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

# Hidden pages

> Hide pages from your navigation while keeping them accessible.

Hidden pages don't appear in your site's navigation, but anyone who knows the URL can still access them.

<Tip>
  Use hidden pages for content you want users to access or reference as context for AI tools, but don't want listed in the navigation.
</Tip>

For example, if you create a hidden page like `guides/hidden-page.mdx`, visitors can reach it at `docs.yoursite.com/guides/hidden-page`.

<Warning>
  If your content requires strict access control, you must configure [authentication](/deploy/authentication-setup).
</Warning>

To restrict pages to specific user groups, set up [group-based access control](/deploy/authentication-setup#control-access-with-groups).

<Note>
  Some navigation elements like sidebars, dropdowns, and tabs may appear empty or shift layout on hidden pages.
</Note>

## Hide a page

To hide a page, set `hidden: true` in the page's frontmatter or remove it from your `docs.json` navigation.

### Set hidden: true in frontmatter

Add `hidden: true` to a page's frontmatter to remove it from the rendered navigation while still including it in your `docs.json` configuration.

```yaml theme={null}
---
title: "My hidden page"
hidden: true
---
```

<Note>
  Search engines cannot index hidden pages. When you set `hidden: true`, the page is automatically excluded from search engine indexing, sitemaps, and AI context. However, setting `noindex: true` does **not** hide a page from navigation. See [Disable indexing](/optimize/seo#disable-indexing) for more information.
</Note>

### Remove the page from navigation

If you don't include a page in your `docs.json` navigation, you hide it. This method works well for pages that you don't want to appear in navigation at all.

## Hide a group of pages

To hide a group of pages, set the `hidden` property to `true` for the group in your `docs.json` file:

```json theme={null}
"groups": [
  {
    "group": "Getting started",
    "hidden": true,
    "pages": [
      "index",
      "quickstart"
    ]
  },
  {
    "group": "Guides",
    "pages": [
      "guides/hidden-page.mdx",
      "guides/hidden-groups.mdx"
    ]
  }
]
```

In this example, the `Getting started` group is hidden and the `Guides` group is visible.

### Hide a tab

To hide a tab, add the `hidden` property for the tab in your `docs.json` file:

```json theme={null}
"tabs": [
  {
    "tab": "Home",
    "hidden": true,
    "pages": [
      "index",
      "quickstart"
    ]
  }
]
```

## Search, SEO, and AI indexing

By default, hidden pages don't appear in indexing for search engines, documentation site search, or as AI assistant context.

To include hidden pages in search results and assistant context, add the `seo` property to your `docs.json`:

```json theme={null}
"seo": {
  "indexing": "all"
}
```

### Understanding hidden versus noindex

The relationship between `hidden` and `noindex` is one-directional:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text hidden: true → automatically applies noindex theme={null}
  Hidden pages are automatically excluded from search engines, sitemaps, and AI context.
  ```

  ```text noindex: true → does NOT apply hidden theme={null}
  Pages with noindex: true remain visible in navigation. 
  They only affect search engine indexing and AI context.
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Tip>
  To exclude a specific page from search engines while keeping it visible in navigation, add `noindex: true` to its frontmatter. To hide a page from navigation and search engines, use `hidden: true`.
</Tip>