---
title: "Protected Content Widget: Settings Overview"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/protected-content-widget-settings-overview/
date: 2024-02-22
modified: 2026-09-16
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Sometimes only part of a page should be public. A discount code, a download link or a members-only note can sit behind a password, or behind the visitor being logged..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Protected-Content-Widget_-Settings-Overview-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 1194
---

# Protected Content Widget: Settings Overview

## 

- Protected Content en The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro solo aparece en el editor cuando el plugin Pro está activo y el widget está encendido en The Plus Addons > Widgets.
- Content Source ofrece tres salidas: Content para texto escrito en el widget, Page Template para una plantilla de Elementor y Redirect Link para enviar al visitante a una URL.
- Protection Type admite User role, Single Password y Multiple Password; Multiple Password llega con una fila inicial de 1234 y User role no muestra formulario de contraseña.
- Show Content muestra el contenido protegido también en el editor y Cookie puede recordar el desbloqueo durante 1 a 365 días, pero sin Cookie el acceso se pierde al recargar la página.

Sometimes only part of a page should be public. A discount code, a download link or a members-only note can sit behind a password, or behind the visitor being logged in with the right role.

The **Protected Content** widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor puts that gate on any Elementor page. This page walks through every setting it has.

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-widget/protected-content/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Pro** — Protected Content is only in The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. With the Pro plugin switched off the widget is not in the editor at all, and a page that already uses it shows nothing where the widget was — not the gate and not the protected content either.- **Widget to enable:** Protected Content, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**. Search for the widget name there and turn its toggle on.- **Use a throwaway password while you build:** the password is stored as plain text in the page's Elementor data, so treat it as a shared door code rather than a secret, and never reuse a password from anywhere else.

![The Plus Addons Widgets screen with the Protected Content toggle switched on](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/protected-content-1-1024x358.png)

## Learn via Video Tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrw2nK8PvQs

## Choose What Is Protected

Drop the **Protected Content** widget on the page and open the **Content** section. **Content Source** decides what appears once the visitor gets through the gate.

| Content Source | What it shows | Where you set it |
| -------------- | ------------- | ---------------- |
| **Content** (default) | Text you type straight into the widget. | The **Protected Content** editor below the dropdown. |
| **Page Template** | A saved Elementor template, so the protected part can be a full designed section. | **Elementor Templates**, with a **Create Template** button if you have not built one yet. |
| **Redirect Link** | Nothing on the page — the visitor is sent to a URL instead once the password is correct. | **Redirect Link**. Redirection is disabled inside the editor, so test it on the published page. |

![Content Source set to Content, with the Protected Content editor below it](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-content-source.webp)

## Choose Who Gets Through

Open the **Protection Type** section. This is the gate itself.

| Protection Type | What it does | Extra fields |
| --------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
| **User role** | Only visitors logged in with one of the roles you pick see the content. Everyone else sees the message. There is no password form at all. | **Select Roles**, **Preview of Error Message** |
| **Single Password** (default) | One shared password unlocks the content. | **Set Password**, **Show Content**, **Cookie** |
| **Multiple Password** | Several passwords, any one of which unlocks the same content. | A repeater of **Set Password** rows, **Show Content**, **Cookie** |

![Protection Type set to Single Password, with Set Password, Show Content and Cookie below it](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-protection-type.webp)

> *The **Multiple Password** list arrives with one row already filled in with **1234**. Change it before you publish, or that is your password.*

## What Visitors Actually See

On a published page a visitor who has not unlocked anything sees the message, the password field and the button — and nothing else. The protected text is not in the page source at that point, so it cannot be read by viewing the HTML.

![A logged-out visitor sees the message, a password box and an Unlock button](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-result-locked.webp)

A wrong password reloads the page with the gate still in place and the **Error Message** underneath it.

![The same gate with the error message shown under the password form](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-result-error.webp)

The right password replaces the whole gate with the protected content.

![The protected content shown in place of the password form](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-result-unlocked.webp)

## Show Content and Cookie

Two switches sit under **Set Password**, and both change who can read the content, so it is worth being precise about them.

| Setting | What it does | Default |
| ------- | ------------ | ------- |
| **Show Content** | Reveals the protected content **on the front end as well as in the editor**. While it is on there is no password form and every visitor reads the content. | Hide |
| **Cookie** | A popover toggle. Switch it to **Custom** and the browser remembers the unlock, so the visitor is not asked again on the next visit. | Default (off) |
| **Days** | How long that cookie lasts. Inside the **Cookie** popover. Accepts 1 to 365. | 1 |

> ***Show Content** is not a preview-only switch. Turn it on to style the content, then turn it off again before you publish — otherwise the page is open to everyone.*

With **Cookie** left off, an unlock lasts for that one page view only. Reload the page and the password is asked for again. Switch **Cookie** on if you want the unlock to stick.

## The Message

The **Message** section is what a visitor sees instead of the content.

| Message Source | What it shows | Default |
| -------------- | ------------- | ------- |
| **None** | No message at all — just the password form. | |
| **Message** | Text you type in the **Text** editor. | Selected, with “You do not have permission to see this content.” |
| **Elementor Templates** | A saved template, chosen in **Choose Elementor Template**. | |

## Form Text and Error Message

**Form Text** holds the two labels on the gate: **Input text** is the placeholder inside the password box (default **Enter Password**) and **Button text** is the button label (default **Submit**).

