How to Password-Protect a Shared Link
Password protection lets you gate any shortened link behind a shared password. Only visitors who enter the correct password are redirected to the destination. The destination URL is never exposed in the page source — the gate is enforced entirely server-side.
How to Add a Password to a Link
Password protection is available on URLNIX Pro. To add a password to an existing link:
- Open your Dashboard and find the link you want to protect
- Click the link row to open the detail panel
- Go to the Settings tab
- Toggle on Password protection
- Enter the password and click Save
You can also add a password when creating a new link. In the link creation form, expand Advanced options and set a password before clicking Shorten.
What Visitors See
When someone clicks a password-protected short link, they see a branded prompt page that asks for the password. The destination URL is not visible in the page source, URL bar, or browser network tab — it is only sent to the browser after the correct password is verified server-side.
If a visitor enters the wrong password, they see an error message and can try again.
Changing or Removing the Password
You can update or remove the password at any time from the link's Settings tab. Removing the password turns the link back into a normal short link that redirects directly. The link's short code, analytics history, and other settings are unaffected by password changes.
Combining Password Protection with Other Controls
Password protection works with all other URLNIX link controls:
- + Expiry date: gate content until a deadline, then auto-disable (even if someone has the password)
- + Click limit: give out passwords but cap how many successful redirects happen
- + Custom alias: branded link with a custom name (e.g.,
urlnix.live/vip-launch) plus password gate
Common Use Cases
Gated content: Share a report, video, or download page with paying customers or members only. Give them the password in a confirmation email.
Internal links: Share internal documents or staging site links with a password so they don't get crawled or accessed by the general public.
Event registration: Combine a password-protected link with a click limit — only N people get in, and after that the link auto-disables even for those who know the password.
Analytics for Password-Protected Links
Clicks are tracked in two stages for password-protected links:
- Prompt page views — every time someone lands on the password prompt (whether they succeed or not)
- Successful unlocks — clicks that resulted in a correct password entry and redirect
Both counts appear in the link's analytics panel so you can see how many people attempted to access the link vs. how many actually got through.