Heads up! This blog post hasn't been updated in over 2 years. CodePen is an ever changing place, so if this post references features, you're probably better off checking the docs. Get in touch with support if you have further questions.

We just launched a new PRO feature, private Collections!

Private Collections are just like regular Collections in that they are groups of Pens that are made to be easy to browse and share. They can be your Pens in the Collection, or anyone else’s.

You can start a Private Collection by sliding the toggle switch to Private on the “Create New Collection” screen.

Private Collections are hidden on CodePen

You can see them in your profile, but nobody else can.

We also try our best to tell search engines not to index them. If a link to your Private Collection makes it way onto the internet (because you shared it), it may get indexed. Unfortunately we can’t 100% protect against that.

They have an unguessable URL, but you can still share them

Just like Private Pens. Nobody needs to log in or have a password or anything to see your Private Collection, you just need to give them the URL.

How Private Pens in Private Collections work

  1. You can put a Private Pen in any Collection.
  2. Private Pens do not show up for anyone except you in a Public Collection.
  3. Private Pens do show up (for anyone) in a Private Collection.

That last one might sound counter-intuitive, but it’s actually a feature! The purpose is for you to be able to share a group of Pens (even Private Pens) with someone. For example, a group of interface components you are still working on for an upcoming secret project. Speaking of which…

Ideas on why you might want to use Private Collections

  • You’re gathering some Pens to show a client all together.
  • You’re collecting ideas for a new project that you don’t want anyone to know about (yet!)
  • You want to share a group of Pens publicly, but you don’t want that Collection showing up when people browse your Profile.
  • You’re working on a blog post and are gathering Pens together for it. It’s really only useful just for you to keep organized.

Those are just a few. We’re sure you have lots of ideas on why you might want to keep a Collection private. Feel free to share them in the comments.

There are a number of places you can create a new Private Collection

From the dropdown in the Editor, from a button on your Profile, from the dropdown when browsing Pens in the grid…

No matter where you do it, you’ll have the opportunity to make it Private. Check out the docs on Collections for more info on how Collections generally work.

You can make an existing Collection Private if you wish

You can make a public Collection private. Click “Edit Collection”, then slide the toggle switch to Private. The URL for your collection will change when you switch it to Private, so be aware that any links to the collection’s former public URL will 404.

Your Private collections have their own separate section in your Collections tab.

You can tell a Collection is private because it has a lock icon

The lock icon is there remind you that your secret stuff is under wraps!

You can mix public and private Pens together in a Private collection. Private Pens show a lock icon.

Go Jake

This new feature is brought to you by our newest team member, Jake Albaugh. You can hear more about Jake’s first month on Team CodePen in the latest episode of CodePen Radio.