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How to Add Custom Fields to Drupal Users with Field UI

Drupal user accounts can store much more than a username and email address. A membership site may need a member number, organisation, phone number, suburb, state or communication preference. A community website might collect a short biography, professional role or profile image. These values can be added through Drupal’s Field UI without writing a custom module.

User fields are attached to Drupal’s user entity, so they can be managed consistently across account forms, administrative screens, user profiles and views. Once a field exists, site builders can decide whether it is required, who can see it, and where it appears.

This approach suits Drupal websites managed by Australian organisations, including local clubs in Brisbane, professional networks in Melbourne and service businesses working across Sydney and Perth. It also supports familiar local data such as Australian states, four-digit postcodes and mobile numbers beginning with 04.

The process involves enabling the right core module, creating the field, configuring its storage and validation, placing it on the account form, and checking its privacy and display settings. The exact labels can vary slightly between Drupal versions and contributed administration themes, but the underlying workflow remains similar.

Prepare Drupal And Check Field UI

Field UI is a core Drupal module that provides administrative screens for creating and configuring fields. It is commonly enabled on a standard Drupal installation, but it can be checked at Extend or enabled with Drush:

drush en field_ui -y

The command requires appropriate server access and should be run from the Drupal project directory. On a managed hosting environment, a site administrator can usually check the module from the Extend page instead. Field UI depends on the Field module, which is part of Drupal core and is normally already active.

Sign in with an account that has permission to administer user fields. In the administration menu, open People, locate the account settings area, and select Manage fields. Depending on the Drupal version, the direct path is commonly:

/admin/config/people/accounts/fields

The page lists fields already attached to user accounts. Core properties such as username, email address and password are handled by Drupal’s account system, while custom fields can be added and reordered through the interface.

Before creating a field, decide whether the information belongs on every account or should be held elsewhere. A company address for a business directory may be suitable as a user field, while multiple addresses, invoices or subscription records may require a separate content type or custom entity. Keeping that boundary clear prevents user profiles from becoming an unstructured database.

Create A Custom User Field

On the Manage fields screen, select Add field. Drupal first asks for a field type, such as Plain text, Long text, Number, Boolean, List, Date, Image or Reference. Choose the type that matches the data rather than treating every value as text. A date field, for example, can be sorted and validated more reliably than a manually entered date.

Enter a human-readable label such as “Organisation”, “Professional role” or “Australian state”. Drupal generates a machine name beginning with field_, such as field_organisation or field_state. Machine names should be concise, use lowercase letters and underscores, and avoid names that may become confusing later. The field label can be changed more easily than the machine name.

For an Australian membership site, a list field may be appropriate for state selection. Values could include New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Add “Other” only when the site genuinely needs it, since broad options can weaken reporting accuracy.

After selecting Continue, Drupal displays field storage settings. These determine how the value is stored and whether the field supports a single value or multiple values. A simple job title needs one value, while qualifications or areas of expertise may need several. Storage settings are difficult or impossible to change after data has been saved, so make this decision before the field is used.

Configure Validation And Form Display

The field settings screen controls how users enter information. Add a clear help text, set a sensible default value where appropriate, and decide whether the field is required. Required fields should represent information that the website genuinely needs. Making a mobile number mandatory when a site only sends occasional email can create inaccurate data and abandoned registrations.

Text fields can have minimum and maximum lengths. A short “About me” value may need a maximum length of 500 characters, while a company name might need 150. Number fields can have minimum and maximum values, and list fields can restrict users to predefined choices. These controls improve data quality before the value reaches a database or email workflow.

For phone numbers, avoid overly narrow validation if users may enter international numbers. An Australian audience will often enter a mobile as 0412 345 678, but a visitor from New Zealand or Singapore may use another format. If the field must support Australian numbers, explain the expected format in help text and validate it deliberately rather than relying on a vague label such as “Phone”.

The field configuration also includes the form display settings. Select the widget that administrators and users will see, such as a text field, select list, checkbox or autocomplete reference. A state field is usually easier to complete with a select list than free text, while a biography benefits from a text area. Drag the field into the desired position and save the form display configuration.

Control Profile Visibility And Permissions

Adding a field to the account form does not automatically mean that every visitor should see its value. Open the Manage display tab for the user entity and decide whether the field appears on the public user profile. The label can be shown, hidden or placed above the value, and the field can be moved above or below other profile information.

Privacy deserves particular attention when collecting phone numbers, dates of birth, addresses or employment details. The Australian Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles are relevant to many organisations, while smaller community groups still benefit from collecting only what they need. A field may be required for administrators but inappropriate for public display.

Drupal’s standard user permissions allow administrators to control who can administer accounts and edit user profiles. Review permissions for authenticated users, content editors, membership staff and other custom roles. Giving a broad role permission to edit user accounts can expose sensitive fields or allow unwanted changes to account data.

A useful pattern is to show a public biography and organisation name while keeping a mobile number, internal member ID or postal address visible only to authorised staff. If more detailed access rules are required, consider field-level access modules carefully and test them after every Drupal core or contributed module update.

Test, Maintain And Deploy The Configuration

Test the new field with an ordinary user account as well as an administrator. Check registration, account editing, profile display, validation errors and saved values. Test on a phone and desktop browser, and confirm that labels and help text are understandable to people using assistive technology. Australian users may access a site from mobile connections outside major cities, so avoid unnecessary form complexity.

Use realistic but fictional values during testing. Try an Australian postcode such as 3000, a long organisation name, an empty optional field and a value containing apostrophes or accented characters. Confirm that the field behaves correctly when a user changes their state from Victoria to Queensland, or when an administrator edits an existing account.

Checks Before Publishing

Checks Before Deployment

In a development workflow, field definitions and display settings should be exported rather than recreated manually on each environment. Use Drupal’s configuration synchronisation tools:

drush cex -y
drush cim -y
drush cr

The exact commands depend on the project’s configuration directory and deployment process. Configuration export records the field definition, widget and display settings, but it does not replace a database backup. Existing user values remain database content and need their own backup and migration plan.

When a field is no longer needed, consider whether it contains valuable historical information. Deleting a field can remove its stored values, and the action may be difficult to reverse without a backup. For a field used by a Sydney membership organisation or a national directory, archive the data and check reports, Views and integrations before removing it.

Choose The Right Field For The Job

A carefully selected field type keeps user data consistent and makes later administration easier. The best option depends on whether the value should be free text, selected from a fixed set, linked to another entity or stored as a media item.

Requirement Suitable field type Example Important setting
Short single-line value Plain text Organisation name Maximum length
Longer profile content Long text Biography or introduction Text format and character limit
Fixed local choices List (text) Australian state or contact preference Allowed values
Numeric data Integer or Decimal Member number or annual quantity Range validation
Calendar information Date Membership renewal date Date format and timezone
Yes/no response Boolean Receive newsletter Default value and consent wording
Uploaded profile asset Image Avatar or logo File extensions and image dimensions
Linked record Entity reference Club, branch or organisation Allowed entity type and selection handler

Field UI is powerful because it covers most routine account customisation without PHP, database queries or a bespoke module. It works well for profile details, preferences and structured membership information, especially when administrators need to maintain the data themselves.

Custom code becomes more appropriate when the field value drives complex business rules, connects to an external CRM, requires special access logic or represents a repeated business record. For example, a national association with several memberships per user may need a dedicated membership entity rather than one user field.

After the field is live, review its usefulness through administration reports and user feedback. A field that produces inconsistent entries may need a select list, clearer help text or a revised validation rule. A field that no longer supports the website’s purpose should be retired carefully, with its data and dependencies documented.