Why Notion Shared Page URL Contains Workspace Name Despite Custom Domain

When you set up a custom domain in Notion, you expect all shared page URLs to use only that domain. Instead, many users find that the workspace name still appears in the URL path, making the link longer and less professional. This happens because Notion’s custom domain feature only replaces the base domain portion of the URL, not the workspace identifier in the path. This article explains the exact technical reason for this behavior and shows you what you can and cannot change.

How Notion Custom Domains Work and Why the Workspace Name Remains

Notion’s custom domain feature lets you replace the default notion.site domain with your own domain, such as docs.example.com. When you configure this, Notion updates the DNS settings so that traffic to your domain points to Notion’s servers. However, the URL structure after the domain name remains unchanged. A typical shared page URL looks like this:

https://docs.example.com/workspace-name/page-id

The workspace-name segment is your workspace’s slug, which Notion assigns when you first create the workspace. This slug is a unique identifier that Notion uses internally to determine which workspace the page belongs to. When a visitor accesses a shared page, Notion reads the workspace slug from the URL to load the correct content. The custom domain setting only affects the part before the first slash after the domain. It does not alter the path structure. Notion has not provided a way to remove or rename this workspace slug for shared pages, even on Business or Enterprise plans.

What the Workspace Slug Is and Where It Comes From

The workspace slug is derived from the workspace name you set during initial setup. If your workspace is named “Acme Marketing,” the slug might be acme-marketing. You can change the workspace name in Settings & Members > Settings > Workspace Name, but the slug itself is permanent. Notion does not expose an option to edit the slug after creation.

How the URL Is Constructed for Shared Pages

When you publish a page using the Share menu and select “Publish,” Notion generates a URL in this format:

https://your-custom-domain.com/workspace-slug/page-title-random-id

The custom domain replaces notion.site, but everything after it stays exactly as it would on the default domain. The workspace slug is always present because it is part of Notion’s routing logic. If Notion removed the slug, the system would not know which workspace to serve the page from, especially for users who manage multiple workspaces under the same custom domain.

What You Can Do About the Workspace Name in the URL

You cannot remove the workspace slug from shared page URLs. However, you can take steps to make the URL cleaner and more readable. The following methods focus on what you can control.

Method 1: Use URL Shorteners for External Sharing

1. Create a shortened link with a service like Bitly or your own domain
   Copy the full Notion shared page URL. Open your URL shortener of choice. Paste the full URL into the destination field. Set a custom short link, such as bit.ly/acme-guide or go.example.com/guide. Use this short link in emails, social media, or printed materials.
2. Set up a redirect from a clean path on your own domain
   If you control your own web server, create a simple HTML redirect or a 301 redirect rule. For example, make example.com/guide redirect to the full Notion URL. Visitors see the clean link in their browser address bar only briefly before being redirected.

Method 2: Change the Workspace Name to a Short Slug

While you cannot change the slug itself, you can change the workspace name so that the slug is shorter. This only works if you have not yet created the workspace. For existing workspaces, the slug is locked. If you are starting a new workspace, choose a workspace name that is as short as possible, such as “Docs” instead of “Company Documentation.” The slug will match that short name.

Method 3: Use Notion’s Built-in Public Page Settings

1. Open the page you want to share
   Click the Share button in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enable public sharing
   Toggle “Share to web” to on. Notion generates the public URL with the workspace slug.
3. Copy the URL and edit the page title
   The page title appears in the URL. A shorter title results in a slightly shorter URL. Rename the page to a concise name before sharing.

Common Misconceptions and Edge Cases

I set up a custom domain, but the workspace name still shows

This is expected behavior. The custom domain only replaces notion.site. The workspace slug is a separate part of the path that Notion requires. No configuration change on your end can remove it.

Other tools like Super or Notion Site do not have this limitation

Third-party tools that wrap Notion pages, such as Super, Fruition, or Notion Site, can hide the workspace slug because they act as a proxy. These services fetch Notion content and serve it under a completely custom URL structure. If you need a fully clean URL, consider using one of these services. Note that they add a monthly cost and may have different privacy and caching behaviors.

Enterprise plans do not remove the workspace slug

Some users assume that upgrading to a Business or Enterprise plan removes the workspace name from URLs. Notion does not offer this feature on any plan. The workspace slug is a core part of the URL routing system and cannot be turned off.

Notion Shared Page URL Components: Custom Domain vs Default Domain

Item	Default Notion Site	Custom Domain
Base domain	notion.site	yourdomain.com
Workspace slug	Always present	Always present
Page ID	Random string	Random string
Page title in URL	Optional, set by page name	Optional, set by page name
Ability to hide workspace slug	No	No

This table shows that the workspace slug is a constant across both URL types. The only difference is the domain portion. No configuration changes the presence of the slug.

You now understand why the workspace name remains in your Notion shared page URLs even after setting up a custom domain. The workspace slug is a permanent routing identifier that Notion requires. To present cleaner links to your audience, use a URL shortener or a third-party proxy service. If you are starting a new workspace, choose a short workspace name to keep the slug minimal. Remember that Notion does not provide a setting to remove the workspace slug on any plan.