URL Analyzer
Analyze URLs and detect shortened links. Stay safe from suspicious URLs.
Common URL Shorteners
💡 This tool analyzes URLs and detects common URL shorteners. Due to browser security restrictions, we cannot directly expand shortened URLs, but we can help you identify them.
Paste any URL to analyze it. Detects common URL shorteners like bit.ly, tinyurl, t.co and warns about potential risks. Displays domain and URL structure information.
Short URLs from services like bit.ly, tinyurl.com, t.co, ow.ly, and about 20 other well-known shorteners hide the actual destination behind a redirect. This creates a security concern: clicking a short link before knowing where it leads can take you to phishing pages, malware downloads, or sites you would not otherwise visit. The safe habit is to identify whether a link is shortened before following it.
This tool accepts any URL and checks whether its domain matches a list of known URL shortener patterns. If a match is found, the URL is flagged as a shortened link and the tool displays the shortener domain, safety tips for handling unknown short links, and a warning to use a URL preview service before clicking. For standard (non-shortened) URLs the tool confirms the link is a direct URL and displays the extracted domain.
Because browser security restrictions (CORS policy) prevent client-side code from following cross-origin redirects, this tool does not expand the short link to reveal its final destination. It identifies shortened URLs reliably and surfaces the domain and structure information available from parsing the URL itself. For full expansion, dedicated browser extensions or server-side checkers are needed.
- 1
Paste the URL
Type or paste any URL into the input field. The tool prepends https:// automatically if no protocol is present.
- 2
Click Analyze
The tool parses the URL, extracts the domain, and checks it against a list of 20 known shortener patterns. Results appear immediately.
- 3
Review the result
A green badge confirms a standard URL. A yellow badge flags a shortened URL with the shortener domain and a set of safety recommendations.
Checking suspicious links before clicking
Paste a short link from an email or message to confirm whether it is a known shortener before opening it on a shared device.
Content moderation screening
Quickly flag shortened URLs in user-submitted content where destinations are unknown and may need manual review.
Identifying redirect chains in analytics
Determine whether a tracking link in a campaign is a known short domain or a direct URL for attribution debugging.
Why can't this tool expand the short link?
Browsers enforce CORS (cross-origin resource sharing) rules that block client-side code from following redirects across domains. Expanding a short URL requires either a server proxy or a browser extension that can observe redirect chains.
How does it know a URL is shortened?
The tool checks the hostname against a hardcoded list of 20 known shortener domains including bit.ly, tinyurl.com, t.co, ow.ly, cutt.ly, and others. Custom-branded short domains not on the list are not detected.
Is the URL I paste sent to any server?
No. URL parsing and shortener detection run entirely in your browser. The URL you enter is never transmitted or logged.
What should I do with a flagged short link?
Use a browser extension like Link Peeker or an online service that follows redirects server-side to see the final destination before clicking. Avoid entering credentials on any unfamiliar site.
Can I add my own shortener patterns?
Not in the current version. The list covers the 20 most common shortener domains. Custom or branded short domains require manual checking.