User Roles and Capabilities

What is User Roles and Capabilities?

User Roles and Capabilities is a focused WordPress plugin that gives site owners direct control over their permission structure. Created by developer mahabub81, this tool has been on the WordPress repository for 11 years. It currently holds 8K+ active installs with a 4.8/5 rating from 21 reviews. A full 95% of those ratings are 5% are one-star. The plugin lets you create new roles, delete existing ones, and manage user capabilities without touching a single line of code. It works with WordPress 3.5 and has been tested up to version 1.2.6.

What sets this plugin apart is its age and longevity. Eleven years in the WordPress ecosystem is rare. The current version is 1.2.6, and it was last updated on May 9, 2021. While the update cadence has slowed, the plugin still functions for sites running older WordPress installations. It does not allow modification of administrator capabilities, which is a deliberate safety measure.

Key Features of User Roles and Capabilities

• Create Custom User Roles WordPress – Build entirely new roles from scratch, giving you full control over what each user type can access.
• Clone and Rename Existing Roles – Duplicate any role as a starting point, then rename it to fit your site's structure.
• Manage User Capabilities WordPress – Assign or remove specific permissions for any role using a single management screen.
• Import and Export Role Data – Transfer your entire role configuration between sites using JSON files.
• Assign Multiple Roles to Users – Give a single user access to two or more roles simultaneously, expanding their permissions beyond a single bucket.
• Change Default User Role – Set which role new registrations receive upon signup, replacing the WordPress default of "Subscriber."
• Delete Roles Safely – Remove custom roles you no longer need. WordPress built-in roles cannot be deleted, preventing accidental lockouts.
• Set Permissions per User – Fine-tune capabilities at the individual user level without altering the parent role.

Who Should Use User Roles and Capabilities?

This plugin is best suited for site administrators who manage membership sites, multi-author blogs, or client portals. If you need to know how to add new user role in WordPress quickly, this tool delivers. It works well for beginners because there are no settings pages to configure. You install it, and the menu appears. The developer states the plugin is "plug n play," which matches the experience. Sites running older WordPress versions (3.5 through 5.7) will find this plugin most stable.

However, the target user should be comfortable with the fact that this plugin has not received an update since May 9, 2021. If you run a modern WordPress installation (version 6.x or later), compatibility is not guaranteed. The 8K+ install base suggests a loyal audience, likely on legacy sites. For those managing user roles WordPress on a site that cannot upgrade due to custom code or theme constraints, this plugin remains a viable option.

Installation & Setup

Installation follows the standard WordPress method. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/ via FTP or use the plugin installer from the WordPress admin panel. Activate it through the Plugins screen. There are no configuration pages to visit. The plugin adds a new menu item immediately, giving you access to role and capability management. A beginner can be up and running in under two minutes.

Support & Community

The support data tells a clear story. Over the last two months, the plugin has 0 open support threads and 0 resolved threads, giving a 0% resolution rate. This means either no one is asking for help, or the developer is not actively responding. The 21 ratings show a polarized user base. The 95% five-star rate suggests users who get it working love it. The 5% one-star rate likely reflects compatibility issues or the lack of modern updates. The developer's FAQ states, "If you find any issue just let us know we will get back to you with the fix in 24 hours." Given the last update was May 9, 2021, that 24-hour promise may not hold today. Users should test this plugin on a staging site first.