Create a Temporary Administrator Account in WordPress

Creating a temporary admin account in WordPress is useful for providing short-term access to developers, support staff, or collaborators in your project. This guide walks you through the steps to safely set up and later remove a temporary administrator account.

⚠️ Important Notes

Only give admin access to trusted individuals writing from verified domains you recognize.
Set a calendar reminder to delete the account once it’s no longer needed.

🔐 Need to provide only temporary access? Use a plugin for expiring acounts.

Plugins like Temporary Login Without Password or Temporary Login by Elementor can automate this process by:

Creating logins with expiration dates.
No need to send passwords, quick link grants temporary access to developers.
Avoiding the need to remember to manually delete the account.

✅ Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Log In to WordPress

Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
Log in with an account that already has Administrator privileges.

2. Navigate to Users

From the left sidebar, click Users > Add New.

3. Fill in the New User Details

Username: Something like temp-admin or support-temporary.
Email: Use the company's email or an e-mail address you control.
First Name / Last Name: Optional, but helpful for clarity.
Password: Use a strong password or click “Generate password.”, make sure to copy the password.
Send User Notification: Check this box if the person needs login details sent to them.
Role: Choose Administrator.

4. Click "Add New User"

Now go ahead and send the login details to the developer requiring temporary access to your Wordpress site.

🗑️ Removing the Temporary Account

Once the access is no longer needed:

Go to Users.
Find the temporary account.
Click Delete under the username.
Choose whether to delete or attribute their content to another user – normally you want to transfer the content to your own admin account.

If you have further questions or need help, contact your site admin or hosting provider.