyone can register’ is unchecked.
Hello admin, that was nice article, but my problem is bit defferent, i want many roles… Im working on a website where i want to allow the users to signup as author, as publisher, as advertiser, as creator and as simple user, every type of rule has defferent work to do, like creator can upload and create their stories…publishers can publish articles and can make their own audiance like the publisher, the advertiser can advertise his own content to audience of my website…?? How can i do that.
Thanks in advance…
Hello,
If I use WpForms, do I need to check the “Any one can register” in the wordpress dashboard?
thanks
Hello Mohammed Ashour,
No, you don’t need to.
i have basic plan but i can not download registeration addon for wordpress
Hello Thanakan Anukool,
You are probably using WordPress.com. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Please help me. I can’t find the “allow user registration box”. I went to the general settings and I couldn’t find it (Note: I’m using the free plan).
Hi,
Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Is there a way I can have a set list of people, and only allow the people on this list to leave comments? Also, I do not want the people on this list to require a password, instead, to login using just their email address – Is this possible?
I couldn’t find how to implement and customize registered user’s private dashboard or portfolio.
For example, I’ll allow user registration on website, but I’m not sure how to manage their dashboard and functions (like shopping cart review, personal information, history of paid products from my site…).
Can you help me with that?
This. I need help with this.
Thank I love the tutorial nice.
hi i want to allow users to register only with gmail, outlook yahoo ect. i dont want to allow ant business or blog domain email. there is any trick for it? please help me. tank you
My website doesn’t have the “allow anyone to register” option on the admin menu;Menu > settings > general.
What do I do pls?.
This stuff is very confusing
Hi there,
I have transferred my wordpress.com blog to the self hosted wordpress.org blog with the same address.
I have added a “wordpress.com follow button” on my new self hosted site at blue host .i.e
What is happening is people visits my self hosted blog & click on the follow button placed as widget on my self hosted blog,but the followers are added to my old wordpress.com blog & every time I have to mIgrate the followers to my new self hosted site.
so please tell me what to be done so that followers may added directly to my self hosted wordpress.org site
my new site & the older site at wordpress.com are interconnected with each other with JETPACK plug
Also I have setted the primary domain in my old site as ,so that all clicks on my old site at wordpress.com my redirected to my newer site
my wordpress.com site address has now become as example.wordpress.com
PLEASE help.
I just want new followers to be added in my self hosted wordpress.org site
Hi Syed,
Please contact JetPack support, they will be able to help you better.
I know this sounds silly…but why do people want to register in my site. Is it so they can get new content? Post? I can’t figure it out. Thank you
Hi,
It depends on how you want to use user registration feature on your site. For example, you can offer some content only to logged in users or you can invite users to join as authors and write posts on your website. You can also limit comment functionality so that only registered users can comment on your website.
I have made a custom sign up form for user registration, when any user register himself for my website, I need this user to verify and check his / her entered values for custom fields manually before activating him. Is there any wordpress plugin or any other way for verification of user’s customs values manually?
Is this feature of registrations of multiple users available only for paid hosted websites on WordPress? Or does the free websites have this feature too?
Hi Somdeep,
Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Thanks for the article. Is it possible to require registration/subscription for specific content within a public post? I offer free, downloadable content on my blog, but I would like to require users to subscribe in order to download the material. I want the post to be viewable to all – not just restricted to members or subscribers – but in order to actually download the files they need to be a subscriber. Is there any way to do this? Any help much appreciated!
if you add woocommerce you can add downloadable content. you could then restrict this page to members only.
How does one output a list of email addresses for use to send emailings?
I have no membership heading under Settings-General. I wish to make ‘Anyone can Register’ . Thank you
it is under the “users” header in the menu on dashboard
how to delete a user ?
Hi Seema,
Login to your WordPress dashboard and then click on Users in the admin bar. Take your mouse to the user that you want to delete. and then click on the Delete link.
1 does wordpress store my wesite registration data in mysql
2 can i use a plugin like adminer to manage the registration data
3 how many registration accounts can wordpress allow cause i wanted to make it a public login ( about 25,000 accounts)
Thank You
1. Yes WordPress stores all user data within the database. Within the tables wp_users and wp_usermeta
2. Yes you can.
3. You can have as many as you want. But keep in mind it uses more resources, so you’ll need to get a better server I’d recommend.
1 does wordpress store my wesite registration data in mysql
2 can i use a pluin like adminer to manage the registration data
3 how many registration accounts can wordpress allow
Thank You
I’ve been trying to add the option of letting users register and login to my blog so it can be multiauthored, but for some reason, my admin settings/general page doesn’t have the ‘Membership (Anyone Can Register)’ with checkbox, or the ‘New Member/default role’ dropdown on it. It can’t be a WordPress.com issue, since a buddy of mine has the register/login option on his page. Was the option deleted from recent versions of WordPress, or has it been moved? If you could please, please help me out, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for your time!
I have tutorials on my website and i need only registered users to have access to those tutorials, i created a register and login form with Visual composer but i don’t know how to redirect registered users to the tutorial page after login.
New user registration verification mails not getting, what can I do?
please guide me
Please see our guide on how to fix WordPress not sending email issue.
I’ve been searching the web for while, and can’t seem to pinpoint what I need. I’m creating a business site where most of the site is customer info, but I’d like to have a section where employees can log in to access proprietary info and online business tools. It would only be about 25-30 members and not public accessible. Is there a way to create a restricted collection of pages so that only employees can access? Is there a way to do this directly through WordPress, or do I need a plug-in? Thanks for your time-much appreciated!
I hired a freelancer to do my SEO and after a few weeks the website had gone down in traffic, not a good sign I assume?
How to Allow User Registration on Your WordPress Site – The latest
addition to my RSS feed!
I see you have registered https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-allow-user-registration-on-your-wordpress-site/ for a while,
is that to help with search engine optimisation?
How to Allow User Registration on Your WordPress Site – The
newest addition to my weekly read!
Lets say I set up my register, login, logout and rest password pages. How do I get the Login page in the nav bar, and replace it with the logout page when the user has logged in?
I am new on WP, I have a project to design a site where people can register. They are supposed to have different forms when registering. Struggling with How to come up with that. Anybody?
Hi there,
I am new in WordPress and learning WordPress cms, I found this is the best article to setup login and registration link in WordPress site, Steps are easy to follow and you have provided great description of each step. Thank you.
Glad you found it helpful
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