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URL Expander

Paste a short link, such as one from a text message or a QR code, and see the address it opens before you click it. The URL expander follows each redirect on our server and shows the final destination, with every hop on the way.

This check runs on our server. The address you enter is used only for this check and is not stored.
Built and reviewed by · Updated

How to use the URL Expander

  1. Paste the short or tracking link into the box. A link without http:// or https:// is treated as https.
  2. Tick the robot check and press Expand.
  3. Read the Final destination and its host. The table under it lists every hop, so you can see which services the link passed through.

How it works

Our server requests the link and reads the reply. A 301, 302, 303, 307, or 308 reply names the next address in its Location header, so the server requests that address next, and so on until an address answers without a redirect. The last address in the chain is the final destination.

The page itself is never rendered and its scripts do not run. A link that moves you on with JavaScript or a meta refresh, rather than an HTTP redirect, therefore stops at that page.

Examples

  • A short link that points straight at an article: one 301 or 302, then a 200 from the article. The final destination is the article's address.
  • A tracking link in a marketing email: often two or three redirects, one per tracking service, before the store's page.
  • A link that ends on a sign-in or country page: our server has no cookies or account, so the chain ends where a new visitor would land.

Before you open a link you don't trust

Check that the final host belongs to the company you expect and is spelled right. Look-alike domains swap letters or tack on words such as "secure" or "login". A destination on a different domain from the one the message claims is a good reason to leave the link alone.

Expanding a link tells you where it goes. It does not tell you whether the page there is safe.

Limitations

  • Only HTTP redirects are followed. JavaScript and meta refresh redirects end the chain at that page.
  • The result is what our server receives. A shortener can answer your browser differently, for example by country or device.
  • Only http and https on ports 80 and 443, and only public addresses. A hop to a private address is listed but not requested.
  • Up to 10 redirects.

Read the guide

Where does this link go?

Find the real destination of a short or tracking link without opening it: extract the links from a message, expand them, and check the final host.

Frequently asked questions

How do I see where a shortened link goes without clicking it?

Paste it into the URL expander. It follows the redirects on our server and shows the final address, so your browser never opens the link.

Does expanding a link visit the page?

Our server sends a request to each address in the chain and reads the reply. The page is not rendered and its scripts do not run.

Why does the link end on a sign-in or cookie page?

Some sites send visitors without a session to a sign-in or consent page first. Our server has no cookies, so that is where it lands.

Do you store the links I check?

No. The link is used for this check only.

Often used together with URL Expander.

  • Redirect Checker

    Every redirect hop, with status, Location, and time, up to 10 hops.

  • HTTP Check

    HTTP status and response time from each available location, without downloading the page.

  • URL ExtractorInternet Tools

    Pulls every link out of text or HTML source.