You want to share a Notion page with anyone on the internet without requiring them to have a Notion account. Notion includes a built-in publishing feature that converts any page into a public website with a unique URL. This article explains how to enable public sharing, configure visibility and search engine settings, and manage the published page. You will also learn what visitors can and cannot do on your public Notion site.
Key Takeaways: Publishing a Notion Page as a Public Website
- Share > Publish > Turn On Public Access: Generates a public URL for your Notion page that anyone with the link can view.
- Share > Publish > Search Engine Indexing: Allows Google and other search engines to list your public page in search results.
- Share > Publish > Allow Duplicate as Template: Lets visitors copy your page structure into their own Notion workspace.
What Happens When You Publish a Notion Page
When you publish a Notion page, Notion hosts it on its own domain at notion.site/your-custom-slug. The published version is a read-only snapshot of the page content at the moment of publishing. Visitors do not need a Notion account to view the page. They can click links, expand toggle blocks, play embedded videos, and view databases in gallery or table layout. However, visitors cannot edit the page, leave comments, or see page-level discussions. Any changes you make to the original page in your workspace are reflected on the public site automatically. You can revoke public access at any time, which makes the URL return a 404 error.
Prerequisites for Publishing
You need a Notion account on any plan, including the free plan. The page you want to publish must be inside a workspace where you have full access permissions. Pages inside a teamspace with restricted sharing settings may not show the Publish option. You also need to ensure the page does not contain any blocks that Notion cannot render publicly, such as certain third-party embeds that require authentication.
Steps to Publish a Notion Page as a Public Website
- Open the page you want to publish
Navigate to the page in your Notion workspace. Make sure the page contains all the content you intend to share. Subpages and linked databases are included automatically. - Click the Share button
In the top-right corner of the window, click the Share button. A panel slides open showing sharing options for this specific page. - Click Publish in the Share panel
In the Publish section of the Share panel, click the Publish button. Notion may prompt you to confirm that you want to make this page public. - Toggle on Public Access
After clicking Publish, a new panel appears. Toggle the switch next to “Public Access” to the on position. Notion generates a public URL immediately. The default URL is notion.site/your-page-slug. You can edit the slug by clicking the pencil icon next to the URL. - Configure search engine indexing (optional)
Under the Public Access toggle, you see a checkbox labeled “Allow search engine indexing.” Enable this if you want Google, Bing, and other search engines to list your page in search results. Leave it disabled if you want the page to remain visible only to people who have the direct link. - Allow duplicate as template (optional)
Below the indexing option, you see a checkbox labeled “Allow duplicate as template.” Enable this if you want visitors to be able to copy the entire page structure into their own Notion workspace. This is useful for sharing templates, checklists, or project plans. - Copy the public URL
Click the Copy Link button next to the public URL. Share this link with anyone you want to access the page. You can also share the link on social media, embed it on another website, or add it to your email signature.
Managing Your Published Page
You can always return to the Share panel to change the settings. Toggle Public Access off to unpublish the page. The URL stops working immediately. If you turn Public Access back on later, the same URL becomes active again. You can change the slug at any time by clicking the pencil icon next to the URL in the Publish panel. Changing the slug breaks any existing links that used the old slug. Notion does not provide automatic redirects from the old URL to the new one.
What Visitors See on a Published Notion Page
Visitors see a clean, full-width layout with your page content. The Notion interface elements like the sidebar, search bar, and breadcrumbs are hidden. Toggle blocks are closed by default. Visitors can click to open them. Database views appear as interactive tables, boards, or galleries depending on the view you set. Visitors can sort and filter database views, but they cannot change the underlying data. Embedded YouTube videos, Google Maps, and other supported embeds render normally. Comments, page history, and backlinks are not visible to visitors.
Common Issues and Limitations
Published Page Shows a 404 Error
If visitors see a 404 page, the page may have been unpublished or the slug may have changed. Open the page in your workspace, go to Share > Publish, and verify that Public Access is toggled on. If the slug was changed, share the new URL.
Subpages Not Visible on the Public Site
Subpages are included automatically only if they are linked or displayed inside the parent page. If you have a subpage that is not linked anywhere on the main page, visitors cannot navigate to it. Add a link to that subpage on the main page to make it accessible.
Embedded Content Does Not Load
Some third-party embeds require the visitor to be logged into a specific service. For example, a private Google Drive file may not render. Use publicly accessible URLs for embeds. Notion also blocks certain embed types on public pages for security reasons. Test your published page in an incognito browser window to confirm all content loads correctly.
Search Engines Do Not Index the Page
Make sure the “Allow search engine indexing” checkbox is enabled. Even with this enabled, indexing can take several days or weeks. Notion does not guarantee that all pages will be indexed. For faster indexing, submit the public URL directly to Google Search Console.
| Item | Free Plan | Plus Plan and Above |
|---|---|---|
| Public page creation | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom domain | Not available | Available with Business Plan and higher |
| Search engine indexing | Available | Available |
| Duplicate as template | Available | Available |
| Password protection | Not available | Available with Business Plan and higher |
Publishing a Notion page is a quick way to share documentation, project updates, or personal notes with the world. To take your site further, explore custom domains and password protection on the Business plan. For a more advanced setup, consider using a tool like Super or Potion to add custom CSS, navigation menus, and analytics to your Notion public site.