How to Create a WordPress User Registration Form? (Easy Guide)

This is your complete guide on how to create a user registration form in WordPress.

So, if you want to:

Sign users up,
Manage their user roles,
Grow your email lists,

and more through user registration forms, then our step-by-step tutorial is for you.

Let’s get started right away.

Table of Contents

Methods to Build WordPress Registration Forms

There are two ways to create a user registration form in WordPress: with or without a plugin. Here’s a brief look at both of the methods:

1. The Default User Registration Feature in WordPress

Lucky for you, WordPress already comes with default user registration and login forms. You just need to make the form accessible to users on the front end.

Although it sounds simple, there are some limitations to this method.

Pros:

You don’t have to create a registration or login form yourself.
There is no need for third-party plugins or services to build a registration form.

Cons:

There’s no easy way to customize the login and registration form.
You cannot add more form fields other than the default WordPress user fields.

For more details, please check our guide on building registration forms without a plugin.

2. Using a WordPress User Registration Plugin

The next method is to create a custom WordPress user registration form with the help of a plugin. Luckily, there are plenty of registration plugins in WordPress.

A WordPress registration plugin helps you build registration forms and add them to your website. This way, users can fill in their details and submit the form to complete the registration.

What’s the Best WordPress User Registration Plugin?

The best option you can find is User Registration.

It’s a WordPress user registration form plugin that allows you to effortlessly create custom registration forms with its drag-and-drop builder.

Because of the user-friendly interface, even beginners can create amazing user registration forms in just a few minutes.

The default form and pre-built registration plus account page you get upon installing this plugin are even more beginner-friendly. Just configure the settings and publish the form on your website.

That’s why we’ll be guiding you through the process of creating a WordPress user registration form using the User Registration plugin. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

#1. How to Create a User Registration Form in WordPress? (Easy Method)

Remember how we talked about User Registration’s default form and pre-built pages? In this section, you’ll learn how to use the default form and sample pages to add a registration form to your website quickly.

Step 1. Install and Set Up the User Registration Plugin

Of course, before you do anything else, you’ll need to install and activate the user registration plugin.

In your WordPress admin dashboard, click Add New in the Plugins section. Then, you can search for the plugin and install it directly once you find it.

Make sure you activate the plugin as well.

You will now arrive at the setup page, where you can configure the plugin’s initial settings.

For a detailed guide, refer to our article on installing and setting up User Registration.

However, one key step you must consider is the Install Pages section. You must have installed the Default Registration Form and Registration Page to use the pre-built default registration form and registration page later in this tutorial.

So, please keep this in mind during the setup.

Step 2. Open the Default Registration Form

Go to the All Forms tab, and you’ll find the default user registration form. It’s the perfect solution for people who want a simple form without making everything from scratch.

The form consists of 4 form fields: Username, User Email, User Password, and Confirm Password.

You can check how it will look on the front end with the Preview button.

Default Registration Form How to Create User Registration Form in WordPress

Remember that it might look different for you based on what theme you’re currently using on your website.

Step 3. Configure Form Settings

Now, all that’s remaining to do is configure the settings for this form. To do that, go to General under Form Settings.

Let us explain each setting in brief to help you out.

User Approval and Login Option: After registration, choose the login criteria. These can be manual, automatic, email confirmation, or admin approval.
Default User Role: Assign a specific user role to all the members who register using this form.
Enable Strong Password: Enabling this feature means the form asks users for a strong password while registering.
Redirect URL: Decide which page the user ends up on after successfully registering.
Submit Button Class: Create a custom CSS class for the submit button. In the case of multiple classes, separate each class by a comma (,).
Submit Button Text: Type your label for the submit button, such as “Register.”
Success Message Display: You can place the success message at the top or bottom. You can also hide the form after a successful submission.
Enable Captcha Support: Enable Captcha security in your registration form for anti-spam protection.
Form Template: Select a template for your form from these five options: Default, Bordered, Flat, Rounded, and Rounded Edge.
Form class: This section allows you to add custom CSS classes to your registration form.
Redirect After Registration: Choose whether you want to redirect users to an internal page, an external URL, or the previous page after registration.
Activate Spam Protection by Akismet: Enable Akismet spam protection for your registration form.

So, configure the default form according to your requirements, hit Update form, and it’s ready for use on your WordPress website.

Note: Depending on the theme, the links to the Registration Page and My Account page will be automatically added to your website’s navigation menu.

So, your users can register on your site using the links provided.

#2. Make Custom Registration Form in WordPress from Scratch (Alternative Method)

The default form may not be for everyone. No worries! Apart from the default form, you can create unlimited custom registration forms from scratch with User Registration.

To begin with, you need to install and activate the User Registration plugin on your site.

For the next steps, please follow the instructions below.

Step 1: Create a New User Registration Form

With the plugin installed, you’re ready to create a custom WordPress registration form. To do that, go to the User Registration tab and click on Add New.

You have two options: start from scratch or choose a pre-built template. We recommend the templates if you need a quick solution.

Otherwise, choose Start From Scratch. Then, give your form a name and hit Continue.

As you can see, the mandatory form fields—Username, User Email, User Password, and Confirm Password—are already on the right side of the form builder.

We sidelined the explanation of the form builder in the previous section since we were dealing with the default form. So, let’s start with a short introduction to the form fields.

The Fields tab on the left consists of all the form fields in User Registration.

Now, click on the Add New button to add a row to the form.

You can drag and drop any field you need into the blank space. And if you need to change the position of the fields, a simple drag-and-drop will do.

The form builder also lets you change the layout of the row into 2 or 3 columns. And if you need to delete a row, click on the cross icon.

Select Grid-How to Create User Registration Form in WordPress

Once you’ve built a complete form with all the necessary fields, hit the Publish form button.

Publish Registration Form - How to Create User Registration Form in WordPress

Step 2: Customize Your Registration Form

With the building part done, it’s time to customize your form. Simply click on the field you want to edit, which will display its Field Options.

From here, you’ll be able to make changes to the General Settings and Advanced Settings.

General Settings: Edit the Label, Description, Placeholder, Required, and Hide Label options for form fields.
Advanced Settings: Add custom CSS classes, set minimum or maximum values, choose a date format, and more. These settings are unique for each form field, so customize accordingly.

Step 3. Configure Registration Form Settings

The next step is to configure the General Settings under Form Settings. You can set default roles, user login options, redirection URL, and so much more. You’ll find more about the Form Settings in the default form section above.

Oh, and don’t forget to Update form to save all the changes you made.