Frequently asked questions

Do invited people need an account already?

No. That is the point of the link: it lets them create one. If they already have an account, the plugin tells you so rather than inviting them, and if they open a link anyway they are asked to log in instead.

How long is a link valid?

Fourteen days by default, and anything from 1 to 365 days if you change it under Settings. Invitations already sent keep the expiry they went out with.

Can a link be used twice?

No. It is consumed the moment an account is created from it. Somebody who opens it again sees "you have already signed up" with a button to the login page.

Can two people share one link?

Only the first one gets in, and they get the account under the invited email address, not their own. Invitations are per person for a reason. If you need to invite ten people, paste all ten addresses into the Invite tab at once and each gets their own link.

Can an invited person choose their own role?

No. You choose it when you send the invitation, it is stored on your server, and it is never read from anything the visitor can edit. It is also checked again at the moment the account is created. See Roles and security.

Why can I not invite somebody as an Editor?

Because an invitation link travels by email and is redeemed by somebody who is not logged in, so it may only ever grant a low-privilege role. Invite them as a Subscriber and promote the account under Users once they have registered. Roles and security explains the rule in full.

Is there a Pro version?

No. Bang! Invites is one free plugin, complete as it is. Nothing is held back, time-limited or crippled.

Does it work with my membership or LMS plugin?

Yes, in two different ways. Their custom roles appear in the invitation role selector automatically, as long as they are read-level. And if you would rather keep their registration form, one setting hands the form back to them while invitations, expiry and tracking stay here. See Using another registration plugin.

Does it work with my page builder?

Yes. The shortcode goes wherever you can put a shortcode. Registration is processed before the page renders rather than while it is being drawn, which is what keeps it working on builders that send output early. Elementor in particular is handled.

Does it add database tables?

No custom database tables. Your settings and the invitation records live in WordPress options, which is why removing the plugin can clean up completely.

What happens if I deactivate or delete it?

Deactivating changes nothing: your settings and records sit where they are, and the accounts people have already created are ordinary WordPress users that carry on working. Deleting the plugin from the Plugins screen removes its options and its invitation records, because deleting is a deliberate "remove everything" action. It never touches user accounts.

What does it store about the people I invite?

Per invitation: the email address, the role it grants, a random code, when it was created, when it expires, which administrator sent it, the subject line it went out with, and whether it has been accepted. Nothing else, and nothing is sent anywhere outside your site.

Can I send the link myself instead of emailing it?

Yes. Every pending invitation has a Copy link action on the Tracking tab. Paste it wherever you like. Treat it as a password while it is unused.

Can I stop WordPress sending its own account email?

It is stopped already. Silence WordPress's own account emails is on by default, so only your welcome email arrives. Turn it off under Settings > Behaviour if you want both.

Is it translatable?

Yes. Every string in the plugin is translatable, and a template file ships with it. Translations submitted through WordPress.org load automatically with no configuration.

A used link still shows the registration form. Why?

A page cache is serving a copy saved before the invitation was accepted. The link itself is dead and the form would refuse the submission, but the page needs excluding from your host's cache. The registration page covers it, and Troubleshooting has the fix.

My invitations are not arriving.

Almost always your site's email rather than the plugin: WordPress sends through PHP by default and many hosts block it or have it filed as spam. Troubleshooting walks through it, and Copy link on the Tracking tab gets you moving in the meantime.

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Troubleshooting takes the symptoms one at a time.