Magic links and PIN codes
How the share link works, what a PIN prompt means, and what to do if a link asks for one unexpectedly.
~2 min read
Most galleries are shared as a "magic link" — a single URL the host sends out by message or email, or that's encoded on the QR code at the venue. Tap it and you're straight into the gallery. No app, no account, no PIN to remember.
Some hosts add an extra step by setting a PIN on the gallery for privacy. When that's the case, the gallery URL drops you onto a short PIN prompt before you can see any photos. The host shares the PIN separately — usually with the same group they sent the magic link to. Type the 4–8 digit code, hit continue, and the gallery opens normally.
You can be asked for a PIN even when you have a "magic link" if the magic link the host shared with you actually points at the public URL rather than the private bypass URL. PixVenu hosts have access to both forms. If you've been asked for a PIN you don't have, message the host and ask for either the PIN itself or for them to re-share the bypass link — the bypass form skips the PIN entirely and is the one most hosts share by default.
Once you've entered a PIN successfully, the device you used remembers it for that gallery so you don't have to re-enter on every visit. Clearing your browser data resets that memory, but the magic link still works the same way the next time you tap it.
Still stuck?
Drop us a line and we'll dig in personally — usually within a business day.
