How to Set Up Unauthorized Access Rules for Users

Unauthorized access rules decide what happens when someone who is not part of an access group tries to view protected content. This is useful for guiding users to the right action, like logging in, upgrading, or subscribing.

You set these rules inside the Access Group editor.

Where to Find Unauthorized Access Rules

Go to SureMembers → Access Groups and either create a new group or edit an existing one. In the editor, look at the right-hand sidebar. There you’ll see the Unauthorized Access settings.

This is where you choose what visitors without access should see or where they should be sent.

Option 1: Show a Message

Choose Message if you want to show something directly on the page when users without access try to view restricted content.

Settings include:

• In Content: Shows part of the content before the restriction. Works only for blog posts.
• Enable Excerpt: Shows the WordPress excerpt of the post if one is set.
• Message: Write a custom note, such as “Please log in or subscribe to view this content.”
• Button Text: Change the button label, for example “Upgrade Now” or “Log In.”
• Button URL: Pick or paste the page the button should link to.
• Enable Login Button: Adds a login button so users can sign in first.

Option 2: Redirect

Choose Redirect if you’d rather send users to another page instead of showing a message.

Settings include:

• Redirect URL: Search by keyword or page name to pick a page, or paste in a full URL. This can be a page on your site or an external link.

When you’ve set your preferred option, click Save Access Group in the top right corner to apply the rules.

Other Considerations

Keep these points in mind when setting up unauthorized access rules:

• Priority: If a user belongs to multiple groups, the rule from the group with the higher priority number will be used.

• Exclusions: If you’ve excluded certain content from protection, exclusions override unauthorized access rules.

• Shortcodes: Inline restrictions created with [suremembers_restrict] shortcodes do not follow unauthorized access rules. These rules only apply to full pages or posts.

Frequently Asked Questions