Backup and Restore User Permissions

PublishPress Capabilities offers you the ability to backup and restore your permissions.

This feature is very helpful if you want to test out changes on your site, or you've installed a new plugin that has changed your site's permissions.

Automatic permissions backups

Changing permissions in WordPress can be a tricky task. It's possible to lock yourself or others out of some important features.

So, we've built a way to keep your site safe.

Every time you change your permissions, the PublishPress Capabilities plugin will automatically create a backup. If you make a mistake, go to the “Backup” menu link and you'll be able to roll back to a previous version.

How to Create a Permissions Backup

You can also manually create a backup of your permissions.

• Go to Capabilities > Backup.
• Click the “Do Action” button:

• You'll now see the message, “New backup saved”.

• If you click “Show initial backup” or “Show last backup”, you will see a detailed list of all the roles and permissions in that backup:

How to Restore a Permissions Backup

Using this same screen, you can restore your permissions.

• Choose “Restore initial backup” or “Restore last saved backup”.
• Click “Do Action”.

You will now see a message saying that your permissions have been restored.

Restore Permissions to the WordPress Defaults

If you really need to clean up and refresh your site, PublishPress Capabilities does allow you to restore the default WordPress permissions.

Before you take this step, make sure to read the warning:

“WARNING: This will delete and/or modify stored role definitions. If you have installed any plugin that adds new roles or capabilities, these will be lost.It is recommended to use this only as a last resort!”

If you want to proceed, click the “Reset to WordPress defaults” link.

PublishPress Capabilities will ask you if you're really sure you want to do this. Click “OK” to continue.

Once the process is complete, you'll see the message, “Roles and Capabilities reset to WordPress defaults”.