Once you install and activate the User Registration & Membership plugin, its Setup Wizard will help you quickly start. Follow this User Registration & Membership setup guide to maximize the plugin’s capabilities. Let’s begin!
Step 1: Get Started with the Setup Wizard #
After receiving the welcome message from the plugin, simply click on the Get Started button displayed on the setup wizard interface.
This action will initiate the process and guide you through setting up your user registration and membership functionalities seamlessly.
Step 2: Select Registration Type #
You’ll now encounter two registration options: Normal Registration and Membership Registration.
Normal Registration #
Choose this option if you want a straightforward registration process without additional membership features. It is ideal for basic user access.
Membership Registration #
Membership Registration extends the standard registration process with tiered access levels, subscription options, and other capabilities. It is ideal for content restriction based on membership status, subscription integration, and management of membership levels.
Select the registration type that aligns with your website’s requirements, then click the “Next” button to proceed.
Step 3: Install Required Pages #
During this setup wizard step, you will be guided through the plugin’s registration behavior. You will also have the option to select the necessary pages for installation.
If you have selected Membership Registration, you will get the following pages:
Additionally, you can preview the pages before proceeding to the next step. This ensures a seamless and customized registration process for your users.
So, select the necessary pages and hit the Next button.
Step 4: Configure Registration Settings #
Once the installation of all the pages has been completed, it will navigate you to the next page, which is the general settings page.
User Approval and Login Option #
Now, configure user approval and login settings for your WordPress website. Here are the four options available:
Auto Approval and Manual Login: When this option is selected, new user registrations are automatically approved without admin intervention, but users must manually log in after registration.
Auto Approval and Auto Login: This option automatically approves new registrations and immediately logs users into their accounts after registration completion.
Admin Approval: This setting requires an administrator to manually review and approve each new registration before the user can access the website.
Auto Approval After Email Confirmation: With this option, user accounts are automatically approved once the user confirms their email address by clicking a verification link.
Assign Default User Role #
This setting determines the permission level automatically assigned to newly registered users. You can choose from 5 options:
- Subscriber: Can only read content and manage their own profile (recommended for most sites).
- Contributor: Can write and manage their own posts, but cannot publish them.
- Author: Can publish and manage their own content.
- Editor: Can publish and manage posts, including content from other users.
- Administrator: Has complete access to all site features and settings (use cautiously).
Require Strong Password #
Toggle to enable a strong password and set the password strength.
The password strength setting allows you to enforce security standards for user-created passwords:
- Very Weak: Accepts virtually any password with minimal requirements.
- Weak: Requires slightly more complex passwords than very weak.
- Medium: Requires a mix of letters, numbers, or special characters.
- Strong: Requires complex passwords with letters, numbers, and special characters.
Restrict WordPress Dashboard Access #
This option allows you to restrict specific WordPress user roles from accessing the WordPress admin dashboard. This security feature helps maintain site integrity by limiting backend access to only those users who require it for their responsibilities.
Available Role Restrictions
You can restrict dashboard access for any of the following standard WordPress user roles:
- Subscriber: Basic users who can only manage their profiles and read content
- Contributor: Users who can write and manage their posts but cannot publish them
- Author: Users who can publish and manage their own posts
- Editor: Users who can publish and manage posts, including the posts of other users
Choose your preferred role and move to the next step.
Security Note: For most websites, "Subscriber" is the safest default role. Assign higher-level roles only when necessary, as they grant significant site access and control. Never set "Administrator" as the default role for public registrations.Step 5: Final Step of User Registration & Membership Setup #
Congratulations on completing the final step of setting up the plugin! You’ve now configured all the basic settings and are ready to create your first registration form. Click on ‘Visit Dashboard’ to get started.
Default Form #
Here’s how your default form editor might look:
Registration Page #
Here’s what your registration page will look like:
