Table of Contents
- Setting Up Site-wide Passwords in Squarespace
- What Site-wide Passwords Actually Do
- When You'd Use This Feature
- The Technical Bit
- Setting Up Password Protection
- The Basic Setup
- Customising the Lock Screen
- Managing Access and Common Issues
- Changing or Removing Passwords
- Troubleshooting Password Problems
- Individual Page Passwords vs Site-wide Protection
- Testing Your Setup
- Common Questions
- Quick Definitions
.png?table=block&id=219105a2-9d95-81ca-b587-eef59746bfea&cache=v2)
Last Edited Time
Jun 25, 2025 09:35 PM
Do not index
Do not index
Suggested Tag
Squarespace
password protection
site security
Tags Synced
Tags Synced
AI summary
Site-wide passwords in Squarespace restrict access to your entire site, ideal for unfinished projects or private content. Set up by navigating to Site Availability in settings, and customize the lock screen for branding. Passwords expire every four hours, and search engines cannot index protected sites. Individual page passwords can also be used for more selective access.
Last edited by
Platform
Category
Topic
Setting Up Site-wide Passwords in Squarespace
A site-wide password restricts public access to your entire Squarespace site. This is perfect when you're building a site and don't want visitors stumbling across half-finished pages, or when you need to create a members-only area.
Here's how to set it up and what you need to know about how it actually works.
What Site-wide Passwords Actually Do
When You'd Use This Feature
Site-wide passwords work brilliantly for sites that aren't ready for public viewing yet. Maybe you're building a client's website and want them to review it without random visitors finding it through Google. Or perhaps you're creating a private site for family photos or internal company documents.
The password acts like a front door lock. Everyone needs the same key to get in, but once they're inside, they can see everything (unless you've added individual page passwords too).
The Technical Bit
When someone visits your password-protected site, they'll see a lock screen instead of your homepage. After entering the correct password, they can browse freely for four hours. After that, they'll need to enter the password again.
Search engines can't index password-protected sites, so don't expect any organic traffic while protection is active.
Setting Up Password Protection
The Basic Setup
- Open your Squarespace admin panel
- Go to Settings > Site Availability
- Select 'Password Protected' from the dropdown
- Enter your chosen password
- Hit Save
That's it. Your site is now protected.
Customising the Lock Screen
The default lock screen is fairly plain, but you can customise it to match your brand. In the Site Availability panel, you'll find design options to change colours, add your logo, or include a custom message.
This is worth doing if clients or collaborators will be accessing the site regularly. A branded lock screen looks more professional than the generic grey page.
Managing Access and Common Issues
Changing or Removing Passwords
To change the password, simply enter a new one in the Site Availability settings. To remove protection entirely, change the setting back to 'Public'.
If you've got contributors (people with admin access), they can log into the site without needing the site-wide password. This makes collaboration much easier during the build phase.
Troubleshooting Password Problems
The most common issue is browsers trying to autofill the wrong password. If this happens, try disabling password autofill extensions or use an incognito window.
Some visitors struggle with the four-hour timeout. If people are complaining about being logged out too often, remind them that this is a security feature, not a bug.
Individual Page Passwords vs Site-wide Protection
You can also add passwords to individual pages rather than the whole site. This works well when most of your content is public, but you have a few restricted sections.
Page-level passwords stack on top of site-wide ones, so visitors would need both passwords to access protected pages on a protected site. Usually, you'd use one or the other, not both together.
Testing Your Setup
Always test password protection in a private browser window. This shows you exactly what visitors will experience and helps catch any setup issues before real users encounter them.
Try entering the wrong password a few times too. You'll see how the error messages appear and can check if the experience feels user-friendly.
Pixelhaze Tip: Save your site password somewhere secure but accessible. Nothing's more embarrassing than locking yourself out of your own client presentation because you forgot the password you set up weeks ago.
Common Questions
Can I create different passwords for different users?
No, Squarespace uses one password for the entire site. Everyone who needs access gets the same password. If you need more granular control, you'll need to add people as contributors instead.
How often do visitors need to re-enter the password?
Every four hours. This session timeout is automatic and can't be changed. It's a security feature to prevent unauthorised access if someone leaves their browser open.
Will my site still appear in Google while password-protected?
No. Search engines can't crawl password-protected content, so your site won't appear in search results until you remove the protection.
Quick Definitions
Site-wide password: A single password that controls access to your entire website
Contributors: People with admin access who can view the site without entering the public password
Page password: A separate password system for protecting individual pages rather than the whole site
Site-wide passwords give you complete control over who can see your Squarespace site. Whether you're building something new or creating a private space, this feature keeps your content secure until you're ready to go public.