Changes the current user by ID or name.

Set $id to null and specify a name if you do not know a user’s ID.

Some WordPress functionality is based on the current user and not based on the signed in user. Therefore, it opens the ability to edit and perform actions on users who aren’t signed in.

$id int|null Required

User ID.

$name string Optional

User's username.

Default: ''

WP_User Current user User object.

This function can be replaced via plugins. If plugins do not redefine these functions, then this will be used instead.

File: wp-includes/pluggable.php. View all references

function wp_set_current_user( $id, $name = '' ) {
	global $current_user;

	// If `$id` matches the current user, there is nothing to do.
	if ( isset( $current_user )
	&& ( $current_user instanceof WP_User )
	&& ( $id == $current_user->ID )
	&& ( null !== $id )
	) {
		return $current_user;
	}

	$current_user = new WP_User( $id, $name );

	setup_userdata( $current_user->ID );

	/**
	 * Fires after the current user is set.
	 *
	 * @since 2.0.1
	 */
	do_action( 'set_current_user' );

	return $current_user;
}