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Troubleshooting Content Permissions: Why Your Public Pages Still Require Login

35 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Members – membership & user role editor plugin

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If you're using the Members plugin to manage access to your WordPress content, you might encounter a confusing situation: a page that you've explicitly set to be public is still demanding a user login. This issue can be frustrating for both site administrators and visitors. Based on common community reports, here are the most likely causes and their solutions.

Why This Happens

This behavior is not typically a bug in the plugin itself but is instead caused by one of three common scenarios: cached permissions, inherited restrictions from a parent page, or a conflict with a page builder plugin. Understanding the root cause is the first step to resolving the issue.

Common Solutions

1. Clear All Caches (Including CDN)

This is one of the most frequent culprits. If you use a caching plugin, a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare, or your host has a server-level cache, old permission settings might be served to visitors.

  • Action: Purge your caching plugin's cache, your CDN cache, and contact your hosting provider to clear any server cache.
  • Test: After clearing all caches, try accessing the page in an incognito/private browser window to see if it loads correctly.

2. Check for Inherited Permissions from Parent Pages

By default, the Members plugin is designed to have child pages inherit the content permissions of their parent page. If your public page is a child of a restricted page, it will also be restricted, even if you've unchecked all roles in its own settings.

  • Action: Navigate to the page's editor and check the 'Page Attributes' meta box to see if it has a parent page assigned. If it does, you have two options:
    1. Remove the parent page assignment, making it a top-level page.
    2. Alternatively, you can disable this inheritance behavior by adding a small code snippet to your theme's functions.php file: 
      // Disable the Members plugin from checking parent post permissions
add_filter('members_check_parent_post_permission', '__return_false');
      Warning: Always use a child theme when editing theme files to prevent your changes from being lost during theme updates.

3. Investigate Plugin or Theme Conflicts

Some page builders and themes do not follow standard WordPress practices, which can interfere with how the Members plugin applies its restrictions.

  • Action: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except Members and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four). If the page becomes publicly accessible, reactivate your plugins and theme one by one to identify the source of the conflict.

Conclusion

A page stubbornly requiring a login is usually a puzzle with a logical solution. Start by clearing your cache, then verify the page is not inheriting restrictions from a parent. If the problem persists, a conflict test is your best next step. By methodically working through these possibilities, you can restore public access to your content.

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