How to Redirect Users After Successful Login in WordPress

Do you want to redirect users to a specific page after they login to your WordPress site?

Depending on the user’s role, they’re usually taken to the WordPress dashboard or their profile section in the WordPress admin panel. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to redirect users after a successful login in WordPress.

Why Redirect Users After Login in WordPress?

A lot of website owners run multi-user WordPress websites. For example, a multi-author blog, a membership website, or an online store.

These websites require users to login to perform certain actions and access their account details.

Many WordPress membership plugins and eCommerce plugins automatically handle redirects by showing users custom login pages and redirecting to an account management page.

However, not all websites will be using a plugin with this functionality. In this case, users will simply be redirected to the default WordPress admin area.

This doesn’t offer your users clear guidance on what to do next. It might work for bloggers and writers, but it’s not an ideal experience for your users and customers. 

That being said, let’s take a look at how to redirect users after successful login in WordPress easily. You can use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

• Setting up login redirects with LoginWP
• Setting up a custom login page and redirects with WPForms

Method 1. Setting Up Login Redirects with LoginWP

The method lets you redirect users after they sign in based on user roles, capabilities, username, and more. 

The easiest way to do this is by using the LoginWP (formerly Peter’s Login Redirect) plugin. It lets you set up simple login redirects in a couple of clicks.

First thing you need to do is install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation you need to go to LoginWP » Redirections to setup the plugin.

It allows you to set up login redirects for various situations. Let’s take a look at each of them below.

Set Up Login Redirect for Specific WordPress Users

First, you can set up redirects only for specific users. This is useful if you have a small team and want to redirect team members to specific pages. 

To do this, click the ‘Add New’ button in the ‘Redirection Rules’ section.

This brings you to a new page to set your redirection settings.

First, select the ‘Username’ condition from the ‘Rule Condition’ drop down and choose the username from the drop down list.

Then, you can enter the URLs you want to redirect the user to on login and logout.

Make sure to click the ‘Save Rule’ button to save your changes. 

Setting Up Login Redirect by User Role in WordPress

Next, you can set up a login redirect based on the user role in WordPress. For example, you might want to redirect editors to the admin area, but have your email list subscribers go to a separate custom page. 

The process will be similar to the steps above. Simply click the ‘Add New’ button in the ‘Redirection Rules’ section.

Then, select the ‘User Role’ condition from the ‘Rule Condition’ drop down and choose the user role from the drop down list. 

You can also set the order to any number, which will determine how this rule is stored and displayed in plugin settings.

Then, enter the login and logout URLs where you want to redirect the user role.

Next, click the ‘Save Rule’ button.

If you want to create different login redirects for multiple user roles, then simply follow the same steps above. 

Setting Up Login Redirect by Capabilities in WordPress

The plugin also allows you to set up login redirects based on user levels and capabilities. This is very useful if you’re using a plugin like Members to create and manage user roles with custom capabilities in WordPress.

To do this, follow the same steps above by clicking the ‘Add New’ button.

Then, select the ‘User Capability’ condition from the ‘Rule Condition’ drop down and choose the user capability from the drop down list.

You can also enter an order number if you want to keep your rules organized on the plugin settings page.

You’ll have different user capabilities available based on the roles you’ve assigned.

Next, enter your login URL and logout URL in the boxes below. 

Then, click the ‘Save Rule’ button.

Setting up Login Redirect for All Users in WordPress

On the plugin’s settings page, there is an option to set a redirect for all other users. If a user doesn’t match any rules you set above, then you can redirect them by entering a URL here.

You can also use this setting to create a sitewide redirect for all users.

Simply enter a login URL and logout URL into the ‘All Other Users’ section. 

Then, click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Setting Up a User Registration Redirect in WordPress

When a new user signs up on your website, WordPress redirects them to the login page. You can set up a redirect URL to send them to any other page on your website. 

Simply enter the new URL in the ‘After Registration’ section and click the ‘Save Changes’ button. 

Method 2. Setting Up Custom Login Form and Redirects with WPForms

If you want to create a custom login form for new users, then you can use WPForms to set up a redirect after they login. 

WPForms is the best user registration plugin in the market used by over 5 million websites. It lets you easily create user registration forms, contact forms, and more. 

You can use the free version to create simple contact forms, but you’ll need WPForms Pro to get the login form feature.

First thing you need to do is install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. 

Upon activation, you need to visit WPForms » Settings and enter your license key. You can find this information under your account on the WPForms website.

After that, you need to install the user registration form addon. 

Simply go to WPForms » Addons and locate the ‘User Registration Addon’ and click the ‘Install Addon’ button.

Now, you’re ready to create your own custom login form. 

To do this, navigate to WPForms » Add New and give your form a name.

Next, search for ‘Login’ in the search bar to find the ‘User Login Form’ template, then click the ‘Use Template’ button.

WPForms will automatically load the User Login Form template with all the required fields.

You can edit all existing fields by clicking on them and making changes in the new screen.

For example, if you want to change the ‘Submit’ text, then simply click the button.

This brings you to an editor where you can add new button text, add button processing text, and more.

Once you’re finished customizing your form, you can set up a login redirect.

To do this, go to Settings » Confirmation from the left column, then select ‘Go to URL’ redirect as your confirmation type.

Then, you can enter the URL where your users will be redirected. 

Your login form is now ready. Make sure you click the ‘Save’ button before closing the form builder interface. 

Now, let’s add your login form to your website. 

Simply open up the page where you want your login form to display, or create a new page. Then, click the ‘Plus’ icon on the page edit screen to add a new block and search for ‘WPForms’.

Next, click on the WPForms block, and it will automatically be added to your site.

After that, select the login form you created earlier from the drop down list, and it will automatically load the form inside your content area.

Alternatively, you could use a page builder plugin like SeedProd to set up a login redirect, plus create a beautiful login page.

SeedProd lets you easily create custom landing pages, login pages, 404 pages, and more.

For more details, see our guide on how to create a custom login page in WordPress.

Troubleshooting Login Issues in WordPress

Setting up redirects using the methods above should work like a charm. However, you might run into issues depending on how your WordPress website is set up and the plugins you’re currently using.

Here are some tips that can help you resolve those issues. 

1. Update Your Permalink Structure

Simply go to Settings » Permalinks and click on the ‘Save settings’ button without making any changes.

This will refresh the WordPress permalink settings. If you’re experiencing other redirect issues, then this usually does the trick.

2. Fix Login Page Redirect Issue

If your login page keeps refreshing and redirecting you back to the login form, then this is a sign of a settings conflict.

For help troubleshooting the problem, see our guide on how to fix the WordPress login page refreshing and redirecting issue.

3. Follow General Troubleshooting Tips

If the two tips above didn’t solve your issue, then it’s most likely a plugin or theme conflict. For more details, see our beginner’s guide to troubleshooting WordPress errors.

We hope this article helped you learn how to redirect users after successful login in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a free business email address and our expert picks of the best live chat software for small businesses.

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