Best Plugins to Perform Bulk User Role Changes in WordPress

Managing user roles in WordPress can be a bit like herding cats, especially if you have a bunch of users on your site. Maybe you’re running a membership platform. Or maybe you upgraded a blog to have guest contributors. Whatever your reason, there comes a time when you’ll want to bulk change user roles. And doing that one by one is just not fun.

Thankfully, there are plugins for that! Let’s look at the best plugins you can use to perform bulk user role changes in WordPress. We’ve kept things light, easy to understand, and – dare we say – fun!

Why Change User Roles in Bulk?

Before we jump into the plugins, let’s quickly touch on why you might want to do this.

  • You’ve changed business models and need to update roles.
  • You want to upgrade free users to paid members.
  • You found out some users have too much access – uh oh!
  • You’re organizing users into different teams or categories.

Instead of editing each profile manually, let’s automate it using some great plugins!

1. User Role Editor

This is one of the most popular WordPress plugins for managing roles. It doesn’t just let you change user roles – it lets you customize them too!

Features:

  • Bulk change user roles with just a few clicks
  • Create new roles with custom capabilities
  • Remove unnecessary roles you never use
  • Very user-friendly interface

Using the User Role Editor feels like playing with settings in a game. Everything is straightforward, and you don’t need to touch any code. Boom! Major time-saver.

Pro Tip: If you upgrade to the Pro version, you get even more powerful features like roles by post types and admin menu access. Total control!

2. WPFront User Role Editor

Another great contender. WPFront brings a clean design and solid capabilities to the table.

Features:

  • Bulk role change functionality
  • Custom role creation
  • Assign multiple roles to a single user
  • Redirect users based on roles

What’s really cool? You can automate role changes on certain events. For example, change someone’s role when they log in or when they register.

It’s like giving your site a magic wand to handle role changes.

3. Bulk Edit User Roles

This is a super simple, lightweight plugin. If you want to just change user roles fast without all the bells and whistles, this one’s perfect.

Features:

  • Select users from a list
  • Choose a new role
  • Click “Apply” and boom! All done

There’s not much else to say except it’s straightforward and gets the job done. Great for quick fixes.

4. Members by MemberPress

This plugin is known for its powerful user and role management features. Built by the folks behind MemberPress, it combines flexibility with clean design.

Features:

  • Bulk role changes
  • Drag-and-drop role capability editor
  • Detailed role permissions
  • Great integration with other plugins

This one’s ideal if you also want to create a membership site or restrict content. It blends well with eCommerce and LMS plugins too.

Bonus: The plugin respects WordPress coding standards, which means better compatibility and fewer bugs.

5. Admin Columns

While not only for user roles, Admin Columns Pro lets you bulk-edit users directly from the WordPress user table.

Features:

  • Add a column to view user roles at a glance
  • Filter users by role
  • Select and update roles in bulk
  • Works with many other data types

If you love customizing the WordPress admin, this plugin is your best friend. Think of it as Table Editor meets Power Tool.

6. Advanced Access Manager (AAM)

If you’re looking for more control and security features on top of basic user roles, AAM delivers.

Features:

  • Bulk change roles
  • Manage access to posts, pages, and content
  • Custom redirect after login
  • User-specific permissions

It’s perfect for multisites or eCommerce stores where role management needs more precision.

How to Choose the Right Plugin?

So many options! How do you pick? Well, ask yourself a few simple questions:

  • Do you need to regularly change many users at once?
  • Do you need custom roles?
  • Are you using a membership or LMS plugin?
  • Are you a fan of simple interfaces or do you want powerful features?

If you just want to update lots of users quickly, go for Bulk Edit User Roles or WPFront. If you want deep control, try User Role Editor or AAM.

Other Handy Tips

  • Backup before making changes – Just in case something goes wrong.
  • Create a test user – Assign different roles and see how they look on the site.
  • Document your changes – Especially if you’re part of a team.
  • Use filters – Some plugins let you filter users by role, email, and more.

Final Thoughts

Changing user roles in bulk doesn’t have to be scary. With the right plugin, you can do it fast, clean, and without touching any code. Whether you’re managing five users or five thousand, there’s a tool just for you.

So, go ahead. Take control of your community, team, or customer base. Because admin work doesn’t have to be a chore when you add a little plugin power to it.

Now it’s your turn: pick a plugin, test it out, and make those role changes like a WordPress rockstar!