Sometimes you are handed a WordPress site to manage, but don't have full access to it. There are two kinds of administrative access to a WordPress site:
- Access to an administrator account on the site itself.
- Access to the group or department web space where the WordPress software is installed.
Each access method provides the ability to perform different tasks.
WordPress administrator: make content upgrades, upgrade WordPress software, maintain users, or manage comments
A WordPress Administrator is someone who has access to the Admin Panel within WordPress and can perform tasks from within the site itself, such as make content upgrades, upgrade WordPress software, add users or manage comments.
The best way to obtain this type of access is from a person who's already an administrator of the website, such as the person that originally installed WordPress. They can create a new account for you or promote your existing account to one with administrative privileges.
Group or department web space administrator: install WordPress
While you might be a WordPress administrator, you might still not have administration rights to the underlying web space that hosts WordPress. This is required if you need to install more instances of WordPress, or if you need to install or upgrade plugins and themes manually (if they can't be updated through WordPress itself).
For help, submit a Help ticket or visit the Stanford University WordPress Community of Practice.
