How to Manually Grant or Revoke User Access

Normally, SureMembers handles access for you through purchases, subscriptions, or automations. But sometimes you may need to step in and give or remove access manually. You can do this in WordPress under the Users area whenever you need to quickly update a user’s access.

Manually granting or revoking access gives you full control, so you can fix issues, test, or provide access right away without waiting for automations to run.

Why You Might Need to Manually Manage Access

Here are some common scenarios where manual changes are useful:

• Subscription issues: A payment didn’t process, but you want to keep the member’s access while it’s being resolved.
• New hire onboarding: Quickly grant access to internal training spaces or company resources.
• Troubleshooting: Temporarily add yourself or a test user to an access group to check how restrictions are applied.
• Early or temporary access: Give certain users access to premium content before the official release.
• Migration or cleanup: When moving from another system, you may need to manually adjust user access.

Option 1: Edit a Single User’s Access

This method is best when you need to update one user at a time.

1. Go to Users in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Click on the user’s name to open their profile.

3. Scroll down to the Access Groups section.
4. You’ll see which groups the user currently belongs to.
   • To add the user, click Grant Access next to the group.
   • To remove the user, click Remove Access.

The change takes effect immediately.

Option 2: Bulk Edit Multiple Users

This method is best if you need to update several users at once.

1. Go to Users in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Check the box next to each user you want to update.
3. From the Bulk Actions dropdown, choose Edit, then click Apply.

4. On the bulk edit screen, find the Access Groups section.
5. Choose the group you want to change and select whether to Grant Access or Revoke Access.
6. Click Update Users to apply the changes.

All selected users will be updated at once.

When to Use Each Method

• Single-user editing: Great for one-off adjustments, troubleshooting, or fixing individual accounts.
• Bulk editing: Best for moving larger groups of users at once, such as onboarding a whole team or cleaning up inactive members.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• User Role Sync: If your access groups are linked to WordPress roles, granting or removing access will also update the user’s role. For example, adding someone to “Premium Members” might also give them the “Premium” role.
• Double-check before saving: Always confirm the right group is selected, so you don’t accidentally give access to the wrong users.
• Instant changes: Manual updates apply right away, no matter what subscription or automation is set up.
• Fixing mistakes: If you remove or add access by accident, just go back and update the user or bulk edit again. There’s no “undo” button.

Frequently Asked Questions