To enable user registration and manage roles in WordPress, follow these steps:

1. Enable User Registration

Step 1: Allow User Registration in WordPress Settings

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Go to Settings > General.
3. Find the option Membership.
4. Check the box next to Anyone can register.
5. Select the Default Role for new users. You can set it to Subscriber, which is the lowest level of access, or choose other roles based on your needs (e.g., Contributor, Author, Editor, Administrator).
6. Click Save Changes.

This allows visitors to register on your site.

2. Create a User Registration Form

WordPress doesn’t have a built-in registration form visible to users, so you’ll need a plugin to create one.

Recommended Plugins for User Registration:

• User Registration – Custom Registration Form Builder: A simple plugin to build forms.
• WPForms: This plugin allows you to create custom registration forms and manage user roles.

After installing and activating a plugin:

1. Go to WPForms > Add New (or the plugin’s respective settings).
2. Create a registration form and include fields like Username, Email, Password, etc.
3. Embed the form on your website by adding the provided shortcode to a page or post (e.g., [wpforms id="123"]).

3. Manage User Roles and Permissions

WordPress has a default set of roles, each with different permissions:

• Administrator: Full access to the site and its settings.
• Editor: Can manage and publish posts, pages, and comments.
• Author: Can write and publish their posts.
• Contributor: Can write but not publish posts.
• Subscriber: Can only manage their profile.

To manage roles:

1. Go to Users > All Users.
2. You’ll see a list of users along with their roles.
3. To change a user’s role, click on the Edit link under their username.
4. In the Role dropdown, select a new role and click Update User.

Using Plugins for Advanced Role Management:

• User Role Editor: This plugin allows you to create custom roles and edit existing roles with more granularity.
  • After installing, go to Users > User Role Editor.
  • Select a role, and adjust capabilities (e.g., allowing access to certain parts of the dashboard).
  • Save the changes.

4. Optional: Redirect Users After Registration

If you want to redirect users to a specific page after they register (e.g., a welcome page or login page), you can use a plugin like Peter’s Login Redirect.

Example Settings:

1. Install and activate Peter’s Login Redirect.
2. Go to Settings > Login/Logout Redirects.
3. Set the redirect URL after registration.

Summary of User Roles in WordPress:

• Administrator: Full access to the site.
• Editor: Manages posts and pages.
• Author: Writes and publishes their own posts.
• Contributor: Writes but cannot publish posts.
• Subscriber: Manages their personal profile.

By following these steps, you can enable user registration, create a registration form, and manage user roles efficiently in WordPress.