Bypass Link

The bypass link lets clients and stakeholders preview your site while maintenance mode is active — without needing a WordPress account or admin access.

How It Works

1. The plugin generates a unique bypass key (a random 16-character string) when you first visit the settings page.
2. The bypass URL is displayed on the settings page in the format: https://yoursite.com/?idmm_bypass=RANDOM_KEY
3. When someone visits this URL, a cookie (idmm_bypass) is set in their browser for 7 days.
4. The query parameter is stripped from the URL and the visitor is redirected to the clean homepage.
5. On all subsequent visits within those 7 days, the cookie is checked and the maintenance page is skipped.

Sharing the Link

Click the Copy button next to the bypass URL to copy it to your clipboard. Send it to your client via email, Slack, or any other channel. They only need to click it once — after that, the cookie handles the bypass.

Regenerating the Link

To revoke access from anyone who has the current bypass link:

1. Check the Generate a new bypass link on save checkbox.
2. Click Save Changes.

A new random key is generated, which invalidates all existing bypass cookies. Anyone with the old link will see the maintenance page again until you share the new link.

Important Notes

• The bypass cookie uses the HttpOnly flag and respects your site’s SSL setting for the Secure flag.
• The bypass link works on any page, not just the homepage. However, the cookie is always set for the site-wide cookie path.
• Logged-in administrators always bypass maintenance mode regardless of the cookie — they don’t need the bypass link.
• When maintenance mode is disabled, the bypass cookie has no effect. If you re-enable maintenance mode without regenerating the key, existing cookies still work.