How to View and Edit WordPress User Meta Fields (Best Plugins + Code Examples)

Updated: August 28, 2025

  • Staff Pick

    WP User Data

    Manage your WordPress community or membership site with ease. WP User Data gives you a complete view of every user inside a clean, user-friendly dashboard. No more logging in as different users or digging through tables. With the free version, you can easily view all WordPress user meta information in a clean, intuitive interface designed for beginners. The plugin’s straightforward design ensures you won’t get lost in complex menus or code. Premium version to unlock powerful features, including editing and deleting meta data, advanced filtering, smart search, and exporting user data to CSV.

    UserElements

    $25

  • JSM Show User Metadata

    The JSM Show User Metadata plugin is a lightweight tool that lets you quickly view user profile meta fields directly from the WordPress user menu. It displays both meta keys and their unserialized values, making it a simple solution for those who just need to access and review WordPress user meta information. Its biggest advantage is its simplicity—there’s no settings page to configure, keeping it fast and hassle-free.

    JS Morisset

  • View User Metadata

    View User Metadata is a handy plugin that lets administrators quickly access all metadata linked to a user account directly from the user edit screen. With a simple toggle button, admins can view or delete user meta without cluttering the interface. It’s especially useful for developers who need to inspect metadata when required but don’t want it displayed all the time.

    Steven Sullivan

  • User Meta Display

    User Meta Display by Tripflex adds an AJAX-powered admin page that makes it easy to view, edit, add, and remove user meta without reloading the page. Administrators can choose to display users by Display Name, User Login, or ID, with Display Name set as the default. The plugin creates a “User Meta Display” submenu under the WordPress “Users” menu, where you can manage all user meta in real time. Built with WordPress nonce protection for security, it allows you to refresh user lists or metadata instantly, supports adding or updating meta with HTML, and even provides direct links from the user list table for quick access.

    tripflex

  • Metabase – Post & User Meta Editor

    Metabase – Post & User Meta Editor is a powerful yet simple tool for WordPress admins who need full visibility into their site’s metadata. With this plugin, you can instantly view, edit, or delete both post meta and user meta—including custom post types and private meta keys—right from the WordPress dashboard. No extra setup is required: after installation, a handy meta box appears at the bottom of posts and user profiles, displaying all related metadata in an organized table. You can even filter which post types the meta box shows up on, giving you full control.

    David Towoju

  • Metadata Viewer

    Metadata Viewer by PluginizeLab is a versatile plugin that lets you easily inspect meta keys and values for posts, pages, custom post types, users, WooCommerce products, and orders. Once installed, it adds a metadata table to the bottom of the post or user editing screen, complete with a real-time search feature for quickly finding specific meta entries. With a single plugin, you can view and explore all types of WordPress metadata in one place, making it a simple yet powerful tool for developers and site administrators.

    PluginizeLab

  • MetaViewer – Debug Meta Data

    MetaViewer – Debug Meta Data by Usman Ali Qureshi is a lightweight plugin designed for developers and power users who need full visibility into WordPress meta fields. It displays both post meta and user meta in a clean, tabular format, supporting all post types and even detecting data types such as strings, integers, and arrays. Ideal for debugging, development, or simply reviewing stored metadata, MetaViewer adds meta tables directly to post edit screens and user profile pages. With features like zebra-striped layouts, translation readiness, and compatibility with PHP 7.4 through 8.3, it’s a reliable tool for inspecting WordPress metadata quickly and efficiently.

    Usman Ali Qureshi

What Is User Meta in WordPress?

User meta in WordPress is a powerful feature that allows you to store additional information about user accounts beyond the default fields like username, email, and role. It works in a similar way to post meta (custom fields for posts).

The WordPress User Meta API was introduced in version 3.0, enabling developers to easily add, retrieve, and update user-specific data.

These fields can range from simple profile details to complex data generated by plugins:

  • Profile information: nickname, biographical description, profile picture.

  • WooCommerce details: billing address, shipping address, and order history.

  • Custom fields: job designation, membership level, course progress, preferences, and more.

For site owners and administrators, being able to view, edit, and manage user meta fields is crucial — whether for troubleshooting, customizing user profiles, or exporting user data. However, WordPress does not provide a built-in interface to view or edit these fields out of the box.

Where Is User Meta Stored?

WordPress stores all user meta information in the wp_usermeta database table. Each entry is saved as a key-value pair:

  • Key → the name of the meta field (e.g., shipping_address).

  • Value → the actual data saved by the user (e.g., “123 Main Street, New York”).

For example, WooCommerce saves customer shipping addresses in the wp_usermeta table so that the store can automatically fill shipping fields during checkout.

