How to Hide a Page in WordPress: 5 Easy Methods for 2025

Ever wish you could keep certain pages on your WordPress site private or hidden from visitors? Whether you’re preparing a new service page, sharing exclusive content, or simply organizing your site’s layout, knowing how to hide a page can give you more control over your website’s experience.

In this article, you’ll discover quick and easy methods to hide WordPress pages. We’ll walk you through practical steps, offer helpful tips, and answer common questions to help you manage your site’s visibility effortlessly.

Related Video

How to Hide a Page in WordPress: 5+ Simple Methods for 2025

If you’ve ever wondered how to hide a page in WordPress, you’re certainly not alone. Whether you want to keep some content private, hide a work-in-progress from visitors, or simply declutter your WordPress site’s navigation—hiding pages is a practical skill every WordPress user should know. Fortunately, WordPress gives you multiple, user-friendly ways to keep a page out of sight. In this article, we’ll break down the most effective methods for hiding a page, when to use each, and answer your top related questions.

Why Hide a Page in WordPress?

You might want to hide a page for a variety of reasons:

• You’re working on a draft or staging page you don’t want visitors to see yet.
• You need to offer restricted content for members, clients, or staff.
• Some pages are only meant for special links (for example, thank-you or download pages).
• You wish to remove obsolete or outdated content from public view without deletion.
• For SEO purposes, you want to prevent search engines from indexing certain pages.

Let’s explore the best ways to achieve this in WordPress.

---

1. Change Page Visibility to Private or Password-Protected

Set a Page to Private

WordPress comes with a simple built-in option to set any page as “Private.” This means only logged-in users with the right permissions (like administrators and editors) can see the page.

How to set a page to Private:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to ‘Pages’ and select the page you want to hide.
3. In the page editor, look for the ‘Visibility’ option in the ‘Publish’ box on the right.
4. Click ‘Edit’ next to ‘Visibility’ and select ‘Private.’
5. Click ‘Update’ to save changes.

Now, only site admins and editors can access the page.

Use Password Protection

If you’d prefer to limit access rather than completely hide, you can protect a page with a password.

How to password-protect a page:

1. In the same ‘Visibility’ section, select ‘Password Protected.’
2. Enter a password you’ll share with authorized viewers.
3. Click ‘Update.’

Now, anyone who visits the page will need to enter your password to view the content.

Benefits:

• Simple to implement—no plugins required.
• Keeps sensitive content confidential.
• You control who can see each page.

Challenges:

• ‘Private’ is only for admin/editor roles, not registered users at large.
• Sharing passwords can become cumbersome with many users.

---

2. Remove the Page from Menus

Sometimes you want a page available online, but not discoverable through your site’s menus or navigation.

How to remove a page from your menu:

1. In your dashboard, go to ‘Appearance’ > ‘Menus.’
2. Find the page in the menu structure and click the drop-down arrow.
3. Click ‘Remove.’
4. Save your menu.

Your page will no longer be visible in the main navigation, but will still be accessible through the direct URL.

Benefits:

• Quick and easy for hiding special offer pages, thank-you pages, etc.
• Leaves content accessible for those with the link.

Challenges:

• Tech-savvy users and search engines can still find the page if indexed.
• Not suitable for hiding confidential or unfinished content.

---

3. Use a Plugin to Hide Pages

Plugins provide more flexibility and automation for hiding pages from visitors, search engines, or both. Some popular plugins for this purpose include:

• Plugins that exclude pages from navigation and search (like “Exclude Pages from Navigation”).
• Membership or role management plugins for restricting access by user role or group.

How to use a plugin:

1. Go to ‘Plugins’ > ‘Add New’ in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Search for a suitable plugin (for example, “Exclude Pages from Navigation,” “Members”, or “Restrict Content”).
3. Install and activate your chosen plugin.
4. Follow the plugin’s prompts to hide or restrict your chosen pages.

Benefits:

• Hide pages from navigation, site search, sitemap, or even by user role.
• Often comes with additional privacy options and management tools.

Challenges:

• Requires regular updates and compatibility checks.
• Too many plugins can slow down your site.

Practical Tip:

Always check plugin reviews and last update dates before installing. Stick to plugins with strong user ratings and active support communities.

---

4. Noindex a Page to Hide It From Search Engines

If you’re worried about search engines (like Google) indexing your hidden pages, you should add ‘noindex’ tags to them. This prevents pages from appearing in search results while still making them accessible to users with the direct link.

