How to Restrict WordPress Content to Specific Users

If you want to use WordPress to restrict content to a specific user, we’ve got three different methods to help you out!

You might not always want to share all of your website content with all your visitors. Using private content can be a simple way to control what parts of your WordPress site users can see. However, you may not know exactly how you can limit user access.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be hard. By following any or all three easy methods, you can use WordPress to restrict content to any users you choose.

In this article, we'll talk about why you might want to limit user access. Then, we'll help you get started by showing you three ways to do it. Let's go!

Why you might want to control user access to content

Most websites have content that anyone can view. This setup makes it easy to attract new visitors and boost traffic. However, that doesn't mean you always want to use this approach.

There are a few reasons why you might want to restrict user access. For example, you might run a membership site. As such, you may want to make some content available for different user types.

You might also want to control content by user roles. Let's say you're trying to get feedback about your site's design from staff and visitors. In this situation, you might want to ask your team extra questions from an administrative point of view.

Finally, controlled content can also help keep user data private. Restricted access can limit visitors so that they can only see their entries. Thus, confidential information such as data from employee engagement surveys will not be available to others.

How to restrict WordPress content to a specific user

There are three easy ways to control who sees what in your forms and on your website. Let's explore each method!

Method 1: Restrict fields and forms with visibility settings

We'll use user roles for this first method. They separate your visitors into different permission levels. As such, we can use user roles to restrict access.

You can use this approach for both individual form fields and entire forms. Let's start with the fields.

First, create your form. You can also edit an existing one. Click on the field that you want to restrict access to.

Then go to the left-hand menu. Click on Field Options → Advanced. Then, choose the Visibility field:

You should now see the different user roles. Select the users who should be able to see the selected field. After you save, only the chosen roles can view that element.

Now let's look at entire forms. Open the form you'd like to restrict. Then, go to Settings → Form Permissions:

Check the box next to Limit form visibility. After that, choose your desired user role from the drop-down menu. Those group members will now be the only ones who can see that form.

You can also select qualifiers other than user roles here. For example, you could choose to only display the form to logged-in users. That way, you will only be collecting information from your existing registered users.

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Method 2: Use conditional logic and hidden fields

For our next method, let's look at hidden fields. These elements store values, but users can't see them on the front end.

So you can assign a value to specific user roles. Then, you can control a form field's access based on that value.

Start by going to a form. Add a hidden field. Then, enter [user_role] as the default value:

Doing this will automatically fill the field with the user role of the person taking the survey. However, they won't see the hidden field.

Next, we'll set up conditional logic. Click on the field you want to restrict access to. Then, find the Conditional Logic section.

From here, change the drop-down options as necessary. Remember, the hidden field will populate with whatever value [user_role] is.

For example, let's say you wanted to use WordPress to hide content from subscribers. Choosing the following options will hide the field for that user role:

However, you can also change this rule. For instance, you might decide that a field will only appear for a single group. Additionally, you can add multiple conditional rules in WordPress to restrict form field access to certain users.

 Get Started with Conditional Logic!

Method 3: Display and filter content using a View

Finally, you can also use a View to restrict certain content and create WordPress individual user pages. This is a very flexible method because you can use it for several specific values. We'll show you how to restrict page access to an individual user.

For this example, we want to make it so the current user can only see their own entries. This is ideal for a journal platform, fitness trackers, user profile pages, and other websites where users submit content that should stay private.

Start by creating a View for one of your forms with frontend user submissions (like a registration form). Then, click on Filter Entries.

Add a filter that reads User ID is equal to current_user. Keep in mind that you must have a User ID field in your form for this step to work:

Save your View. Now, those with a WordPress user account should only be able to see their custom information on individual user pages. The rest of the user base will have the content restrictions in place. So each one will one see their custom user information on the page in WordPress.

You can also restrict content in other ways with this method. For example, you can limit form content to only those above a certain age. As long as the field value appears on your form, you can get creative with restrictions.

Conclusion

If you want to use WordPress to restrict content to a specific user, forms can present unique challenges. Fortunately, the process can be straightforward. By using a few simple strategies, you can control who sees your content.

In this article, we covered three ways to use WordPress to restrict access:

1. Restrict individual form fields based on visibility settings.
2. Use hidden fields and conditional logic.
3. Create a View that restricts access to submissions.

Formidable Forms is far more than just the best WordPress plugin for forms. It makes it easy to control who can access your forms, fields, and even create individual user pages. Check out some of our other powerful features today!

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