Notion allows you to share pages with individuals outside your workspace by generating a share link or inviting guests. By default, any workspace member can share a page with anyone who has the link, regardless of whether that person has verified their email address. This can lead to security gaps where unverified users gain access to sensitive content. This article explains how to enforce email verification as a requirement for accessing shared pages. You will learn the exact settings to change in your workspace permissions to block unverified users from viewing shared pages.
Key Takeaways: Restricting Page Sharing to Verified Email Users
- Settings & Members > Settings > Workspace > Allow email verification: Enables or disables the requirement for email verification before a user can access shared pages.
- Share menu > Invite with email: When email verification is enforced, only users with verified email addresses can be invited as guests to specific pages.
- Share menu > Copy link: Links still work, but the recipient must verify their email before viewing the page if the setting is enabled.
How Notion Email Verification Works for Shared Pages
Notion uses email verification to confirm that a person accessing a shared page is who they claim to be. When someone clicks a share link or accepts an invitation, Notion checks whether the email address associated with their account has been verified. A verified email means the user has clicked a confirmation link sent to that inbox. If verification is required and the user has not verified their email, they see a prompt to verify before the page content loads.
The setting that controls this behavior is located in the workspace-level permissions. It is turned off by default for most workspaces. When turned on, it applies to all pages shared via link or guest invitation. The setting does not affect pages shared with members of the workspace itself, because those members already have verified emails as part of joining the workspace.
What Counts as a Verified Email
A verified email in Notion is one that the user has confirmed by clicking the verification link sent after sign-up or after changing their email address. Workspace members automatically have verified emails because the workspace invitation process requires verification. Guest users who are invited via email must also verify if the workspace setting is enabled. If a guest uses a social login like Google or Apple, the email provided by that provider is considered verified by default.
When You Would Use This Restriction
You would enable this restriction in workspaces that handle confidential data, client information, or internal documentation that should not be accessible to anonymous or unverified users. For example, a legal firm sharing case notes with external consultants wants to ensure only verified email addresses can view the pages. A startup sharing product roadmaps with beta testers can prevent shared links from being passed to unverified users.
Steps to Enable Email Verification Requirement for Shared Pages
- Open Workspace Settings
Click your workspace name in the top-left sidebar. Select Settings & Members from the dropdown menu. - Navigate to the Workspace Settings Tab
In the left sidebar of the Settings & Members page, click Settings. This opens the general workspace configuration panel. - Find the Email Verification Option
Scroll down to the Sharing section. Look for the toggle labeled Allow email verification. The default state is off. - Enable the Toggle
Click the toggle to turn it on. A confirmation dialog appears asking if you want to require email verification for all shared pages. Click Turn On to confirm. - Test the Setting
Share a page with a new guest using the Share button in the top-right corner of any page. Copy the link and open it in an incognito browser window. Attempt to view the page without verifying the email. You should see a prompt asking you to verify your email address before the page content loads.
If Notion Still Allows Unverified Users After Enabling the Setting
Guests Were Invited Before the Setting Was Enabled
Guests who were already added to your workspace before you turned on email verification are not retroactively checked. They can continue to access pages without verifying. To fix this, remove the existing guest and re-invite them. The new invitation will require email verification.
Share Link Is Set to Anyone With the Link
If the share link permission is set to Anyone with the link instead of People with access, the email verification requirement may not apply. Change the link permission to People with access and then invite specific users. This forces each user to verify their email before viewing.
Workspace Members Are Not Affected
The email verification setting applies only to guests and link-based access. Workspace members already have verified emails by default. If you need to restrict access for workspace members, use page-level permissions instead of the email verification toggle.
Notion Free vs Plus vs Business: Email Verification Limits Compared
| Item | Free | Plus | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email verification toggle available | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of guests allowed | Up to 5 guests | Up to 100 guests | Up to 250 guests |
| Guest groups and permission levels | No | No | Yes |
| Page analytics for shared pages | No | No | Yes |
The email verification setting is available on all paid plans and the Free plan. The main difference is the number of guests you can invite and the granularity of permissions. If you need to manage many external users, a Plus or Business plan is more suitable.
You can now restrict Notion page sharing to members with verified email addresses by enabling the Allow email verification toggle in workspace settings. Test the setting immediately after enabling it to confirm it works as expected. For workspaces with existing guests, remove and re-invite them to enforce the verification requirement. As an advanced tip, combine this setting with page-level permission roles such as Can Edit or Can Comment to control exactly what verified users can do on the page.