Share a preview link

Overview

Sometimes someone who can't log in needs to read a post before it goes live: a client's teammate, an owner, a proofreader. Share preview link gives you a link to send them. Whoever opens it sees the draft exactly as it will look on the site, with no login.

• Nothing is published. The draft doesn't appear on the blog, in site search, in RSS or in the sitemap, and search engines are told not to index the preview.
• The viewer sees the draft as last saved, so after you make changes, click Save draft and they can reload to see them. WordPress also saves a draft on its own about once a minute while its author is editing, so they may see work in progress. Changes to a pending or scheduled post show once you click Save (or Update).
• The link stops working after 7 days, when you turn it off, or when you make a new link.
• Once the post is published, the old link takes people to the live page.

It works on drafts, posts pending review and scheduled posts. That covers posts, pages and other content types edited in the block editor that visitors can open on their own page, such as events and portfolio items.

Share a draft

1. Save the draft at least once.
2. In the editor's sidebar, open the Post (or Page) tab. In the summary at the top, click Share preview link.
3. Click Copy link, then paste the link into your email or message.

The panel then shows Preview shared and the date the link stops working. In the Posts or Pages list, the post shows a Preview shared label next to its status.

Change or stop sharing

• Copy link copies the same link again. It's the one you already sent, so they can keep using it.
• New link makes a fresh link that lasts another 7 days. The old link stops working straight away, so send the new one to everyone who should still see the draft.
• Stop sharing turns the link off. Anyone who opens it then sees "This preview link has expired", with nothing about the post.

Publishing the post stops sharing on its own.

Who can share

Making, copying or replacing a link takes permission to publish that kind of content, since a link shows the draft to anyone who has it. On most sites that's Administrators, Editors, and Authors for their own posts.

Anyone who can edit the post can turn its link off. A Contributor doesn't see Share preview link, but if someone else has shared their draft, they see Preview shared and can click Stop sharing.

Changes the author saves keep showing through the link, including a Contributor's. If that matters, click Stop sharing, or New link once you've checked the changes.

Things to know

• Anyone who has the link can open it, so send it only to people who should see the draft. It's hard to guess, but it can be forwarded.
• The person viewing doesn't need an account. If they're logged in to the site, they still see the draft, but without the admin toolbar.
• Comments are closed on the preview.
• While Dirigible Optimize is deactivated, preview links don't work and the draft stays hidden. Links that haven't expired work again when it's reactivated.
• Password-protected drafts can't be shared, and adding a password turns an existing link off.
• To keep a published page out of Google instead, use Private Page (Do Not Index) in Dirigible SEO. That page is still live, though: it shows on the blog and in site search. For "let someone see it before it's live", share a preview link.