Choose Public vs Password Access for a Page

Deciding between a public page and a password-protected one is one of the most important settings you'll make when hosting with HTMLPUT. The right choice depends on who needs to see your page and what stage it's at.

Who it's for

• Creators sharing work publicly who want anyone with the link to view their page immediately.
• Designers, developers, and marketers reviewing drafts or sending previews that shouldn't be discoverable.
• Anyone protecting sensitive content like client work, unreleased products, or private resources.

Steps

1. Decide based on your audience. If you're building something public-facing like a landing page or portfolio, go with public access. If you're sharing a work-in-progress, a client preview, or anything you don't want indexed or widely shared, choose password protection. See our guide on paste vs upload decisions for context on when each access type fits different workflows.

1. Set your access when you host. After creating an account and hosting your first HTML page, you can choose your access level during the hosting flow or by editing the page later. The host toolbar lets you toggle between public and password modes quickly.

1. Configure a password if needed. Set a password on your page by entering a strong, memorable password. Share the password through a separate channel — don't include it in the same message as your share link. Learn what your share link actually exposes to viewers.

1. Test before you share. Open your share link in an incognito window to confirm it behaves as expected. If visitors see a password gate when you expected public access, check troubleshooting for unexpected password gates.

1. Update access as your project evolves. Pages often move from private preview to public launch. You can edit your page title and access settings at any time from History.

Gotchas

• Public pages are searchable. Anyone with the link can view and potentially share your page. Don't use public access for content you need to keep confidential.
• Forgotten passwords lock out everyone. If you lose the password you set, affected visitors will hit a gate they can't pass. Consider using a password manager or noting it somewhere safe.
• Changing access doesn't invalidate existing links. Switching from public to password (or vice versa) applies immediately to anyone using the same share URL. Plan your access changes around your launch timeline.