Change Accounts with User Switching WordPress Plugins

User switching plugins in WordPress can be very useful. These plugins allows administrators to switch and see the site as another user. 

This features is a must-have if you run a site with multiple user levels, have a large number of users or use multiple accounts for yourself. Instead of opening two browsers or logging in and logging out repeatedly, these plugins are an efficient way to bugshoot problems with user accounts.

We use this plugins to help answer account questions or solve website bugs for our users.

Here at OSTraining, we rely heavily on the User Testing feature in the PublishPress Capabilities plugin. This allows us to browse our site and see exactly what the user sees. User Testing is an enormously helpful feature when we’re solving support questions. We can test the user’s account without resetting their password.

Step #1. Download and Install PublishPress Capabilities

Go to Plugins > Add New and search for “PublishPress Capabilities” and click “Install Now”. Follow the prompts to activate the plugin.

Step 2. Go to the User list

Go to Users > All Users to get your list of users.

Step 3. Click Switch To to switch users

Mouse over the user to expose the “Test User” link and click on it.

Step 4. Test the User account

You are now logged in as the chosen user. You see that user’s dashboard and only the features that they are permitted to see. In this case the user is an “Author” and the dashboard reflects their access.

To switch back to the original user click the “Return to Administrator view” link.

Notes on using the plugin

• Only administrators can switch users.
• You cannot switch to another administrator. You can only switch to user roles.
• If you’ve switched to a user, you must switch back to the original user before you can change users again.

As we get more complicated user roles, permissions and community sites, it’s really essential that you are able to test the user experience, exactly as they do. Plugins such as PublishPress Capabilities will make this much easier.