# User Switcher for WordPress > Switch between any WordPress user account in one click — no password needed. Built for developers, agencies, and site administrators who need to move fast. [![WordPress](https://img.shields.io/badge/WordPress-5.0%2B-blue?logo=wordpress)](https://wordpress.org) [![PHP](https://img.shields.io/badge/PHP-7.0%2B-777BB4?logo=php)](https://php.net) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-GPLv2-green)](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html) [![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/Version-1.1.0-orange)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/user-switcher/) --- ## Why User Switcher? Every WordPress developer knows the pain: you need to check how a page looks for a subscriber, verify that a contributor's dashboard is set up correctly, or reproduce a bug only one user is seeing. The old way meant opening an incognito window, logging out and back in, or keeping a password spreadsheet open. **User Switcher ends all of that.** Switch to any account in two clicks, work as that user, then jump back to your admin account with a single button — all without ever touching a password. --- ## Features ### Smart User Search Type a name, email address, or username and results appear instantly. No minimum character requirement — open the modal and all users are right there, ready to scroll. ### Role Filter Tabs Filter the user list by role in one click. Want to switch to an Editor? Click the Editor tab. Looking for a specific Subscriber? Filter and search at the same time. ### Recent Users The five users you switched to most recently appear at the top of the modal. Coming back to the same test account? It's always one click away. ### Beautiful User Cards Every user is shown with their avatar, display name, email address, and a color-coded role badge — so you always know exactly who you're switching to before you click. ### Select Then Switch Click a user card to select them and preview their info in the footer. Ready to go? Hit **Switch Now**. In a hurry? **Double-click** any card to switch immediately. ### Persistent Switch-Back Bar While you're viewing the site as another user, a fixed bar stays visible at the bottom of every page — admin and front-end alike — showing who you're currently switched to and a one-click button to jump straight back to your admin account. ### Keyboard Shortcuts | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | `Alt + S` | Open the Switch User modal | | `Esc` | Close the modal | | `Enter` | Select the focused user card | | `Double-click` | Select and switch immediately | ### Fully Secure - All requests are verified with WordPress nonces - Login URLs are encrypted — no passwords are ever transmitted - Only users with the `manage_options` capability can switch accounts - Cookies are cleared automatically on logout ### Zero Configuration Install, activate, and the **Switch User** button appears in your WordPress admin bar. No settings page to configure, no API keys to enter. --- ## Screenshots | Modal — User Search | Role Filter | Switch Back Bar | |---|---|---| | Search by name, email, or username with instant results | Filter the user list by WordPress role | Persistent bar lets you jump back instantly | --- ## Installation ### From WordPress Admin (Recommended) 1. Go to **Plugins → Add New** in your WordPress dashboard. 2. Search for **User Switcher**. 3. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**. ### Manual Install 1. Download the plugin ZIP file. 2. Go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**. 3. Select the ZIP file and click **Install Now**. 4. Click **Activate Plugin**. ### Via WP-CLI ```bash wp plugin install user-switcher --activate ``` --- ## How to Use ### Switching to Another User 1. Log in as an administrator. 2. Click **Switch User** in the WordPress admin bar (top of any admin page). 3. The user picker modal opens showing all users — scroll, search, or filter by role. 4. Click a user card to select them. Their avatar and role appear in the footer. 5. Click **Switch Now** (or double-click the card) to switch instantly. ### Switching Back While switched to another account, a **"Back to [Your Name]"** bar is fixed to the bottom-left corner of every page. Click it to return to your admin account in one click. ### Keyboard Power Users Press `Alt + S` anywhere in the admin to open the modal without touching the mouse. Use `Esc` to close it. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **Who can switch users?** Only users with the `manage_options` capability (Administrators by default). Regular users cannot see or use the switcher. **Do I need to know the other user's password?** No. User Switcher uses a secure, time-limited encrypted URL to log you in. No passwords are stored or transmitted. **Can I switch to an Administrator account?** Yes. You can switch to any account on the site, including other administrators. **Is it safe to use on a live/production site?** Yes. All actions are nonce-verified and capability-checked. The switch-back cookie expires after 24 hours. We recommend restricting admin access on production sites to trusted IPs as a general best practice. **What happens if I close my browser while switched?** The switch cookie expires after 24 hours. You can also manually clear it by clicking the Switch Back button. **Will it work with my theme or page builder?** Yes. The switch-back bar and all plugin assets are loaded independently of your theme. **Can I switch users from the front-end of the site?** The switch modal is available only in the WordPress admin. The switch-back bar appears on both the admin and front-end while you are in a switched session. **Is this plugin multisite compatible?** Multisite support is planned for a future release. Currently the plugin works per-site. --- ## Changelog ### 1.1.0 - Complete UX redesign of the switch modal - Added scrollable user cards with avatar, email, and role badge - Added role filter tabs (dynamically loaded from WordPress) - Added recent users section (last 5 switches, stored per admin) - Added instant search — no minimum character requirement - Added single-click select with footer preview, double-click to switch immediately - Added persistent switch-back bar on admin and front-end pages - Added `Alt+S` keyboard shortcut to open the modal - Added toast notifications for switch success and errors - Removed Select2 dependency — replaced with custom, lightweight picker - Added current admin user display in modal header - Security: richer nonce verification on all new AJAX endpoints - Performance: new `get_roles` and `get_user_info` AJAX endpoints ### 1.0.0 - Initial release --- ## Contributing Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue to discuss what you would like to change before submitting a pull request. 1. Fork the repository 2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/your-feature`) 3. Commit your changes 4. Push to the branch and open a pull request --- ## Support - **WordPress.org Support Forum**: [wordpress.org/support/plugin/user-switcher](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/user-switcher/) - **Video Tutorial**: [Watch on YouTube](https://youtu.be/f72goWFsTq4) - **Author**: [Mahbub](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mahbubmr500/) --- ## License User Switcher is open-source software licensed under the [GPLv2 or later](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html).