# Free previews & locked lessons — what buyers see

> Mark a lesson as a free preview to use it as a sample, or lock a lesson so only enrolled students reach it. Here's exactly how each toggle behaves on a paid course.

Last updated 2026-05-31 · Source: https://prolaud.com/help/course-previews-locks

On a paid course, lessons are locked by default — a visitor can see the lesson titles but can't open them until they buy. Two per-lesson toggles let you change that, lesson by lesson, in the Curriculum tab.

*Same course, two viewers. A preview lesson is open to everyone; the rest unlock on enrollment.*

## Free preview

Turn on 'free preview' for a lesson and it opens for everyone — even visitors who haven't paid. It's your sample, like a free demo class. A preview overrides the paid lock, so use it on a lesson you're happy to give away to win the sale.

## Locked lessons

On a paid course, lessons are gated by default — students reach them only after enrolling. You can also explicitly lock a lesson regardless of pricing, which is useful if you want to keep one lesson gated even on an otherwise-free course.

> **Note:** On a free course, everything is already open — previews only matter once a price is involved. Set a price first, then choose which one or two lessons to open as previews.

## Related

- [“If I add a free preview, am I giving my course away?”](https://prolaud.com/help/course-faq-free-preview)
- [Course pricing](https://prolaud.com/help/course-pricing)
- [Drafts, published, archived + visibility](https://prolaud.com/help/course-publish-vs-draft)