How to ‘noindex’ a page:

1. Use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or AIOSEO.
2. Edit the page you wish to hide.
3. Scroll to the plugin’s ‘Advanced’ or ‘SEO’ section.
4. Set ‘Allow search engines to show this Page in search results?’ to ‘No.’
5. Update the page.

Benefits:

• Keeps private or thin content out of Google, Bing, etc.
• Easy with modern SEO plugins.

Challenges:

• Only deters search engines—it doesn’t make the page private.
• Already-indexed pages may remain in search for a time.

---

5. Restrict Access by User Role or Membership

For more advanced privacy—such as making pages visible only to certain user roles (e.g., members, employees, or students)—consider role management plugins.

Common plugins for this:

• Members
• Restrict Content Pro
• Paid Memberships Pro

How to restrict by role:

1. Install your chosen membership or user role plugin.
2. Create or edit a page.
3. In the page options, set which roles or membership tiers can access the page.
4. Save your changes.

Benefits:

• Great for online courses, premium content, or internal info.
• Smooth experience for your users.

Challenges:

• Requires more setup, and some plugins are paid.
• You must manage user roles and memberships.

Cost Tip:

Some of these plugins offer free versions, but premium features (like advanced content control or integrations) often require a paid plan. Always review what’s included for free before purchasing.

---

6. Hide a Page Using Custom Code (For Advanced Users)

You can use custom code snippets or hooks in your WordPress theme’s functions.php file to hide specific pages under certain conditions (like user login status).

Example: Redirect non-logged in users away from a page

function restrict_page_access() {
    if ( is_page('your-page-slug') && !is_user_logged_in() ) {
        wp_redirect( home_url() );
        exit;
    }
}
add_action('template_redirect', 'restrict_page_access');

Replace ‘your-page-slug’ with your actual page’s slug.

Benefits:

• Tailor access and visibility logic to your site.
• No plugins necessary.

Challenges:

• Risk of site errors if code is incorrect.
• Updates to themes might overwrite code customizations.

Practical Tip:
Always make a backup before editing core WordPress files and consider using a child theme for customizations.

---

Choosing the Right Method for Hiding a Page

Each technique offers its own ideal use case. Here’s how to choose:

• Use Private/Password-Protected: For temporary or highly confidential content—fast and simple.
• Remove from Menu: For thank-you, promo, or utility pages that shouldn’t be discoverable.
• Plugins: For scalability, flexibility, and advanced access management.
• Noindex: For SEO-sensitive or duplicate content.
• User Role Restriction: For membership sites or controlled-access resources.
• Custom Code: For highly unique or advanced access scenarios.

---

Best Practices and Tips

• Test Before Going Live: After hiding a page, open a private or incognito browser to confirm its status as a visitor.
• Keep a Direct Link Handy: If pages are hidden but not password-protected, anyone with the link can still see it. Share links carefully.
• Combine Methods: For maximum privacy, combine password protection, menu removal, and noindex tags.
• Update Hidden Pages Regularly: Don’t forget about hidden pages—keep them updated to avoid outdated info being accessed accidentally.
• Document Your Hidden Pages: Especially on larger sites, keep a list of hidden pages and their purposes for reference.

---

Summary

Hiding a page in WordPress can be accomplished in several ways—each tailored to different privacy, usability, and SEO needs. From quick fixes using built-in options like Private or Password-Protected, to advanced methods with plugins and custom code, there’s a solution for every scenario. Always weigh the pros and cons, test thoroughly, and use best practices to ensure your content stays accessible only to those you choose.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can visitors still find my hidden page if they have the direct link?
Yes, unless you make a page Private or restrict access by user role, anyone with the URL can access it—even if it’s not in your menu or search.

2. Will hiding a page with the ‘noindex’ tag remove it from search engines immediately?
No. The ‘noindex’ tag tells search engines to stop indexing the page, but it may remain in results until search engines recrawl your site. It can take days or even weeks.

3. Do I need a plugin to hide a page from my navigation menu?
No plugin is necessary for this—you can add or remove pages from menus directly in the Appearance > Menus area of your WordPress dashboard.

4. Can I hide pages only from certain users?
Yes, with access control or membership plugins, you can make pages visible only to specific user roles or logged-in members.

5. Is it possible to temporarily hide a page without deleting it?
Absolutely. Mark it as Private, draft it, or remove it from menus. You can always publish it again later.

---

Hiding pages in WordPress is simple and powerful when you know the right method to use. Try out these techniques and tailor your site’s privacy to your needs!