Have you ever noticed the visibility option in the publishing section of your WordPress pages? Wondering what it’s for and how to use it? Well, you’re in luck because we’re going to tell you about one of WordPress’ nifty features within this option!

By default, all of the pages on your site are set as ‘visible’ to the public. This means that anyone can see the page. But, you can change that! Pages can be completely private or hidden unless someone has a password.

Why would you want to restrict a page’s visibility unless someone has a password? Password protecting a page on your WordPress site is handy if you only want certain people to see the contents of the page. For example, if you create an ordering page for a specific customer.

So how exactly do you password protect a page in WordPress? It’s as easy as following 6 simple steps. Ready?

WordPress Wednesday Tip 31: How to Password Protect a Page in WordPress

 

1. From your Dashboard, hover over ‘Pages’. If you’re creating a new page, click ‘Add New’. If the page has already been created, click ‘All Pages’.

 

 

2a. Design the page if you’re creating a new page.

2b. If the page has already been published, find it in your list of pages. Hover over the page’s title and click ‘Edit’.

 

 

3. Go to the ‘Page Visibility’ section in the ‘Publish’ box and click ‘Edit’.

 

 

4. The section will expand and display different options for the page’s visibility.

 

 

5. Select ‘Password protected’, enter a password for the page, and click ‘OK’. Don’t forget to update or publish your page when you’re finished.

 

 

6. If you return to your list of pages, you will see that ‘Password Protected’ now displays next to your page’s title.

 

 

If you forget what the password is and need to retrieve it:

 

1. From your Dashboard, hover over ‘Pages’ & click ‘All Pages’.

2. Find the page whose password you need to check. Hover over it and click ‘Edit’.

3. Go to the ‘Page Visibility’ section in the ‘Publish’ box & click ‘Edit’.

4. The password will be displayed in the Password field.

 

 

What are some reasons you can think of for password protecting a page on your WordPress site?

 

New to WordPress? You might find these WordPress Wednesday Tips helpful!

WordPress Wednesday Tip #4: How to Add Featured Images
WordPress Wednesday Tip #5: How to Edit Permalinks in WordPress
WordPress Wednesday Tip #7: How to Edit a Page in WordPress
WordPress Wednesday Tip #9: How to Add a Page in WordPress