WordPress Functions for Managing User Meta

Developers can use the WordPress User Meta API to create, update, retrieve, or delete meta fields. The most common functions include:


// Add a new user meta field
add_user_meta( $user_id, 'job_title', 'Designer' );

// Update an existing meta field
update_user_meta( $user_id, 'job_title', 'Senior Designer' );

// Get the value of a meta field
$job = get_user_meta( $user_id, 'job_title', true );

// Delete a meta field
delete_user_meta( $user_id, 'job_title' );

 

How to Access User Meta Data

There are multiple ways to view or edit user meta in WordPress, depending on your technical skills:

1. Using Code (Developers Only)

  • Use functions like get_user_meta() inside custom themes or plugins.

2. Using WP-CLI (Command Line)

  • Example:

    wp user meta list 123

    Displays all meta fields for user ID 123.

3. Directly in the Database (Advanced Users)

  • Access via phpMyAdmin and open the wp_usermeta table.

  • Risky if you don’t know what you’re doing — always back up your site first.

  • Plugins provide a simple UI inside the WordPress dashboard.

  • Some allow editing, searching, filtering, and exporting user meta fields without touching code or the database.

 

Best Plugins to View and Edit WordPress User Meta Fields

 

WP User Data

WP User Data is one of the most comprehensive plugins for managing WordPress user meta. With the free version, you can quickly view user meta fields. The premium version unlocks advanced features such as editing, deleting, filtering, searching, and exporting user data to CSV.

Key Features:

  • View, edit, and delete user meta data
  • Filter and search users by meta fields
  • Export user data to CSV (Pro)
  • Beginner-friendly dashboard navigation

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate WP User Data.
  2. Go to Dashboard → WP User Data → Users.
  3. Click on any user.
  4. Open the User Fields tab to view meta fields.

JSM Show User Metadata

JSM Show User Metadata is a lightweight plugin that displays user meta fields directly in the WordPress user profile screen. It’s best for site owners who just want a quick way to view meta data without extra setup.

Key Features:

  • Displays all user meta keys and values
  • Shows unserialized data in readable format
  • Option to delete user meta keys
  • Integrates with the default WordPress user menu

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate JSM Show User Metadata.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → All Users.
  3. Select a user and scroll to the User Metadata section.

View User Metadata

View User Metadata gives administrators a quick way to inspect all metadata associated with a specific user. It’s a straightforward plugin with no bells and whistles, but it gets the job done.

Key Features:

  • View all user meta data fields
  • Toggle to show/hide user data
  • Delete unwanted key/value pairs
  • Click-to-focus highlighting for easier reading

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate View User Metadata.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → All Users.
  3. Select a user and scroll to the View User Meta section.

User Meta Display (⚠️ Outdated)

User Meta Display is an AJAX-powered plugin that allows you to add, view, edit, and delete user meta fields. It supports searching by User ID, User Login, or Display Name. Unfortunately, this plugin has not been updated since 2014, so it may not work with modern WordPress sites.

Key Features:

  • Add, edit, view, and delete user meta
  • AJAX-based interface
  • Search users by multiple identifiers

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate User Meta Display.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → User Meta Display.
  3. Select a user from the dropdown list.

Metabase – Post & User Meta Editor

Metabase provides a simple interface for viewing both post meta and user meta. It integrates into the user profile screen, allowing you to quickly inspect metadata without leaving the dashboard.

Key Features:

  • View user and post meta in the dashboard
  • Organized display format
  • Minimal configuration required

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate Metabase.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → All Users.
  3. Select a user and scroll to the Meta section.

 

Metadata Viewer

Metadata Viewer lets you view meta keys and values for posts, pages, custom post types, users, and WooCommerce data. It integrates directly into the editing screens, so you can see meta data in context.

Key Features:

  • Works with posts, pages, custom post types, users, and WooCommerce
  • Displays meta keys and values under editing screens
  • Lightweight and easy to install

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate Metadata Viewer.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → All Users.
  3. Select a user and scroll to the Meta section.

MetaViewer – Debug Meta Data

MetaViewer – Debug Meta Data is designed for developers and advanced users. It presents user meta (and post meta) in a clear, structured table format, including the data type of each field (string, integer, array, etc.).

Key Features:

  • View user meta and post meta in table format
  • Shows data type for each value
  • Works with custom post types
  • Useful for debugging serialized data

How to Use:

  1. Install and activate MetaViewer – Debug Meta Data.
  2. Go to Dashboard → Users → All Users.
  3. Select a user and scroll to the Meta section.