Password-protect & expire a review link

Lock a cut behind a password and an expiry date: enforced on the video, comments, and downloads, not just the front door.

Updated July 11, 2026

Not every cut is meant for the whole internet. An unreleased campaign, an unannounced product, or a rough assembly you'd rather your client didn't forward: sometimes a link needs a lock and a shelf life. HoldFast gives you both in the review link's settings, and the part that matters is how far they reach. A password here isn't a flimsy gate on the front page. It sits in front of the video itself, the comments, and the downloads behind it.

Screenshot: password-protect-1
Set a password and an expiry in the link settings.

Set a password

In the link's settings, type a password into the Password field. Your reviewer enters it once when they open the link, and from then on it applies to everything the link exposes: the asset list, the video, the comments, the comments PDF, and any downloads. It isn't a cosmetic splash screen you can click past. Nothing behind the link loads until the password checks out.

Send the password the way you'd send any shared secret, in a separate message from the link itself. One password covers every asset and every viewer on the link, so there's nothing to hand out per person.

Set an expiry

Right alongside the password, set an expiry. Pick a custom date and time, or use a preset: 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days. It's the difference between "here's the cut for this week's review" and a link that quietly stays live in an inbox for a year.

Once the date passes, the whole link stops serving. Page, video, data, and downloads all go dark together, so you never have to remember to circle back and revoke anything.

What expiry looks like to your viewer

An expired link doesn't drop your reviewer onto a broken player or a blank error. They get a clean, on-brand "this link has expired" page. If they still need access, that's your cue to push the date out or send a fresh link, on your terms rather than by accident.

Require an account (optional)

For a tighter loop, turn on Require account so viewers have to log in before they reach the content. Most client reviews don't want this, since the no-login page is the whole appeal, but it's there for the project that calls for named, authenticated access.

Change your mind anytime

Each of these is a setting on the link, not something baked into the file. Clear the password, push the expiry out a week, or lock a link that started open: the change takes effect right away and the URL never changes, so your reviewer keeps the same address either way.

Next steps

• Hand over the finished files cleanly: Downloads & branding on a review link.
• Locking a deck instead of a cut? See Protect a deck & track engagement.