WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Plugins» How to Restrict WordPress Pages by User Role

How to Restrict WordPress Pages by User Role

Last updated on October 24th, 2017 by Editorial Staff
43 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Restrict WordPress Pages by User Role

Do you want to restrict WordPress pages by user role? Many WordPress businesses need to control which users can access certain pages on their websites. In this article, we will show you how to easily restrict access to certain WordPress pages by user role.

Restrict Content by User Role

Restricting WordPress Pages by User Role

By default, WordPress comes with a limited set of tools to restrict content on your website. You can create private and password protected posts, but these features don’t allow you to limit access by user role.

Luckily, there are several WordPress plugins that allow you to do just that. You can choose one of them to restrict pages to certain users, user groups, or user roles.

Using these plugins, you can create a membership website, pay-per-view websites, or even family blogs. You can also monetize your content by adding paid subscriptions.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to properly restrict WordPress pages by user role. We will be showing you different plugins, you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

1. Restrict Content Pro

Restrict Content Pro

Restrict Content Pro is a great option to control who has access to your website content. It also allows you to add paid subscriptions and make money online from your membership website.

First, you will need to install and activate the Restrict Content Pro plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Restrict » Settings page to enter your license key. You can get this key from your account on Restrict Content Pro website.

Enter your license key

Next, you need to switch to the payments tab to select a payment gateway.

Restrict Content Pro allows you to accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, 2Checkout, Braintree, and Authorize.net.

Payments

After selecting a payment method, you will be able to add credentials for each Payment method.

Don’t forget to click on the save options button to store your settings.

Now you need to edit the pages or posts you want to be restricted by user roles.

On the edit screen, scroll down to ‘Restrict this content’ meta box and select ‘Members with certain role’ option.

Restrict content by user role

Choose the user role you want to allow and then update or publish your content.

Restrict Content Pro also allows you to create subscription levels. For more detailed instructions, see our guide on how to restrict content to registered users in WordPress.

2. MemberPress

MemberPress

MemberPress is one of the best WordPress membership plugins in the market. It allows you to easily create membership websites with paid subscriptions.

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

Upon activation, head over to MemberPress » Activate page to enter your license key. You can find this information from your account on MemberPress website.

MemberPress license key

Next, you need to click on the Add-Ons tab and install ‘WordPress User Roles’ add-on.

User role addon

After installing the user role add-on, you need to head over to MemberPress » Options page. Click on the payments tab to set up payments.

Set up payment gateway for MemberPress

MemberPress supports PayPal (Standard, Express, and Pro), Stripe, and Authorize.net out of the box. Select the payment methods you want to use and provide the required credentials.

Next, you need to visit MemberPress » Memberships page and click on the ‘Add New’ button to create a membership plan.

Creating a membership

You will start by providing a title for this membership plan and set pricing, billing type, and expiration settings.

After that, scroll down to the ‘Membership Options’ meta box below the post editor. This is where you can setup different options for this particular membership plan.

Membership options

Click on the ‘Advanced’ tab under membership options and choose a user role for this membership plan.

Select user role for membership plan

Be careful when choosing a user role as each user role in WordPress comes with its own permissions. If you need you can also create a custom user role for the membership plans on your website.

You can now publish your membership plan.

If you want to add more membership plans, then you can repeat the process to add them.

Once you have created membership plan(s). It is time to set up rules to restrict access to the content.

Head over to MemberPress » Rules page and click on the Add New button at the top.

This will bring you to the rules edit page where you can select different conditions and associate them to a membership plan.

Setting rules

For example, you can select all content that matches a particular tag or category to be available only to members with a membership plan you created earlier.

Lastly, you need to edit the content you want to restrict and add it to that particular category or tag.

That’s all, you have successfully restricted pages in WordPress by user role and membership.

3. LearnDash

LearnDash

LearnDash is the best WordPress LMS plugin. It allows you to create and sell courses online.

It comes with built-in subscriptions allowing users to enroll into a course before they can see its contents. This enables you to restrict access to course pages and monetize your website.

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

Upon activation, you need to visit LearnDash LMS » Settings page and click on the LMS License tab. Enter your LearnDash account email address and license key, and then click on ‘Update License’ button to save it.

LearnDash license

Next, you need to switch to the ‘PayPal Settings’ tab to enter your PayPal email address.

LearnDash payment

By default, LearnDash only offers PayPal payment gateway. Stripe and 2Checkout are available as extensions.

Now you can go to LearnDash LMS » Courses page and click on the ‘Add New’ button to add your first course.

Add new course

Enter a title and description for your course. The description part will be visible to all users to explain what this course is about.

Add course title and description

After that you need to scroll down to the course options meta box. Under the course price type option, you can select an access option for the course.

The plugin allows you to create open (public) or closed courses, free, buy bow, and recurring price types.

Course options

For free courses, your users will still need to enroll into course by creating account.

You can now save or publish your course and preview it on your website.

Preview course page

Now that you have created a course, it is still empty. To fill it up you will need to add the course contents like lessons, quizzes, and assignments.

LearnDash is a powerful tool to sell online courses while restricting access to content. It works really well with MemberPress to create subscription plans that automatically give users access to different courses.

That’s all for now. We hope this article helped you learn how to easily restrict WordPress pages by user role. You may also want to see our ultimate step by step WordPress security guide for beginners.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

43 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

  • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

Comments

  1. Congratulations, you have the opportunity to be the first commenter on this article.
    Have a question or suggestion? Please leave a comment to start the discussion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
Smash Balloon
Smash Balloon
Add Custom Social Media Feeds in WordPress. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
Churnly Coupon
Get 30% OFF on Churnly WordPress automated churn-busting plugin.
AccessPress Themes
AccessPress Themes Coupon
Get 15% off on AccessPress Themes collection of premium WordPress themes and plugins.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.