How to Password Protect any Folder in Plesk

This feature is also known as HTTP Authentication. Here’s how to do it:

• Log in to Plesk and select the domain or subdomain on which you wish to add password protection
• Choose “Password Protected Directories”
• Select Add Protected Directory and enter the directory name location. If you want the entire domain or subdomain to be protected (like mydomain.com or staging.mydomain.com), enter a slash: / If you want a subfolder to be protected (like mydomain.com/thisfolder), enter / and then the subfolder’s name like /thisfolder. Make up a title for the protected directory and click OK.
• Once the directory is added, click on the directory. This will allow you to set a user and password to access the directory.
• Click Add New User and enter in the username, secure password, and then confirm the password, and click OK.

That’s it! If you visit the URL that corresponds with that directory, you’ll be prompted to enter a username and password before you can view it.

Note: it may not be immediately obvious but when you click on “Password Protected Directories” the settings you add are in the context of the domain or subdomain. That’s why you don’t have to enter the folder name where your web root is, like httpdocs or sub.domain.com.