How to Get a WordPress User ID (PHP + Dashboard Methods)

The fastest way to get a WordPress user’s ID is to open their profile in the admin (Users → All Users → Edit) and read it straight from the URL bar. For code, use get_current_user_id() inside any PHP context to grab the current logged-in user’s ID:

$user_id = get_current_user_id();
// Returns the integer ID, or 0 if no user is logged in

Below I’ll cover five ways to get a user ID: two from the WordPress dashboard and three in PHP, plus how to go in the reverse direction (get a user object from an ID), common gotchas like AJAX contexts where get_current_user_id() returns 0, and a troubleshooting FAQ.

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5 ways to get a user ID in WordPress:

1. Find a user ID from the WordPress dashboard

The quickest no-code method. Log into WP admin and go to Users → All Users.

Hover over any user’s row (don’t click) and look at your browser’s status bar. The edit link looks like:

https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/user-edit.php?user_id=3

The number after user_id= is the ID. If you’d rather click through, choose Edit on any user and the same ID shows in the URL bar of the edit page.

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2. See all user IDs at once (Reveal IDs plugin)

The dashboard doesn’t show the ID column by default. If you want to see every user’s ID in the users list without clicking into each profile, install the Reveal IDs plugin.

After activating, go to Users → All Users and a new ID column appears. The plugin also adds ID columns to posts, pages, categories, and tags, so it’s handy well beyond just users.

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3. Get the current logged-in user ID with PHP

Use get_current_user_id() anywhere you need the ID of the user who’s currently logged in:

echo 'The current logged in user ID is: '.get_current_user_id();

It returns an integer, or 0 if no user is logged in. Guard against that before using the result, especially if the code runs on the front-end where visitors may not be logged in:

if ( is_user_logged_in() ) {
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();
    // safe to use $user_id here
} else {
    // not logged in; handle accordingly
}

If you need more than just the ID (name, email, login, role), use wp_get_current_user(). It returns the full WP_User object:

$current_user = wp_get_current_user();

echo 'Username: '.$current_user->user_login;
echo 'User ID: '.$current_user->ID;
echo 'User Email: '.$current_user->user_email;
echo 'User First Name: '.$current_user->user_firstname;
echo 'User Last Name: '.$current_user->user_lastname;
echo 'User Display Name: '.$current_user->display_name;

For more on checking login state before running user-specific code, see how to check if a WordPress user is logged in.

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4. Get a user ID by email address (PHP)

When you have an email address and need the matching user ID, use get_user_by() with the 'email' field:

// Get user ID by email
$user_data = get_user_by( 'email', '[email protected]' );
$user_id    = $user_data->ID;
$user_email = $user_data->user_email;

if ( ! empty( $user_id ) ) {
    echo 'The user ID for '.$user_email.' is '.$user_id;
}

get_user_by() returns false if no user matches. Always check the result before using ->ID, because calling a property on false throws an error in modern PHP.

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5. Get a user ID by username (PHP)

Same function, different field. Pass 'login' (for the username) or 'slug' (for the URL-friendly version of the username, which is what shows up in author URLs):

$user_data = get_user_by( 'login', 'someguy' );
echo 'The user ID is '.$user_data->ID;

get_user_by() accepts four lookup fields in total:

• 'id' – look up by user ID (the reverse direction)
• 'login' – username
• 'email' – email address
• 'slug' – user nicename (URL-safe username)

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Reverse direction: get a user object from an ID

When you already have an ID and need the full user object, get_user_by( 'id', $user_id ) is the cleanest call:

$user = get_user_by( 'id', 42 );

if ( $user ) {
    echo $user->display_name;
    echo $user->user_email;
}

Alternative: get_userdata( $user_id ) does the same thing and is slightly more readable in some contexts. Both return a WP_User object or false.

$user = get_userdata( 42 );

if ( $user ) {
    echo $user->display_name;
}

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Frequently asked questions

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Bottom line

In the admin, hover over a user or open their edit page and read the ID from the URL bar. In code, get_current_user_id() for the current logged-in user, get_user_by( 'email'|'login'|'slug', $value ) to go from any identifier to a user object, and get_userdata( $id ) for the reverse (ID → object). Always guard PHP usage with is_user_logged_in() or check for false return values.

Related: how to get a post ID, check if a user is logged in, WordPress user roles explained, or browse the full WordPress code snippets library.