> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.htmldrop.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Password protection

> Put a single password in front of a drop — for client drafts and anything not meant to be found.

Paid plans can require a password before a drop renders. Visitors get a simple
unlock screen; there are no accounts to create and nothing for them to install.

Use it for client drafts, internal documents, early ideas — anything you want to
send to specific people rather than publish to the world.

## Turning it on

Open the drop in the dashboard, set a password on the protection card, and save.
It applies immediately, including to links already shared.

Once unlocked, a visitor stays unlocked for that drop in that browser, so they
are not asked again on every page of a multi-page bundle.

## What it is and isn't

<Info>
  Password protection is **access control, not encryption**. It stops casual and
  search-engine access to a URL; it is not a substitute for encrypting genuinely
  sensitive material. Protected drops are excluded from search indexing and from
  the public gallery.
</Info>

A protected drop's URL is still a normal URL — anyone who has both the link and
the password can open it, and they can pass both on. Rotate the password if a
draft's audience changes.