![The Form Text section with the Input text and Button text fields](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-form-text.webp)

**Error Message** is the single line shown when a password does not match. It defaults to “Wrong password, please try again.”

![The Error Message section with its default text](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-error-message.webp)

> *Neither section applies to the **User role** protection type, because that type never renders a password form.*

## Styling

The **Style** tab has six sections, each for one part of the widget.

- **Message** — the restriction message.- **Form Input** — the password box.- **Submit Button** — the button next to it.- **Error Message** — the wrong-password line.- **Front Content** — the block everyone sees, i.e. message plus form.- **Content** — the protected content itself, once it is unlocked.

![The Front Content section of the Style tab, with its Max Width and Alignment controls](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/protectedcontent-style.webp)

## How It Behaves

- Before the gate is passed, the protected content is **not in the page HTML**. The widget renders the message and the form and stops there.- A password is checked when the form is posted. The reply to that post shows the content; with **Cookie** off, the next page load asks again.- **User role** checks the logged-in user's first role. A logged-out visitor and a visitor with any other role both get the message.- Each widget keeps its own unlock. Two Protected Content widgets on one page are unlocked separately.

## Limitations

- This is page-level gating, not membership. Passwords are stored as plain text in the page's Elementor data, so anyone who can edit the page — or read a database backup — can read them.- **Show Content** exposes the content to every visitor while it is on, not only to you in the editor.- The remembered unlock is an ordinary browser cookie with a fixed value, so it is not proof that a password was ever entered. Do not use this widget for anything that must stay private.- Without **Cookie**, the unlock does not survive a page reload.- Search engines and anyone with the URL can still reach the page itself. Only the widget's content is hidden.

## Troubleshooting

### Everyone can see the protected content without a password

Check **Show Content** in the **Protection Type** section. While it is on, the gate is not rendered at all. Set it back to **Hide**.

### The password is asked for again on every page load

That is the default. Open the **Cookie** popover, switch it to **Custom** and set **Days**.

### The right password is rejected

Passwords are compared exactly, including case and spaces. Re-type the value in **Set Password** rather than pasting it, and check you are not still on the **Multiple Password** list from an earlier edit.

### Nothing renders where the widget should be

The Pro plugin is inactive, or the widget is off. Turn Protected Content on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.

## Related Docs

- [How to Protect Content Based on User Role in Elementor Website?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/protect-content-based-on-user-role-in-elementor/)- [How to Add Multiple Password Protected Content in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-multiple-password-protected-content-in-elementor/)- [How to Add Protected Content for Elementor Template?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/protected-content-for-elementor-template/)- [How to Make a Page Password Protected in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/make-a-page-password-protected-in-elementor/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How do I protect only part of a page with a password in Elementor?**
A: The Protected Content widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH gates only the content you place inside the widget, so the rest of the page can stay public. That makes it a good fit for a discount code, download link, or members-only note. The protected content is hidden from the page HTML until the gate is passed, which matters if you want the content itself not to appear in source view.

**Q: Should I use a password or user roles for protected content?**
A: Use User role when access should depend on who is logged in, and use Single Password or Multiple Password when you want a shared gate. User role protection shows no password form at all, while password protection shows a form and can unlock with one shared password or several passwords. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH also supports [How to Protect Content Based on User Role in Elementor Website?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/protect-content-based-on-user-role-in-elementor/) if role-based access is the real requirement.

**Q: Why does the protected content show to everyone with no password prompt?**
A: That usually means Show Content is turned on in the Protection Type section. When Show Content is on, the gate is not rendered at all and every visitor reads the content. The fix is to switch it back to Hide before publishing. This setting is useful while styling because it exposes the content in the editor and on the front end, but leaving it on makes the page open to everyone.

**Q: Why does Elementor ask for the password again every time I reload the page?**
A: That is normal when Cookie is left off. With Cookie disabled, an unlock lasts for one page view only, so a reload brings back the password form. Switch Cookie to Custom if you want the browser to remember the unlock, then set Days between 1 and 365. The cookie is just an ordinary browser cookie with a fixed value, so it should not be treated as proof of anything private.

**Q: What should I use as a best practice when setting up Protected Content?**
A: Use a throwaway password while building and never reuse a real one. The page says passwords are stored as plain text in Elementor data, so anyone who can edit the page or read a database backup can see them. That makes this widget fine for light gating, not for anything that must stay private. If you need stronger access control, [How to Make a Page Password Protected in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/make-a-page-password-protected-in-elementor/) may be closer to what you want.

**Q: Why is my correct password being rejected in Protected Content?**
A: Password matching is exact, including case and spaces. A pasted value can fail if it picked up an extra space or if you are still editing an older Multiple Password list where 1234 was left as the default first entry. Re-type the password in Set Password instead of pasting it. If two Protected Content widgets are on one page, each one unlocks separately, which can also make testing feel inconsistent.