# Drafts, published, archived — and visibility states

> Drafts hide everywhere. Published is public. Visibility (public / private / unlisted / password) gates *who* sees a published course independently of status.

Last updated 2026-05-19 · Source: https://prolaud.com/help/course-publish-vs-draft

## Status

- draft — invisible, no indexing, no checkout
- published — public, indexable, checkout enabled
- archived — hidden from new buyers, existing learners keep access

## Visibility (only meaningful when published)

- public — listed in catalog + SEO
- private — hidden from catalog, accessible by direct invite
- unlisted — accessible via direct link, not in catalog or SEO
- password — visitor must enter `accessPassword` to see content

Status and visibility are two separate dials. Status answers 'is this course live at all?'; visibility answers 'who can find it once it is?'. A course must be published before visibility means anything — a draft is invisible no matter what.

## Common combinations

- Public launch — published + public: listed in your catalog and indexable by Google.
- Quiet/beta course — published + unlisted: share the direct link with a few people; it won't appear in your catalog or search.
- Private cohort — published + private: invite-only, hidden from the catalog.
- Members/insiders — published + password: anyone with the shared password gets in.
- Retiring a course — archived: no new buyers, but existing learners keep full access.

## Common questions

- If I archive a course, do students lose access? No — archived hides it from new buyers; current learners keep it.
- Does unlisted stop Google indexing it? Yes — unlisted (and private/draft) are kept out of search and your catalog.
- Can I move back from published to draft? Yes — un-publishing returns it to draft and removes it from public view.