How to Grant Temporary Access to WordPress Dashboard and Protected Content without Passwords

Website management and maintenance require you to constantly remove unwanted users from your website. This process will take a lot of time and effort if dozens of such accounts exist. That’s why creating and revoking these accounts automatically via temporary access could be a more efficient solution. Better yet, your users don’t even have to manage their account passwords. 

This article will explain what temporary access without passwords is and why you need it. Then, we will show you how to create temporary passwordless accounts to log in to your WordPress dashboard or access your password-protected content automatically.

What Is Temporary Access without Passwords?

Temporary access without passwords or one-click access allows users to access your WordPress dashboard or protected content automatically over a given period.

Instead of entering passwords manually, users can click on a unique link that grants them access to protected content or logs them into your WordPress dashboard automatically. This link becomes invalid after a certain period. After that, users must log in or enter passwords again to regain access to your WordPress dashboard and protected content.

Why Allowing Temporary Access without a Password?

You might wonder when to give users temporary access to your WordPress dashboard. Here are the two most common scenarios:

Grant WordPress admin temporary access to specific users

We all need a helping hand sometimes. It could be a freelance developer to assist with coding or a web designer to upgrade your website design. To do so, they would need access to your WordPress admin dashboard.

Since these jobs are short-term, you should provide them with temporary accounts that stop them from accessing your WordPress dashboard after some time.

Allows users to access protected content temporarily

Let’s say you’re offering a 3-month online course. You want your paid students to view the learning materials only during that period. After that, they won’t be able to log in, access, or download your course materials. Temporary access without passwords will come in handy in such cases.

Passwordless temporary access has two main benefits for website owners and their users.

Get rid of manual account management

It takes time to create and manage such temporary accounts manually. Moreover, you must never forget to disable these freelance users’ accounts once their work has been done. These users must also get and remember the credentials needed to log in.

Temporary passwordless access solves these issues with ease. Create a temporary access link with an expiry time. These links and corresponding accounts will automatically become invalid after the period.

You don’t have to manage these accounts manually anymore. Neither of your users has to remember their passwords.

Maintain high security for your site

If you have to create many temporary accounts, you will likely forget to remove some. This will allow unwanted users to hack into your website and data.

Besides, users often use the same password or think of an easy-to-remember but weak password when asked for a password. It can be their birthday, their name, or variations of the word “password,” such as “passw0rd” or “p4ssw0rd.” Ofcom identifies in the “Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes Report 2013” that 55% of 1,805 internet users aged 16 and overuse only one password for most websites. Consequently, hackers can easily guess these passwords and access your website.

Providing passwordless access temporarily will stop users from creating weak passwords and help increase your site security.

Now you understand the benefits and common cases when you should provide temporary access to your WordPress dashboard and protected content. It’s time to discover the how-to.

How to Create Temporary Login Accounts

As its name suggests, the temporary Login Without Password free plugin allows site owners to create temporary accounts for different user roles, including Admin, Developer, Subscriber, Editor, and more. Generating a lot of new accounts doesn’t pose a security vulnerability since they will be disabled after a certain period.

The following steps show you how to install and use the plugin to create and manage temporary access to your WordPress dashboard.

Step 1: Install Temporary Login Without Password plugin

Quickly add the plugin to your WordPress dashboard by:

Heading to Plugin in your WordPress navigation menu and click Add New

Search for Temporary Login Without Password the Keyword box

>Hit the Install and Activate buttons

Step 2: Create login links

>Upon activation, the plugin will be inserted directly into your WordPress dashboard sidebar under the Users section. Click Create New to add a new temporary login account.

You need to fill out the form with the information of the new temporary account:

• Once you provide all the information, hit the Submit button to save your changes.

After you’ve created a temporary login account, let’s see how to share it with others. Check the login information in the Manage Temporary Logins step below.

Step 3: Manage temporary logins

Temporary Login Without Password makes it easy for you to manage the temporary accounts. You can go to the Temporary Logins page under Users in your WordPress navigation menu.

There, you can see a list of temporary accounts with their details. Each column presents an element of the login information, from the username, role, and last logged-in time to the time the account will expire.

Different icons in the Actions column enable you to:

• lock icon
• cross icon
• pencil icon
• mail icon
• hyperlink icon

Remember that if you delete a temporary account, the author’s name of the content created by that user will be replaced by the admin account.

What If You Want to Provide Temporary Access to Password Protected Content?

Password-protected pages and posts require users to enter the correct password to view the content. Generating a passwordless access link allows users to view the locked content without filling out the password form.

Password Protect WordPress Pro offers a great solution that authorizes users to access locked pages and posts without filling in the password form. Instead, you can send them a custom link embedded in the password.

To install the plugin, you need to download the plugin zip file. Unzip the file and upload it to your WordPress dashboard by clicking on Plugin →  Add New → Upload Plugin.

After installing, you can start password-protecting your content with passwords and generate password-embedded custom links immediately.

Create temporary access to protected pages with PPWP Pro

Two main steps must be taken to create temporary access to your protected pages and posts. You first lock the content with a password, then generate temporary access links that allow users to view the hidden content without entering the password.

Step 1: Password protect the content

1. Posts or Pages section and find your desired post/page

Click on the Password protect link next to the Date column

Hit the Password Protect This Page button on the Password Protect pop-up

Your page/post is now locked with a random password generated by the plugin. You can add your passwords by clicking on the New Password tab.

Step 2: Generate temporary access links to the protected content

Once a page is protected, its passwords and access links will be managed on the pop-up screen. Click on the Copy access link icon in the Action column to get the access link to the post.

Now, users can see the hidden content in 2 ways: by accessing the content directly with the temporary access link or by entering the correct password into the password form.

Ready to Grant Passwordless Temporary Access to WordPress Dashboard and Protected Content?

Providing users temporary access to the WordPress dashboard and protected content proves helpful in many cases. This can increase the site’s security and improve the user experience. Your users don’t have to remember the password or spend time filling in the login and password form.

If you’re looking for a free solution to create and manage temporary login accounts easily, install Temporary Login Without Password. To allow users to freely access the protected pages or posts quickly, get Password Protect WordPress Pro.

Are there any concerns about generating temporary access to the WordPress dashboard and protected pages and posts without passwords? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!