Link Unshortener
Paste up to 10 links, one per line. Each is followed through every redirect and you see the steps, the final address and a version with tracking tags removed.
Worked examples
Short link with one redirect
https://example.com/s/abc typed into the box
(Illustrative) Redirect 301 to https://example.com/offers/spring, then final address https://example.com/offers/spring with a status of 200.
Only the redirects are followed, so the destination page itself is not opened or shown.
Short link to a missing page
https://example.com/s/old typed into the box
(Illustrative) Redirect chain ends at a 404 Not Found reply, so the link leads to a missing page.
The result shows where the link leads, but it cannot tell you whether the destination can be trusted.
About Link Unshortener
A link unshortener shows where a short or tracked link leads before you open it. Paste up to ten links, one per line, and each one is followed through every redirect, up to ten steps. For every step you see the status and the host, and at the end you see the final address, how many redirects there were and whether the chain dropped from https to http along the way. It is meant for the everyday cases of links in emails, messages and social posts that you are not sure about.
The tool also recognises well-known link shorteners and click trackers, and it removes common tracking tags such as utm parameters, fbclid, gclid and msclkid to give you a cleaned address that is better to share. If the final address uses unusual characters or mixes alphabets, a lookalike warning is shown, because that is a favourite way to imitate a trusted site. Only the redirects are followed. The final page is never opened or displayed. You see every step, so nothing is hidden between the first address and the last, and you can copy the results.
How to use Link Unshortener
- Paste your links into the box, one per line.
- Select Follow links.
- Check the final address and the steps taken to reach it.
- Look for warnings about http, trackers or unusual characters.
- Copy the cleaned address if you want to share the link without tracking tags.
Common uses
- Checking a link in an email or message before clicking
- Cleaning tracking tags from links you share
- Reviewing the redirects behind a marketing campaign
- Spotting links that drop from https to http
- Looking at where a shortened link in a social post really points
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool open the page at the end of the link?
No. It follows the redirects only. At the last address it reads the response status and does not load or display the page. That means you can see where a link ends without visiting the page yourself, although the site may log that a request was made.
Does this tell me if a link is safe?
No. It shows where a link goes and flags warning signs such as http, long chains and lookalike characters. It does not judge the content of the destination. If a link looks suspicious, do not open it, and report it to the sender or the service it claims to come from.
Which tracking tags are removed?
Tags that only measure clicks are removed from the cleaned address. These include anything starting with utm_, plus fbclid, gclid, msclkid, mc_eid, yclid, twclid, ttclid and several more. Other parts of the address are left exactly as they were, so the cleaned link should still work.
Why did a link stop before reaching a page?
Chains stop when an address cannot be reached, when a redirect loops, when it points to an app rather than a web page, or when it passes the limit of ten steps. The reason is shown under the link, along with every step that was followed up to that point.
What is a lookalike warning?
Web addresses can contain letters from other alphabets that look the same as English letters, for example a Cyrillic a in place of a Latin a. Attackers use this to imitate known names. The warning appears when a host name is written that way, so you can check it carefully.
Why are links with long web addresses refused?
Each link can be up to 2,048 characters and the whole list up to 5,000. Addresses to internal networks, unusual ports and links containing a user name or password are refused, because only public web addresses on the standard ports can be followed.