Private sharing and access controls

Links can be public or protected. You can add a password, require an email one-time code for private access, allow visits only from approved referrers, show a preview page before redirecting, or display a warning page for sensitive destinations. A preview page lets visitors see where they are going before leaving clk.ms; a warning page is useful when the destination may require extra attention. These settings can be changed later without changing the short URL, which is useful for private documents, partner campaigns, temporary promotions, and controlled launches.

Access controls help decide who can open a link and what they should see before redirecting. A public link redirects with minimal friction. A protected link can require a password, an email one-time code, a specific referrer, a preview page, a warning page, a start date, an expiration date, or a click limit. These controls can be combined when the destination needs more care.

Password access is useful for simple private sharing. Email one-time codes are better when access should be tied to specific recipients. Referrer restrictions are useful when a link should work only from a partner site or private portal. Preview pages give transparency by showing the destination before leaving clk.ms. Warning pages are appropriate when the destination is sensitive or should require a conscious confirmation.

Example: a private client report can require an email code and expire after a week. A partner promotion can allow only visits from partner.example.com. A potentially sensitive research link can show a warning page before redirecting.

Best practice: match the control to the risk. Do not add every restriction by default. For private documents, use email codes or passwords; for public campaigns, prefer preview or warning only when they protect trust without hurting conversion unnecessarily.

How to apply this section

Each topic explains a feature, the user decision behind it, and how to use it without making the link harder to manage. Read the checklist before changing a link that is already shared.

Before you publish or update

Start from the visitor experience: who opens the link, from where, on which device, and what should happen next.
Check that the destination is correct, opens quickly, and shows the expected page for the intended audience.
Choose only the controls that match the goal, such as expiration, password, referrer, QR design, UTM, routing, or analytics sharing.
Save a short note for important changes so future review, rollback, or teamwork stays clear.
Open the short link in a private browser session and, when relevant, test mobile, desktop, QR scan, and protected access paths.
Review analytics after sharing to confirm real visitors, source quality, device mix, and campaign performance.

Practical example

Example: create a test link for an internal page, add a clear slug, set a short expiration, enable preview if the destination is sensitive, scan the QR code from a phone, then check whether the visit appears in the link statistics.

Next step

After this topic is clear, combine it with one adjacent feature. For example, pair UTM with campaigns, QR with print layouts, targeting with fallback, or webhooks with conversion tracking.