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Free Plugin by andyexeter v4.1.1

Post Lockdown

Stop non-admin users trashing, deleting or unpublishing your site-critical posts and pages. Lock content down in seconds - no code required.

Post Lockdown

The facts

Rating
4.6★ from 9
Active installs
1k+
Price
Free
Last updated
31 Jul 2026
Added
May 2015
Requires WP
4.6
Tested up to
WP 7.0.4
Requires PHP
7.4
Downloads
27,163

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Post Lockdown is a WordPress plugin designed to protect important content on your site from being accidentally deleted or unpublished by non-admin users. You can choose specific posts and pages to lock or protect, ensuring that critical information remains intact while allowing editors to continue working on other content.

The plugin features two safety levels: 'Protected' posts can be edited but not deleted, while 'Locked' posts cannot be edited or deleted at all. It is straightforward to set up, with a dedicated settings page that allows you to manage your content quickly and efficiently.

Best for: This plugin is suitable for site administrators who need to safeguard critical content from accidental changes by non-admin users.

What it does well

  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • Allows locking and protecting of posts and pages
  • Simple setup with a dedicated settings page
  • Compatible with both block and classic editors
  • Supports WP-CLI for command line management

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on additional features or customisation options

Verdict

Post Lockdown provides a practical solution for protecting important posts and pages on WordPress sites. Its straightforward setup and functionality make it a useful tool for maintaining content integrity.

From the developer

andyexeter's own description of Post Lockdown, lightly tidied.

Your homepage. Your contact page. The landing page that took three weeks to sign off. One accidental click from a contributor
or a well-meaning editor and it’s in the trash – or worse, gone for good.

Post Lockdown puts your site-critical content out of reach. Choose which posts and pages matter, and Post Lockdown stops
non-admin users from trashing or deleting them – no custom code, no role editor, no rebuilding permissions from scratch.

Two levels of safety

  • Protected – the post can still be edited, but it can’t be trashed, deleted, or unpublished. Editors keep working; the page stays live.
  • Locked – the post can’t be edited, trashed or deleted at all. Use it for content that must not change.

Set it up in under a minute

Post Lockdown adds a single settings page under Settings > Post Lockdown. Start typing to search every post, page, attachment
and custom post type on your site, click an item to add it to the Locked or Protected box, then hit Save Changes. That’s it.

Built to stay out of the way

  • Locked and protected items are clearly flagged in a status column on your post and page lists, so nobody wonders why an action is missing.
  • Works with both the block editor and the classic editor. If someone tries to unpublish a protected post, the change is reverted and a notice explains why.
  • Optional bulk actions let you lock or protect items straight from the post list.
  • Manage everything from the command line with WP-CLI – run wp postlockdown to see the available commands.
  • A full set of filters lets developers change which capability counts as “admin”, set locked and protected posts programmatically, and customise the status column. See the FAQ for the complete list.

See the screenshots for exactly what an Editor sees when they open a list of locked and protected posts.

Read the full description on the official page →

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