Preview shows a site exactly as visitors will see it, before you publish. A preview link lets a client review unpublished changes without logging in.
How to preview in the editor
Click Preview in the editor's top bar, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac). The page shows as visitors will see it, including sticky headers and scroll effects. Switch between Desktop, Tablet, Mobile and Ultrawide at the top. Press Esc or click the exit button (Exit preview) to go back to editing. You can also publish from the preview bar.
Links work in Preview the way they do on the published site: click a button, card, tag, image or menu link to open that page (a link to a collection item opens its dynamic page with that item). Links to other websites open in a new tab. Popup links and corner buttons open their popup, and popups set to open automatically do so.
How to share a preview link
- Click the share icon (Share this project) in the editor's top bar or the preview bar.
- Under Preview link, choose how it opens: All screen sizes, Desktop or Mobile.
- Click Create preview link, then copy it or open it in a new tab.
The link shows the site with your unpublished changes, so a client can review a site before it goes live. Viewers don't need to log in, and they can switch between laptop, tablet and phone views. On Growth and Agency plans, the viewer's top bar shows your agency's name and logo. If you've connected your own client domain, the link uses that domain instead of ContentForge's.
Links don't expire. New link makes a fresh link, and the old one stops working. Stop sharing turns the link off. Anyone who opens a stopped link sees "This preview link is no longer active". Zeus's own short-lived checking links are never handed out as your preview link, so a link you share stays working after a Zeus build finishes.
Preview buttons outside the editor
The Preview button on a site's card on the Websites page, and the Preview buttons your clients see in their portal, always open the site's latest draft, including changes you haven't published yet. The live site is only ever shown at its published address.
Preview uses the site's preview link. It's the same link the share window shows. If the site doesn't have one yet, clicking Preview makes it. It uses your client domain when you've connected one, so your clients never see a ContentForge address.
Clicking Preview again opens the same link. If you click New link or Stop sharing, the old link stops working, and the next Preview makes a new one.
Copying the address from your browser
You can copy the address from your browser's address bar and send it. It always works for the person you send it to:
- Preview buttons open the preview link (an address with
/p/in it), which anyone can open. - If you open the site's internal preview address (
/sites/followed by the site's ID) while you're logged in, it switches to the preview link straight away, on the same page. Copy the address after it switches. - If someone who isn't logged in opens a
/sites/address, they go to the live site on the same page. If the site isn't published yet, they see "This is a private preview address. Ask the person who sent it for the share link." That page shows your agency's name and logo on Growth and Agency plans, and never mentions ContentForge.
Site Backups previews and template previews still open at their own addresses. They're for you, not for sharing.
The rest of the share window
- Site domain shows the live address with copy and open buttons. Edit takes you to Settings → Domain. A site that isn't live shows Not published yet and a Publish button.
- Website access (sites linked to a client) opens Client Management, Client → Settings, where you can give the client their own login.
Examples
- Sign-off before launch: create a preview link set to All screen sizes, send it to the client, and publish once they approve.
- Check the phone layout: send a Mobile link to the client so it opens straight in the phone view.
- A translation review: languages set to Draft in Settings → Languages show in previews and share links, so a translator can check them before they go live.
- Someone forwarded the link too widely: click New link. The old one stops working, and you send the new one to the right people.
Limits and what it can't do
- One share link per site at a time. New link replaces it.
- Links don't expire by themselves and have no password. Anyone with the link can view it.
- Preview links are hidden from search engines, and custom code and tracking don't run on them. To test scripts, publish the site.
- Viewers can look, not edit or comment. For comments, see Site Comments.
Who can use it
- Agency people with the Mount Olympus tool can preview and share.
- Client people can share when they have the Editor or Site publish permission. Anyone who can open the editor can use Preview.
Troubleshooting
- "This preview link is no longer active": someone clicked New link or Stop sharing. Open the share window and send the current link.
- "This is a private preview address. Ask the person who sent it for the share link.": you sent the internal
/sites/address of an unpublished site. Send the preview link (with/p/in it) instead. - The client sees old content: the link always shows the latest draft. Ask them to reload. If they're on the live address, they'll only see published changes.
- A script or tracking code doesn't run in the preview: that's expected. Publish the site to test it.
- "Could not create the share link", "Could not load the share link" or "Could not stop sharing": try again in a moment.
- "Copy failed — select the link and copy it": your browser blocked copying. Select the link text and copy it by hand.