# How to Password Protect Your Website with JetHost Total Care

> Canonical: https://jethost.com/kb/password-protect-website-with-jethost-total-care/ · Last modified: 2026-10-21T11:18:05+00:00

Need to hide a site while you build it? The **Password Protect the Website** option in [JetHost Total Care](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jethost-total-care/) password-protects the entire website to hide the content from public view and from search engine bots and crawlers. Logged-in administrators can still access the site as usual. This guide shows how, on any [JetHost WordPress hosting](https://jethost.com/hosting-for-wordpress/) plan.

## Password-protect your site

1. In your WordPress dashboard, open **JetHost Total Care → Admin Enhancements**.
2. Toggle on **Password Protect the Website**.
3. Set the password visitors will need, and save.

![Password Protect the Website option in JetHost Total Care](https://jethost.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/jtc-opt-password-protect.png)Visitors now see a password prompt instead of your pages, and only those who enter the correct password get through. It’s the simplest way to keep a work-in-progress, a staging site, or a private project away from the public and search engines until you’re ready.

## Good to know

This protects the front end for every visitor – it’s not the same as logging in to WordPress. Share the password only with people who need a preview, such as a client or reviewer. When you’re ready to launch, toggle it off and the site becomes public again. While it’s on, consider also turning on [Disable Search Engine Indexing](https://jethost.com/kb/disable-search-engine-indexing-with-jethost-total-care/) so search engines don’t try to index the holding page.

## When a site shouldn’t be public yet

There are plenty of moments when you don’t want the world seeing your site: while you build a brand-new site, during a redesign, when sharing a work-in-progress with a client for approval, or on a staging copy used only for testing. WordPress has no simple whole-site password built in, so without this option you’d have to rely on hosting-level tricks. Password Protect the Website gives you that gate in one toggle, showing a password prompt in place of every page.

## Keeping an unfinished site out of Google

A password also keeps search engines out, because the content is hidden behind it – which matters, since having an unfinished or duplicate site indexed can hurt your SEO later. For extra certainty while you build, combine it with [Disable Search Engine Indexing](https://jethost.com/kb/disable-search-engine-indexing-with-jethost-total-care/) so crawlers don’t even try. When launch day arrives, switch both off together: the site becomes public and can start being indexed. Share the password only with the people who genuinely need a preview, and remember that administrators who are logged in still see the real site as normal.

## JetHost Experts Tip

Launching soon? Keep the site password-protected right up to go-live, then switch both the password and the no-index setting off together so your finished site appears publicly and can start being indexed.

## Need More Help?

Password prompt not appearing, or visitors getting through? [Reach out](https://jethost.com/contact-us/) and our team will help.