{"id":9911,"date":"2026-06-07T20:11:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=9911"},"modified":"2026-06-07T20:11:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:11:56","slug":"how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Public Preview Link for a WordPress Post Before Publication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When managing a blog, news portal, or online magazine, you may occasionally need to share an unpublished article with another person for review or approval before making it publicly available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By default, WordPress does not allow visitors to view draft posts. However, the <strong>Public Post Preview<\/strong> plugin makes it possible to generate a secure preview link that can be shared with anyone, even if they do not have a WordPress account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Installing_the_Plugin\" >Installing the Plugin<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_1\" >Step 1<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_2\" >Step 2<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_3\" >Step 3<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_4\" >Step 4<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_5\" >Step 5<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Creating_a_Public_Preview_Link\" >Creating a Public Preview Link<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_1-2\" >Step 1<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_2-2\" >Step 2<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_3-2\" >Step 3<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_4-2\" >Step 4<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Step_5-2\" >Step 5<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Sharing_the_Preview\" >Sharing the Preview<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Important_Notes\" >Important Notes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#The_Post_Remains_Unpublished\" >The Post Remains Unpublished<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Only_the_Shared_Link_Works\" >Only the Shared Link Works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#You_Can_Disable_Access\" >You Can Disable Access<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Common_Use_Cases\" >Common Use Cases<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-create-a-public-preview-link-for-a-wordpress-post-before-publication\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Installing_the_Plugin\"><\/span>Installing the Plugin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1\"><\/span>Step 1<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1801645107\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to your WordPress administration panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2\"><\/span>Step 2<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Plugins \u2192 Add New\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_3\"><\/span>Step 3<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the search field, enter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Public Post Preview\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have trouble finding it, you can search for the author&#8217;s name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Dominik Schilling\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_4\"><\/span>Step 4<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the plugin appears in the search results, click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Install Now\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_5\"><\/span>Step 5<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After installation is complete, click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Activate\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plugin is now ready to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Creating_a_Public_Preview_Link\"><\/span>Creating a Public Preview Link<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1-2\"><\/span>Step 1<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Create a new post or edit an existing draft as you normally would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2-2\"><\/span>Step 2<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once your content is ready for review, click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Save Draft\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_3-2\"><\/span>Step 3<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the draft has been saved, look for the new option in the post settings panel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Enable Public Preview\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_4-2\"><\/span>Step 4<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enable the option by checking the corresponding box or toggling the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_5-2\"><\/span>Step 5<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A unique preview URL will be generated automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The link will look similar to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>https:&#47;&#47;yourdomain.com\/?p=123&amp;preview=true\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sharing_the_Preview\"><\/span>Sharing the Preview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can now send the generated preview link to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interview subjects<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clients<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legal reviewers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Content contributors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recipients do not need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A WordPress account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Administrator access<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editor permissions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They only need the generated URL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Important_Notes\"><\/span>Important Notes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Post_Remains_Unpublished\"><\/span>The Post Remains Unpublished<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enabling a public preview does not publish the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The post remains in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Draft\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">status until you explicitly publish it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Only_the_Shared_Link_Works\"><\/span>Only the Shared Link Works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visitors can access the draft only through the generated preview URL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The article will not appear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In search results<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In blog archives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In category pages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On your website&#8217;s homepage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_Can_Disable_Access\"><\/span>You Can Disable Access<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you no longer want the draft to be accessible, simply disable the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Enable Public Preview\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">option or publish the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_Use_Cases\"><\/span>Common Use Cases<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public previews are particularly useful for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interview approval before publication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Client content reviews<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editorial approval workflows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legal compliance checks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing content validation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collaborative content creation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To create a public preview link for an unpublished WordPress post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Install and activate the <strong>Public Post Preview<\/strong> plugin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create or edit a draft post.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save the post as a draft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enable:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Enable Public Preview\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Copy the generated URL.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share the link with anyone who needs to review the content.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This allows external reviewers to view and approve articles before they are published without requiring a WordPress user account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[125],"manual_kb_tag":[419,4536,4537,4538,4539,4540,4541,4542,4543,4544],"class_list":["post-9911","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-websites","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-plugin","manual_kb_tag-public-post-preview","manual_kb_tag-public-post-preview-plugin","manual_kb_tag-preview-link","manual_kb_tag-secure-preview-link","manual_kb_tag-draft-post","manual_kb_tag-unpublished-post","manual_kb_tag-share-draft","manual_kb_tag-post-preview","manual_kb_tag-content-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9917,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9911\/revisions\/9917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=9911"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=9911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}