How to Create a Password-Protected Upload Widget

Why Password-Protect Your Upload Widget?

Public upload widgets are great for convenience, but sometimes you need a middle ground between "open to everyone" and "requires an API key." Password protection lets you:

• Share with a specific group — Give the password to clients, team members, or students
• Prevent unauthorized uploads — Stop random visitors from uploading files
• Rotate access — Change the password when someone leaves the project
• Simple access control — No user accounts or API keys needed

How It Works

When password protection is enabled, visitors see a password prompt before the upload form:

1. Visitor opens the upload page (/u/your-slug)
2. They see a clean password entry screen
3. After entering the correct password, the upload form appears
4. The session is remembered — they don't need to re-enter the password for subsequent uploads

Setting Up Password Protection

Step 1: Create or Edit a Widget

1. Open your Dashboard
2. Navigate to your connection
3. Go to the Widgets tab
4. Click Edit on the widget you want to protect

Step 2: Enable Password Protection

1. Go to the Sharing tab
2. Toggle Password Protection on
3. Enter a password in the field that appears
4. Make sure Public Upload is also enabled (password protection works with public widgets)
5. Click Save Changes

Step 3: Share the Link

Share the upload page URL with your intended audience, along with the password:

Upload your files here: https://api.drivewidget.com/u/client-uploads
Password: project2026

Password Protection + Other Security

Password protection works alongside other security features:

Best Practices

Choose Strong but Shareable Passwords

The password should be strong enough to prevent guessing but easy enough to share with clients:

• Good: acme-project-2026, client-upload-feb
• Bad: password123, upload
• Overkill: x7$kL9#mP2@qR5 (hard to communicate)

Rotate Passwords Regularly

Change the password when:

• A project phase ends
• A team member leaves
• You suspect the password has been shared too broadly

To change the password:

1. Edit the widget → Sharing tab
2. Enter a new password
3. Save Changes
4. Notify authorized users of the new password

Combine with Custom URL Slugs

Make your upload page look professional:

https://api.drivewidget.com/u/acme-brand-assets
Password: acme2026

This is much better than sharing a generic widget embed URL.

Common Questions

Can I set different passwords for different widgets?

Yes! Each widget has its own password. You can have:

• /u/client-a-uploads with password clientA2026
• /u/client-b-uploads with password clientB2026

Does the password expire?

No. Passwords remain active until you change them or disable password protection.

Can I see who entered the password?

Currently, DriveWidget tracks uploads (file name, size, timestamp, form data) but not password entry events. If you need to track who is uploading, add a Name and Email form field to your widget.

What happens if someone enters the wrong password?

They see an error message and can try again. There's no lockout mechanism — the rate limiter handles brute-force protection.

Try It Now

Set up a password-protected upload page in under 2 minutes:

1. Sign up free
2. Connect your Google Drive
3. Create a widget with a custom slug
4. Enable password protection
5. Share the link + password with your clients

Get Started →