> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Public Access

> How to let guests, signed-out visitors and new users access your Overleaf instance?

You can open your Overleaf instance to people without an account in three ways:

* [#project-access](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication/public-access.md#project-access "mention"): let guests open a shared project link without logging in
* [#page-access](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication/public-access.md#page-access "mention"): let signed-out visitors browse pages such as `/learn`, `/templates` and `/devs`
* [#public-registration](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication/public-access.md#public-registration "mention"): let users sign up themselves, optionally with an activation email and limited to email domains

### Project Access

> [!NOTE]
>
> By default, even if a user obtains a project sharing link, they must **log in** before they can join a collaborative project editing session.

To allow anonymous access for link-shared projects, set both variables below:

```dotenv title="config/variables.env" theme={null}
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_ANONYMOUS_READ_AND_WRITE_SHARING=true
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS=true
```

`OVERLEAF_ALLOW_ANONYMOUS_READ_AND_WRITE_SHARING` enables anonymous read/write on link-shared projects.

`OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS` prevents non-authenticated users being redirected to the login page.

For read-only access only, set `OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS=true` alone: guests can then open view links (`/read/...`) without logging in, while edit links still ask them to log in.

Recreate containers with `bin/up`. Then open a link-sharing URL in a private window.

### Page Access

By default (`OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS` not set), **every** page except the login and registration pages redirects signed-out visitors to the login page. This includes pages that are meant to be public, so links to them only work for users who are already logged in.

With `OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS=true`, signed-out visitors can open:

| Page | Requires |
| - | - |
| LaTeX help at `/learn` (see [adding-latex-user-help.md](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/adding-latex-user-help.md "mention")) | `OVERLEAF_PROXY_LEARN=true` |
| The template gallery at `/templates`, template pages, previews and ZIP downloads (see [templates.md](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/templates.md "mention")) | `OVERLEAF_TEMPLATE_GALLERY=true` |
| The Overleaf Import API page at `/devs` (see [overleaf-import-api.md](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/integrations/overleaf-import-api.md "mention")) | — |

It also lets the [#signed-out-visitors](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/integrations/overleaf-import-api.md#signed-out-visitors "mention") keep a form submission from a signed-out visitor until they have logged in.

The project list, the editor and creating projects (also from a template or through the Import API) still require a login.

### Public Registration

Public registration is only available in [ayaka-notes/ayakaleaf-pro](https://github.com/ayaka-notes/ayakaleaf-pro).

> [!CAUTION]
>
> Please note that once you enable public registration, **anyone** with access to your Overleaf instance can register as a user.
>
> With `true`, the registration process does not verify email addresses, so please only use it on an intranet or in a trusted environment, or use [registration with an activation email](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication/public-access.md#registration-with-activation-email) instead.
>
> On an instance with OIDC, do not use `true`: anyone could sign up with a colleague's email before the colleague's first OIDC login, which would link the colleague to that account. Use [registration with an activation email](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication/public-access.md#registration-with-activation-email) or no public registration, see [Accounts and passwords](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/authentication#accounts-and-passwords).

By default, neither the Community Edition nor Overleaf Pro allows public registration.

To enable it, add this to `config/variables.env`:

```dotenv title="config/variables.env" theme={null}
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_REGISTRATION=true
```

Recreate containers with `bin/up`.

Then click **Sign up** or visit `/register`.

![](https://mintcdn.com/ayakaleaf-pro/lO_zpnrk4Y4SPJX1/images/on-premises/image-21.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=lO_zpnrk4Y4SPJX1\&q=85\&s=df328bd4564f52213248b497c66b4a5c)

### Registration With Activation Email

Registration with an activation email is only available in [ayaka-notes/ayakaleaf-pro](https://github.com/ayaka-notes/ayakaleaf-pro). Users sign up with their email alone and set their password through the link in the activation email, so only the owner of an address can use the account. A list of domains and wildcards needs v6.4.0 or later; earlier versions take one domain only, like `@example.com`.

Before enabling this, configure email delivery, otherwise users never get the activation email. See [Email delivery](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/configuration/overleaf-toolkit/email-delivery.md).

Then add the following line to `config/variables.env`:

```dotenv title="config/variables.env" wrap theme={null}
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_REGISTRATION=@example.com,@*.example.org
```

`OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_REGISTRATION` can be set to:

| Value | Who can sign up | Email verified |
| - | - | :-: |
| `true` | Anyone, with email and password | No |
| `@example.com` | Addresses of `example.com` | Yes |
| `@*.example.org` | Addresses of subdomains such as `cs.example.org`, not `example.org` itself | Yes |
| `@example.com,@*.example.org` | Any of the listed entries, separated by commas | Yes |
| `@*` | Anyone | Yes |

Domains are matched case-insensitively. To allow a domain and its subdomains, list both: `@example.org,@*.example.org`.

### Q\&A

> [accordion] What can a signed-out editor do with comments?
>
> **Answer:** A signed-out user who opens a project through its edit link gets the same access as an editor, except for actions that record who did them:
>
> | Action | Signed-out editor |
> | - | -: |
> | Edit the text, view comments and tracked changes | Yes |
> | Accept tracked changes, switch the editing mode | Yes |
> | Delete a comment or a whole thread | Yes |
> | Add, reply to or edit a comment | No |
> | Resolve or reopen a comment | No |
>
> The review panel still shows the **Resolve** button to them, but resolving fails with an error message.
>
> Users who open a project through its view link see no comments at all, see [Roles and permissions](https://ayakaleaf-pro.mintlify.site/on-premises/user-and-project-management/roles-and-permissions.md#collaborating).

> [accordion] Can I add users and invite collaborators without email, or with an invitation code?
>
> **Answer:** There are no invitation codes, but users can be added without email. In **Admin → Manage Users**, click **Create account**. Then open the user's **Info**: it shows the activation link, valid for one week, which you can copy and send to the user yourself. To share a project, invite users who already have an account: the invitation also appears on their project list, so they can accept it without the email. People without an account only get the invitation by email, so create their account first.


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