When Guests Can't Open Your Invitation
If someone tells you the link won't open, here's how to identify the cause in order and fix it right away.
Did a guest tell you the link won't open? It's almost always one of five causes, and the message on their screen tells you which one straight away.
Fastest way to check: ask the guest for a screenshot, or open the link yourself in a private (incognito) window. You need to be logged out to see what your guests see.
Find the cause from what they saw
| What the guest saw | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "The retention period has ended" | Retention period expired | Pay or extend (1 below) |
| "View limit reached" | Views used up | Add views (2 below) |
| A password prompt | The invitation is password-protected | Share the password (3 below) |
| "Page not found" | Not published, or a bad address | Publish / check the link (4 below) |
| A notice that access is restricted | Restricted under our policies | Contact support (5 below) |
1. The retention period has ended
Every invitation has a retention period, and guests can't open it once that period is over.
- The clock starts the day you first publish it, not the day you created it
- Publishing again does not push the expiry date back
How to fix it
- On the free plan → going premium extends the period
- Already premium → extend storage or go permanent
- It reopens immediately after payment. There's no need to resend the link
Once the grace period passes as well, the invitation and its response data are deleted automatically and cannot be recovered. If expiry is close, download your RSVP responses and guestbook to Excel first.
2. The view limit is used up
When the view count reaches its limit, guests see a notice page instead.
- The invitation and every response you've received are kept intact. Only guest access is blocked
- The same guest opening it repeatedly counts only once per 24 hours
How to fix it — buy additional views and it reopens immediately.
If the views ran down faster than you expected, the link was probably shared in a group chat and opened by many people, or one person checked it across several days. See How views are counted for the exact rule.
3. A password prompt appears
This means you set a password on the invitation. It isn't an error.
- Send the password to your guests along with the link
- To remove it, clear the password in the Settings tab of the editor
Setting a password automatically turns search visibility off. The two can't be used together.
4. "Page not found" appears
There are two possibilities here.
You haven't published it yet
This is the most common cause — the invitation was edited but the publish button was never pressed.
- In Dashboard > Collections, check that the status reads "Published"
- If it says "Draft", publish it from Share Setup
Publishing requires the share card image, title, and description plus a public URL. If the button won't respond, the missing items are listed just above it.
The address didn't arrive intact
- Often only part of the link gets copied when it's passed along
- Copy the link again from your dashboard and resend it
- You'll also see this screen if the invitation has been unpublished
Even if you changed your share address, the links you sent earlier still work. That isn't the cause. The QR code, however, contains the address it was created with — download it again if you changed the address.
5. A notice that access is restricted
Access to the invitation has been restricted under our operating policies. This is rare.
- You can't lift this yourself as the owner
- Get in touch through Support and we'll look into it
This is different from an invitation not appearing in the Discover list. Listing follows separate criteria, and a link you shared still opens even when the invitation isn't listed.
Still not working?
If you can't tell which cause applies, run through these.
- Have you tried a private window? (Logged in, you may be seeing an owner-only screen)
- Have you copied the link again from your dashboard and opened that?
- Does the "View public page" button work?
- Does the same thing happen on another device or network?
Need help?
If your event is close and this isn't resolved, contact us through Support. Include your invitation address so we can check it faster.