How do I add a password, expiry date or click limit to a short link?
Updated September 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Every option lives under Advanced settings on the link form — open Links, create a link or edit an existing one, and expand that panel. Link expiration holds Expires at and Max clicks, and Password protection takes the password visitors have to type. Expiry, scheduling and passwords are Pro and Business features, and you find that out from an error when you save.
Where the options are
- Open Links and click Create link, or click the pencil icon on a link you already have.
- Fill in the destination as usual, then click Advanced settings to expand it.
- Each group has its own on/off switch — Link expiration, Password protection, Retargeting pixels, Custom link preview, Dynamic routing and so on. The fields appear once the switch is on.
- Click Create your link or Save changes.
Nothing on this form is greyed out by plan. Every field is editable on every plan, and a locked feature is only refused when you save — for example "Expiry, scheduling and click limits are available on the Pro plan and above." If you see that message, nothing was saved.
Expiry dates and click limits
Turn on Link expiration and you get three fields.
- Expires at — a date and time. After it passes, visitors get a page saying the link has expired.
- Max clicks — a whole number. The cap is counted in engaged clicks, so previews and bot requests do not eat into it. Once it is reached, visitors see "This link has reached its click limit."
- After expiry, send visitors to — an optional URL. Set it and expired traffic is redirected there instead of seeing the expiry page. Those visits are deliberately not counted, so a redirected visitor never shows up in your analytics.
Expiry and click limits apply to short links. The equivalent controls for a QR code are covered in pausing, scheduling and capping a QR code.
Starting a link at a set time
Schedule activation takes a date and time and keeps the link dark until then — useful when the print run ships before the offer opens. Before that moment visitors get "This link is not active yet. Please try again later." and no click is recorded.
Combine it with Expires at to give a campaign a fixed window with no manual switching on either end.
Password-protecting a link
Turn on Password protection and type the password into the field. Visitors then get a page headed Protected Link with a single password box and an Unlock button; the correct password sends them on to the destination.
- The password applies to preview bots too, so a link shared in chat will not auto-expand the destination.
- Ten wrong attempts within ten minutes from the same address block that visitor for fifteen minutes.
- When you edit a protected link, leaving the password box blank keeps the existing password. Type a new one to replace it.
- Protected links show a Protected badge in the Links list.
There is no password recovery for visitors — you distribute it yourself. If you lose it, edit the link and set a new one.
The other switches on the same panel
| Option | What it does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| UTM parameters | Appends utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign to the destination | Pro, Business |
| Retargeting pixels | Fires Meta, GA4, Google Tag Manager or TikTok on the redirect | Pro, Business |
| Click webhook | POSTs a link.clicked payload to your URL on every successful redirect | Pro, Business |
| Custom link preview | Your own title, description and image in chat and social previews | Pro, Business |
| Allow search engines to index this link | Off by default, so short links never compete with your real pages | Every plan |
Routing rules, A/B splits and previews have their own article: routing rules, A/B tests and link previews.
Common problems
I saved and got an upgrade message
The form let you fill the field in, the plan check happened on save, and the whole save was refused — not just that one field. Remove the locked option and save again, or move up a plan and re-enter it.
I am on the free trial and password protection will not save
The trial does not include passwords, scheduling, expiry or UTM parameters, even though the form shows them. It does include custom link previews and A/B testing. There is no way to unlock the rest without subscribing.
The link expired but visitors still reach the destination
Check whether After expiry, send visitors to is filled in. If it points at the same place as the destination, expiry looks like it did nothing.
My click limit was reached sooner than expected
The cap counts engaged clicks, which are people — but a link opened repeatedly by the same person on different devices counts each time. Open the link in Analytics to see where the clicks came from.
Frequently asked questions
Can I set an expiry date on a QR code as well as a link?
Yes, but they are separate settings. A QR code has its own schedule and scan cap on the code itself.
Does an expired link stop counting clicks?
Yes. Once a link is expired or capped nothing further is recorded, and visits sent to an after-expiry URL are never counted.
Can I remove a password later?
Yes. Edit the link and switch Password protection off — the link redirects normally from the next visit.
Is the password encrypted?
It is stored as a one-way hash, so nobody including us can read it back. If you forget it, set a new one.
Why is my link not in Google?
Short links send a noindex header unless you turn on Allow search engines to index this link. That is deliberate, so your short links never outrank the pages they point at.
Related articles
How do I create a branded short link?
Open Links, click Create link, paste the destination, pick a domain and back-half, then Create your link. The trial includes 25 links, Business 5,000.
How do routing rules, A/B tests and link previews work?
Routing rules send visitors to different URLs by device, OS, country, region, city or language. A/B splits traffic by weight. Previews control the share card.
How do I schedule, pause, or cap the number of scans on a QR code?
Scan Limit and Date Schedule sit in Rules & Limits on the Content step and need Pro or Business. To pause a code on any plan, archive it.
How do I password-protect a QR code?
Edit the code, open Rules & Limits and type a password in Password Protection. Scanners then see an unlock page before the content. Pro and Business only.
Still stuck?
Email support@qrcodestack.com with the email on your account and, if it is about one code, its name or short link. A person replies within one business day, usually sooner.