Pages

Keep a page private

Put a password on a page so only the people you choose can open it.

A published page is unlisted, not hidden. It goes live the moment you publish, and only people you give the link to can find it: Google doesn't list it and AI answer engines aren't allowed to read it until you switch that on yourself. But the link works for anyone holding it, and links get forwarded.

To control who can actually open a page, put a password on it.

Put a password on a page

  1. Open the page from Pages, then the Page details tab.
  2. In the Password protection card, turn on Require a password to view this page.
  3. Enter a password (at least 4 characters) and click Set password.

Visitors now get a lock screen and must enter the password before any content loads. Protected pages also show no preview picture when the link is shared, so nothing leaks through a chat app.

A password can only be set after a page is published, so set it right after your first publish. In that gap the page is reachable by anyone who already has the link.

Hiding a page before a launch

The recommended setup for something you're still polishing:

  1. Publish it and set a password immediately. That's the real gate, and it kills the share preview picture at the same time.
  2. Share the link and the password with the people who should see it.
  3. At launch, remove the password on Page details. The page opens to anyone with the link, and the share picture starts working, at the address you've already been testing.
  4. If you want it in Google, that's a separate switch. Turn on Allow search engines and Allow AI agents in the Search & AI card. Removing the password does not do this for you. See Get found by Google and AI.

Because the address never changes, everything you set up beforehand carries straight over.

Common questions

Is a page without a password private? It's unlisted. Nobody stumbles onto it from a search engine, but there's no gate: anyone who is sent the link can open it, and can send it on. If the content itself needs protecting, use a password.

Do the Search & AI toggles control who can open my page? No. They control whether Google and AI answer engines may list and read it. They're off on every new page. Turning them on doesn't unlock anything, and leaving them off doesn't lock anything.

Can I give different people different passwords? No. It's one shared password, not individual accounts. Anyone you give it to can pass it along.

Someone I shared it with should not have access anymore. Change the password on Page details. That locks out everyone who unlocked it before, so send the new one to the people who should keep access.

My visitor unlocked it yesterday and is being asked again. The password changed. An unlock lasts up to 30 days per browser, and changing the password invalidates every earlier unlock immediately.

Is there a draft mode? No. There's nothing between "not published" and "published and unlisted". Publishing with a password on it straight away is the closest thing, and it's what we'd recommend.