User Role Capabilities for the W3 Total Cache Plugin

W3 Total Cache is one of the most popular performance and caching plugins in WordPress. W3 Total Cache has caching features, but also offers multiple other options for improving your site's speed.

A large number of users install PublishPress plugins and also W3 Total Cache on their site. So we've had some questions about how to customize the user capabilities in W3 Total Cache.

In this guide, we'll show you how to control access to W3 Total Cache.


The Default Permissions in W3 Total Cache

Many of the key settings in W3 Total Cache are available from the “Performance” link. By default, this link is only available to users in the Administrator role. So if you are in the Editor role, or any other role, you won't be able to purge the cache.

W3 Cache Options
W3 Cache Options

How to Customize Access to W3 Total Cache

Access to W3 Total Cache is controlled by the manage_options capability. You should give this to your users in order to control access to W3 Total Cache. We'll show you how to do that with the PublishPress Capabilities plugin.

  • Install the PublishPress Capabilities plugin.
  • Go to “Capabilities” in your WordPress admin menu.
  • Choose the user role you want to edit in the top-left corner.
  • Click the “manage options” link. In the image below, I'm giving this capability to the Editor role.
Editor Options
Editor Options

Any user in the Editor role will now be able to access the “Performance” options.

You may find that this option gives the Editor role access to too many areas of your WordPress site. This is because the manage_options capability is used by a lot of plugins. If this happens, you can use the “Admin Menu Restrictions” in the Pro version of PublishPress Capabilities. You can directly block access to any menu link that you don't want a user role to access.

Admin Menus
Admin Menus

Get the PublishPress plugins

The Pro versions of PublishPress plugins are ready for W3 Total Cache and other key WordPress plugins. They are packed with extra features to help you manage your content. Get a PublishPress membership today for full access:

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