Restrict WordPress Users to Posting in One Category

Over the last few days, a couple of people have written to us and asked this question:

“Can I restrict users to posting in certain categories?”

The answer is “Yes”. You can do this with the PressPermit Pro plugin.

In this example, I’m going to allow users in the “Author” role to post only in a category called “Author Category” (click here to read about the default Author role).

• Go to “Users” in your WordPress admin area and create an account in the Author user role:

• Go to “Posts” and “Categories” and choose the category you want to use:

• Go to Permissions > Groups.
• Click to edit the “WP Author” role.

This next step is going to be the key step. We’re going to use Press Permit to create an “Exception” so that Authors can only assign the “Author Category” to their Posts.

• Click “Add Exceptions”.
• Post Type: choose “Post”.
• Post Operation: choose “Assign Term”.
• Adjustment: choose “Only these”.
• Qualification: choose “Categories”.
• Select Categories: choose your category, which in this example is “Author Category”.
• Click the “Add Exceptions” button.

Press Permit Pro will now show you the details so you can double-check them. Click “Save Exceptions” if it looks like the image below.

That’s all there is to it. You’re ready to go! Log into your WordPress site as an Author, and when you create a Post, only one Category will be available:

If this guide was helpful, you might be interested in the opposite process: how to prevent WordPress users from posting in category.