On a WordPress site with multiple users, folder management follows a clear permission structure so people aren’t stepping on each other’s work.
The Two Rules
- Admins can manage all folders. Any user with the “manage_options” capability (typically Administrators) has full control over every folder on the site. They can create, rename, move, delete, and recolor any folder, regardless of who created it.
- Non-admins can only manage folders they created. Editors, Authors, Contributors, and any other non-admin role can create their own folders and have full control over those. But they can’t touch folders created by other users. They can see them, browse files inside them, but they can’t rename, move, delete, or change the color.
What Non-Admins CAN Do
Non-admin users can still:
- Create new folders and subfolders (they’ll own these)
- Rename, move, delete, and recolor their own folders
- Browse files in any folder, including ones they didn’t create
- Move media files into any folder (as long as they have edit permission on those files)
- Upload files into any selected folder
- Search and sort across all folders
The restriction is specifically on managing the folder itself, not on using it.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Say you’ve got an Editor named Sarah and an Admin named Blake. Sarah creates a “Blog Images” folder. She can rename it, move it, delete it, whatever she needs. Blake can also manage Sarah’s folder because he’s an admin.
Now Blake creates a “Brand Assets” folder. Sarah can browse and use files in “Brand Assets,” but she can’t rename or delete it. Only Blake (or another admin) can.
Why It Works This Way
This setup prevents chaos on multi-user sites. Without it, any user could rename or delete someone else’s carefully organized folder structure. The admin override exists so there’s always someone who can clean up, reorganize, or fix things when needed.