Email-Gated Access: Verify Emails, Allow List and Block List
On a Link access group, require viewers to enter an email, verify it through an emailed sign-in link, and pass an allow list or block list. How to turn each on, import a list from CSV, and when to use Email access instead.
Last updated October 20, 2026
With Link access, Peony makes one link and you send it yourself, so anyone with the URL can try it. Email-gated access is the card that puts a gate in front of that link: viewers enter an email, can be made to verify it, and can be held to a list you control.
It appears in the group's Security control panel only in Link access mode. In Email access mode the card doesn't appear.
Turn It On
- Open the data room, click Permissions, and select the group.
- Make sure the group is on Link access.
- On the Security tab, click the Email-gated access card. The Require email dialog opens with four switches.
- Switch on the ones you need and click Done, then click Save at the bottom right.
A new Link access group starts with the card On: Require viewer info is switched on and the other three are off.
| Toggle | What it does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Require viewer info | Viewer must enter an email before the room loads. This is what captures names when analytics would otherwise show "anonymous". | All plans, including Free |
| Verify email | Peony emails the viewer a sign-in link (a magic link) to prove they own the address. | Business+ |
| Allow list | Only listed emails proceed past the gate. | Business+ |
| Block list | Listed emails are rejected; everyone else proceeds. | Business+ |
Best practice for link-shared rooms: turn on the Allow list so a forwarded link can't be opened by anyone you didn't intend.
Fill the Allow List
Turn on Allow list and open Edit allow list. Type an email or a domain and click Add, or click CSV import to load many at once.
To reject specific people instead, turn on Block list and open Edit block list.
Email Access or Link Access With a Gate?
Email access denies everyone but the list and emails each person an invitation. Link access with an email gate allows everyone except the block list, and you send the URL yourself. For anything sensitive, use Email access. The full comparison is in Email access vs Link access.
Common Questions
How do I add a long list of emails to the allow list?
Use CSV import in the Edit allow list dialog to load many emails or domains at once, or add them one at a time with Add. The allow list is part of Email-gated access, which is available in Link access mode.
What happens if someone forwards my link to a colleague?
In Email access, the colleague is blocked unless you added them. In Link access with the allow or block list configured, the colleague must pass it; if they're not blocked, they proceed and appear in analytics under their own email.