Free URL Shortener
Turn a long address into a short URL in one click. No signup, no ads, no limits on the free plan.
Three simple steps
How the URL shortener works
Paste your link
Any address, any length. Nothing to install.
example.com/media/menu.pdfAdd what you need
Custom ending, password, expiry date, click limits. All optional.
/menu· passwordShare and watch
Copy the short link or its QR code. Clicks, countries and devices land in your dashboard from the first visit.
/menu· 1,284 clicks
Included from the start
What the URL shortener does
Unlimited links on the free plan. Everything below is free to set when you create a link, only editing a link after you have shared it is on Pro.
Create your short URL
5 featuresNo signup form
Paste a long address and get your short URL back in a second. We open the account for you in the background, there is nothing to fill in.
Signed in, without a password
Your first link opens an account and keeps this browser signed in, so everything you shorten later lands in the same dashboard. A token comes with it, for when you want that dashboard on another device.
How token sign-in worksCustom alias
Instead of a random code, choose the ending yourself, /spring-sale instead of /VbBVR1. People read it before they click it.
QR code
Shorten a link and its QR code is right there in the result. Download it for a flyer, a menu or a package, same link, same analytics.
API
One request returns the short URL. No library to install, works from any language.
Read the API docs
Control who gets through
5 featuresPassword protection
Visitors type a password before the link opens. Good for sharing something with a specific group.
Geo targeting
Allow or block by country with ISO codes. Either only the countries you list get through, or everyone except the ones you block.
Device targeting
Let the link open on desktop, mobile or tablet only. Useful when the destination is an app or a mobile-only page.
Click limit
The link stops working once it has been opened a set number of times. Good for limited offers and one-time invites.
Expiration date
Pick a date and time. After that the link stops redirecting and shows an expiry notice instead.
Before the redirect
6 featuresWait timer
Hold visitors on an intermediate page for a few seconds. Useful for an announcement, a rule they should read, or a sponsor.
Custom preview page
Set your own title and description on the page shown before the redirect, so people know where they are heading.
Custom CSS
Style that preview page yourself. Match your own colours instead of the default look.
Instant redirect
Or skip the preview entirely and send visitors straight through. One toggle.
Visitors vote on the destination
On links that show the preview page, people see where they are heading and how others rated it. Anyone can mark a destination safe or unsafe, which is how bad links get caught early.
Edit a link after you shared itPro
Change the destination, the alias, the password or the expiry on a link that is already out there, the short URL stays the same. Title and description are editable on the free plan.
Measure what happens
3 featuresClick analytics
Total clicks, countries and device types for every link. The numbers stay in your dashboard, not with an ad company.
UTM parameters
Fill in source, medium, campaign, term and content. We append them to the destination so Google Analytics attributes the traffic correctly.
Google Tag Manager
Drop in your GTM container ID and it fires before the redirect, so clicks arrive as events in your existing setup.
example.com/media/menu.pdf /menu password RO, DE 100 clicks preview page 1,284 clicks
Built for real traffic
What people use short URLs for
| Job | What it does | Settings it uses |
|---|---|---|
| Printed QR codes | A flyer, a menu, a label on a package. The code is printed and cannot be changed, but the destination behind it can, so a dead link is an edit, not a reprint. | UsesQR code custom alias edit any field (Pro) click analytics |
| Limited offers | First hundred people through the door, or a link that dies when the sale ends. Set the count and the date when you create it. | Usesclick limit expiration date custom alias |
| Regional campaigns | A price list meant for one market, or a page you are licensed to show in some countries and not others. Allow or block by country code. | Usesgeo targeting UTM parameters click analytics |
| App download links | One short URL in your bio that sends phones to the app and desktops to the web version, with no landing page in between. | Usesdevice targeting QR code custom alias |
| Private sharing | A document for a specific group, not for whoever the link gets forwarded to. Password on the front, expiry date on the back. | Usespassword protection expiration date click limit |
| Sponsored announcements | A message, a rule or a sponsor shown for a few seconds before the visitor continues, styled to look like your own page. | Useswait timer custom preview page custom CSS |
| Google Ads tracking | Your container fires on the click, even when the destination is a page you do not own, a marketplace listing, an app store, a partner site. The event still reaches Google Ads. | UsesGoogle Tag Manager UTM parameters click analytics |
One link, every channel
Your short URLs work everywhere you paste them
Facebook Instagram Twitter/X LinkedIn YouTube TikTok WhatsApp Discord Telegram Google Sheets HubSpot Zapier Amazon Shopify
Every link from this URL shortener behaves the same, whether it goes in a social post or on a printed flyer.
