About this plugin
Password for WP locks your whole website behind one password. Visitors see a clean, full-screen login screen until they enter the correct password, while your WordPress admin area (wp-admin) stays fully accessible.
It is perfect for sites in development, staging environments, private launches, client previews, or a simple maintenance mode. Setup takes less than a minute and the plugin is completely free.
Key features
- Protect the entire front-end of the site with one password.
- Modern, responsive login screen with a clean, flat design.
- Choose a background image from the WordPress Media Library and display it stretched as a full cover, with a live thumbnail preview in the settings.
- Set a custom background color used as a fallback behind the image.
- Add your own headings (H2 and H3) to greet or inform visitors.
- Cache support: keeps the protection working when a page cache plugin is active (LiteSpeed Cache, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache and more).
- Skip the password for logged-in users with a single switch.
- CSRF-protected settings and hardened output escaping.
- Available in English, Polish, German and French, and fully translation ready.
How it works
When protection is enabled, every front-end request is checked for a valid access cookie. Visitors without the cookie are shown the login screen. After entering the correct password, a secure cookie is set for 30 days so they are not asked again.
The WordPress login and admin panel are never blocked by the plugin.
Upgrading
For manual upgrades via FTP, deactivate and reactivate the plugin to ensure it works correctly.
Translations
Password for WP ships with English, Polish, German and French translations. mo files in the /languages folder.