Free tool
URL expander
Where does this link go? Paste a short link and see the address it ends at, and every redirect on the way, before you open it. Free.
- No account
- Every redirect
- Final address first
- Free
Paste the short link you want to expand
You can check 10 links a minute, and 200 a day, from one connection.
We follow every redirect for you
A short link is a redirect. It can pass through several other addresses before it lands, such as a tracking link or a second shortener. We ask each address where it sends you next, up to 10 stops, and we stop if that takes too long. The result lists every stop and puts the last one first.
We only follow the address a site names when it redirects. We do not open the page and we do not run scripts on it. A page that sends you on with a script ends our trail there, so the address we show is where the redirects end, not always where a browser would land.
We will not open an address on a private or local network.
Every address is checked too
Each address in the chain is checked against our blocklist and Google Safe Browsing, and we check that the domain has an address on the internet. If a check does not finish, we say so. A clear result is not a promise that the link is safe. If you were sent a link you do not trust, the link checker leads with that answer.
Paste one of our zip1.io links and we show the destination we stored, unless the link is blocked or has a password. If it points somewhere it should not, report the link.
FAQ
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How do I see where a short link goes without clicking it?
Paste it into the box on this page. We follow it for you, up to 10 stops, and show the address it ends at. Your browser does not open the link.
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Which short links can I expand?
Any ordinary web link that starts with http:// or https://, from any shortener. If a link ends on a shortener that does not say where it goes next, we tell you that instead of guessing.
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Can the address you show be different from where I would land?
Yes. We only follow the address each site names when it redirects. We do not run scripts, so a page that moves you on with a script stops our trail early. Some sites also send our checker somewhere different from where they send a person.
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Does expanding a link tell me it is safe?
No. We also check every address against our blocklist and Google Safe Browsing, and say if a check did not finish. A link that passes can still be a scam. For a link you do not trust, the link checker puts that answer first.
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Does the person who made the link find out?
They might. For a link from another site, our server visits each address in the chain, so whoever runs it may see a visit. A link that works only once may be used up. A zip1.io link is read from our records and not visited, so it does not count as a click.
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Do you save the links I expand?
No. We do not keep a copy of the addresses you paste. You can expand 10 links a minute, and 200 a day, from one connection. That allowance is shared with the link checker.