Before you click
See where a link goes before you go there
Short links hide their destination, and that is the whole problem with them. A URL shortener should tell you where you are going, so ours does: the preview page shows the domain, whether the connection is secure, when the link was created and how other visitors rated it. Anyone can flag a destination as unsafe, and a person reviews the ones that get flagged.
example.com
No strings
What you don't get here
No ads on the redirect page. No interstitial you have to click through. No signup form, no password, and no email address unless you want one, we don't hold an identity for you. Your click data stays in your dashboard, and we don't sell it or share it with an ad network.
Geo targeting, device targeting, click limits and custom styling are on the free plan here. On most URL shorteners they sit behind a paid tier, or don't exist at all.
See what Pro addsQuestions, answered
Free URL shortener FAQ
Getting started
A URL shortener, also called a link shortener, converts a long web address into a short one. When someone clicks it, they are sent to the original destination. The result is a handful of characters and redirects instantly.
You paste the long address, our URL shortener stores it and generates a unique code, then serves a 301 redirect. Anyone who clicks is sent straight to your destination, and the whole thing takes under a second.
It fits inside character-limited posts, looks cleaner in printed materials and emails, and is easier to dictate or remember. A URL shortener also tells you what a plain link cannot: how many people clicked, and where they came from.
Yes, and there is no signup form to fill in. Links are created instantly, and your first one opens an account for you so you can manage everything from the dashboard.
Most of the time you do not have to. Your first link opens an account and this browser stays signed in, so everything you shorten later keeps landing in the same dashboard. To reach that dashboard on another device, or after clearing your browser data, paste your access token into the Sign in with a token page.
You will rarely need it, this browser stays signed in on its own. It matters the day you clear your browser data or move to a new device. Add an email address to your account and you can request a new token whenever you need one. Without an email on file we have no way to confirm the account is yours, so it is worth adding one early.
Features
Yes. You can type any slug you want, for example /summer-sale, so your short URL stays on brand. If the alias is already taken, you will be prompted to pick another.
It holds the visitor on an intermediate page for a set number of seconds before the redirect fires. It is useful for showing an announcement, getting confirmation of terms, or simply slowing down automated crawlers.
When you turn it on, anyone who clicks the link sees a password prompt first. They will not reach your destination URL until they enter the correct password.
Yes. You can set a custom title and description for the page shown before the redirect. Useful when you want to give visitors context about where they are heading.
When creating a short link, open the settings and pick a date and time. After that moment, the short URL stops redirecting and shows an expiration notice to anyone who tries to visit it.
Analytics & tracking
Yes. Every link gets its own analytics page showing total clicks, the countries requests came from and the device types. Data appears from the moment the first click lands.
Yes. Enter your GTM container ID in the link settings and it fires your GTM container before the redirect. This lets you track clicks as conversion events inside your existing GTM setup. Your container is yours to manage: if the tags you load need consent in the visitor's country, collecting that consent is your responsibility.
Security & reliability
By default, links from this URL shortener stay active indefinitely. If you want a link to stop working after a specific date, you can set an expiration date when you create the link.
Every link is served over HTTPS and uses a 301 redirect. You can add a password so only the people you choose can open it, and set an expiry date so it stops resolving on its own.
Visitors do. The preview page shows the destination domain, whether the connection is secure, when the link was created and how many people have marked it safe or unsafe. Each visitor gets one vote, and we use those votes to find links worth looking at. A person reviews a flagged link before anything happens to it.