Squarespace Password Protect: Page or Whole Site

To use Squarespace password protect page settings or lock a whole site, open Settings, go to Site Availability, choose Password Protected and set a password. To lock a single page instead, open that page's settings and set a password there.

Protecting the whole site

Open Settings for the site you want to lock, then click Site Availability.

Choose Password Protected and enter a password. That's the password anyone will need to get in.

Click Save. Now anyone visiting sees a lock screen asking for it.

You'll find the link to share under the Domains section. During a build that's usually the built-in squarespace.com address, since the real domain often isn't connected yet.

The URL trick that skips the password screen

Handy one, and the reason a lot of people search for this.

/?password= followed by your password.

example-site.squarespace.comexample-site.squarespace.com/?password=1234.

I use this when sending work to clients for review. Asking a busy client to copy a password from one message into a browser is a small piece of friction that reliably delays feedback by a day.

Worth being aware: the password is visible in the URL, so it'll sit in browser history and anywhere the link gets forwarded. Fine for a work-in-progress site, not for anything sensitive.

Squarespace password protect page settings

You don't always want the whole site locked.

Open the Pages panel, hover the page, click the gear icon, and you'll find a password field in its settings. Set one there and only that page is locked while the rest of the site stays public.

That's how people handle client portals, pricing pages for specific customers, and members-only resources without needing a membership system.

Note that each page has its own password. There's no shared login, so if you're managing more than a handful, you want a proper members area rather than page passwords.

What it doesn't do

Two limits worth knowing before you rely on it.

It isn't real security. It's one shared password with no accounts, no permissions and no way to revoke access for one person. Anyone you've given it to has it permanently, and can pass it on.

And a password-protected site can't be indexed by Google, which is correct behavior but catches people out when they launch. Remember to switch Site Availability to Public when you go live, or you'll wonder why nothing is appearing in search.

That's a genuinely common launch-day mistake, so put it on your checklist.

Using it during a build

This is what the feature is really for, and it's how every project I run works.

The new site sits password-protected on its trial URL while it's built, so the client can review progress at any point without anything being public or indexed. The live site keeps running untouched.

When it's approved, the domain moves across and availability switches to public. Downtime is effectively zero.

Same pattern applies to a duplicate site used as a redesign sandbox, which is worth combining with this if you're rebuilding rather than starting fresh.

Frequently asked questions

Can I password protect just one page on Squarespace?

Yes. Open the page's settings from the Pages panel and set a password there. The rest of the site stays public.

How do I share a password-protected site without the password?

Add /?password=yourpassword to the end of the URL and the link opens straight through. Useful for client reviews, not for anything sensitive, since the password sits in the URL.

Does password protection affect SEO?

A protected site can't be crawled or indexed, which is intended. Just remember to set availability back to Public at launch.

Is Squarespace password protection secure?

It's a shared password, not real security. There are no individual accounts and no way to revoke one person's access. Don't use it for confidential data.

Rebuilding a site and want it staged privately with zero downtime at launch? That is how my redesigns run. Book a free call.

I'm Dylan, the designer behind Highr Labs and a Squarespace Circle Platinum Partner. I build custom Squarespace sites for businesses in Utah and across the US. More about me, or book a free call if you want to talk through a project.