What is: Editor?

In WordPress, the Editor is one of the different user roles that you can assign as the administrator or super admin of a WordPress website.

The user role of Editor is just one step beneath that of the Administrator, so it’s essential that you be very careful to whom you give these powers. An Editor can not only write, edit, publish, and delete their own posts and pages but also posts and pages that were written by other people (including the Administrator!) regardless of whether or not the post or page has been already published.

Furthermore, an Editor can also make system-wide changes to a WordPress site, including modifying, deleting, and adding categories; modifying, deleting, and adding tags; and creating new taxonomies. An Editor can also upload media files. Furthermore, an Editor can also read, edit, and delete private posts and pages.

With all these privileges, the Editor role is an important one for the creation of new content and managing a WordPress site. About the only thing an Editor cannot do is change the backend settings for a WordPress site or delete the site entirely. But a responsible and capable Editor can single-handedly manage a website without having to worry about taking care of any behind the scenes site maintenance work, a valuable asset for a thriving blog.

If you’re ready to give someone Editor status but aren’t quite comfortable with having the Editor user role have so many privileges, you can make changes to the user role, including both expanding and curbing what the Editor can do. The easiest way to do this is with a plugin which will allow you to pick and choose which powers you want to assign each user role, including that of Editor.