Switchboard DOCS
Docs
Get Started Get Lifetime Deal

Public Preview for Drafts

Share draft posts and pages with clients, team members, or stakeholders using secure preview links. They can view unpublished content without needing a WordPress account or login.

Use Cases

  • Share draft pages with clients for approval before publishing
  • Send blog posts to legal or compliance for review
  • Get feedback from designers on new landing page layouts
  • Let external collaborators preview content without admin access
  • Share work-in-progress with team members who don’t have accounts

How It Works

  1. Create or edit a draft post
  2. Copy the public preview link from the editor sidebar
  3. Share the link with anyone who needs to see the draft
  4. They can view the draft exactly as it will appear when published
  5. The link works without requiring login

Where to Find It

Gutenberg Editor: Look for the “Public Preview” panel in the right sidebar when editing a draft.

Classic Editor: Find the preview link in the Publish metabox when editing a draft.

In Gutenberg (Block Editor)

  1. Edit your draft post
  2. Look in the right sidebar for “Public Preview” panel
  3. Copy the preview URL shown
  4. Share the link via email, Slack, etc.

In Classic Editor

  1. Edit your draft post
  2. In the Publish metabox, find the “Public Preview” section
  3. Copy the URL from the text field
  4. Share the link

The preview link includes a secure token:

https://yoursite.com/?p=123&preview=true&preview_id=123&preview_token=abc123xyz
  • preview_token: A unique, randomly generated key
  • preview_id: Identifies which post to show
  • preview=true: Tells WordPress it’s a preview

The token is generated automatically when you create a draft and changes if regenerated.

Security Features

The preview system is designed with security in mind:

FeatureDescription
Unique tokensEach draft gets its own random token
Token requiredLinks without valid tokens don’t work
Draft onlyOnly works for draft posts
No login neededViewers don’t need WordPress access
Non-guessableTokens are 20 random characters

Use Case Examples

Client Approval Workflow

1. Writer creates blog post
2. Copies public preview link
3. Emails link to client: "Please review this draft"
4. Client views draft (no login needed)
5. Client replies with feedback
6. Writer makes changes and re-shares (same link works)
7. Client approves
8. Writer publishes

Legal/Compliance Review

1. Marketing writes promotion content
2. Shares preview link with legal team
3. Legal reviews for compliance issues
4. Marketing addresses feedback
5. Legal approves
6. Content is published

Design Feedback

1. Developer builds new landing page
2. Shares preview with design team
3. Designers view actual page appearance
4. Feedback loop continues
5. Final approval, then publish

FAQ

Does the link expire?The link remains valid as long as the post stays in draft status. Once published, the regular permalink is used instead. If you regenerate the token, the old link stops working.
Can I share the same link with multiple people?Yes! The link works for anyone who has it. Share with as many reviewers as needed — there’s no limit on who can use it.
What if I update the draft?Updates are immediately visible. Reviewers see the latest version when they visit the link. No need to send a new link after making changes.
Is the preview exactly like the published version?Yes, the draft is displayed using your theme’s single post template, exactly as it will appear when published. This gives reviewers an accurate preview.
Can I regenerate the token if a link was shared accidentally?The token is generated once per draft. If you need to invalidate an old link, you can manually clear the _switchboard_preview_token meta field and a new one will be generated.
Does this work with pages?Yes! Public preview works for both posts and pages. Any content type that uses WordPress’s draft system is supported.
What happens after the post is published?Once published, the preview link will redirect to the regular permalink. The preview token is no longer used since the content is now public.

Include context when sharing preview links. A message like “Please review for typos and factual accuracy. Ignore the placeholder images.” helps reviewers focus on what matters.

Preview links only work for drafts. Scheduled posts, pending review posts, and published posts use their normal WordPress URLs.

PRO

Get access to all 147 modules with a single license

Upgrade to Pro
Prev
Limit Login Attempts
Next
Auto Set Featured Image