---
title: edit_published_pages
description: "## What is the edit_published_pages permission in WordPress? The edit_published_pages permission allows you to edit Pages that are live on a WordPress site. The main goal of this permission is to allow or prevent people from editing Pages that have…"
url: "https://publishpress.com/knowledge-base/edit_published_pages/"
updated: "2026-10-14"
category: WordPress Permissions / WordPress Permissions
---

# edit_published_pages

## What is the edit_published_pages permission in WordPress?

The edit_published_pages permission allows you to edit Pages that are live on a WordPress site.

The main goal of this permission is to allow or prevent people from editing Pages that have already been published.

If you have the edit_published_pages permission, you will see the "Edit" and "Quick Edit" links on the "Pages" screen.

![Editing permissions given by the  edit_published_pages permissions](https://publishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/edit-links.png)

This edit_published_pages permission is very specific. These are 4 key limitations:

1. It only applies to the "Pages" post type.
2. It only applies to Pages that have the "Published" status.
3. It only applies to Pages where the user is the author. To edit Pages written by other people you need the [edit_others_pages](https://publishpress.com/links/edit_others_pages) permission.
4. To use it, you must also have [edit_pages](https://publishpress.com/links/edit_pages) permission. Without [edit_pages](https://publishpress.com/links/edit_pages), you won't be able to access the "Pages" screen at all.

The edit_published_pages permission is used by the [PublishPress Revisions](https://publishpress.com/links/revisions) plugin. If you don't have the edit_published_pages permission and try to update a Page, your updates will be held for moderation.

---

## Who has the edit_published_pages permission?

The edit_published_pages permission is available on single WordPress sites and on multisite networks.

By default, the edit_published_pages permission is only given to [Super Admins](https://publishpress.com/links/super-admin), Administrators and Editors.

Users not in these roles are not allowed to edit published Pages written by other users.

---

## How to control who has the edit_published_pages permission

You can control who has the edit_published_pages permission by installing the [PublishPress Capabilities](https://publishpress.com/links/capabilities) plugin.

- Install the [PublishPress Capabilities](https://publishpress.com/links/capabilities) plugin.
- Go to “Capabilities” in your WordPress admin menu.
- Using the dropdown in the top-left corner, choose the role you want to edit.
- Check or uncheck the box in the "Pages" row of the "Edit published" column.

![](https://publishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/edit-published-pages-1024x373.png)