Delete WordPress User Roles

By default, WordPress arrives with five default user roles: Contributor, Subscriber, Author, Editor, and Administrator. However, when you start installing plugins, you may see many extra roles. For example, if you install Yoast SEO, there will be two new roles: “SEO Editor” and “SEO Manager”. If you install WooCommerce, you'll see two more roles: “Shop manager” and “Customer”.

WordPress user roles from plugins

What happens if you do want all these extra roles? Is it possible to delete these extra roles?

Yes, you can safely delete WordPress user roles with the PublishPress Capabilities plugin.


Here's how to delete a WordPress user role #

  • Install the PublishPress Capabilities plugin to your site.
  • Go to “Role” in the WordPress admin menu.
  • Click the “Delete” link under any role that has that available. For safety reasons, some roles can not be deleted.
  • You'll see a pop-up box. Click “OK” to delete the role.
  • Any users in this role will be moved to the “Susbcriber” role or whatever is set to the default role.
Delete a WordPress user role