Where does this link go?
Every short link is a road to a tower. Paste one from URLiG or any other shortener into this URL expander: our scout walks the gates one by one, shows you the tower at the end and points out warning signs. Nothing opens on your device.
Destinations can change after a check. Look at the address and the context before you decide to open it.
How to check a short URL
Paste the link.
Any address that starts with http:// or https://: Bitly, TinyURL, t.co, urlig.com or a tracking link.
Hit Scout it.
Our server requests the link and follows each redirect, up to ten gates.
Read the report.
The full path, the tower at the end and any warning signs. Then decide whether to open it.
What the result shows
Every gate of the redirect chain, in order, with the HTTP status code it answered: 301 or 308 for a permanent redirect, 302 or 307 for a temporary one, 200 when the destination answers normally. The last line is the tower, with a button to copy its address.
- EXAMPLE · GATE 1 · THE SHORT LINKurlig.com/abc123
- GATE 2 · A CLICK TRACKERtracker.example/click?sub=tg
- THE TOWER · FINAL DESTINATIONoffer.example/welcome
What the scout flags
✕ Dragon on the road
The path loops back on itself or runs past ten gates. The last gate does not answer (the scout waits up to 6 seconds per gate). The tower is a bare IP address, or a login is hidden inside the address.
■ Worth a second look
The tower answers with an error, is not on HTTPS or uses an unusual port. The link bounces through four or more redirects. You start on one domain and end on another: usually harmless, that is what a shortener does, but compare the final domain with the one you expected.
How the scout works
Reads headers, not pages.
Our server requests the address, reads the status code and the Location header that names the next gate, and repeats. No page loads in your browser and no scripts run. That is also why redirects made with JavaScript or a meta refresh tag are not followed.
Ten gates, then it stops.
After ten steps the scout turns back and tells you the path ran long.
You stay home.
The destination sees a request from our server, labelled as the URLiG link checker, not from you. The checker does not store the links you check.
Which links can you expand?
The link expander takes any public web address, so you can use it as a TinyURL checker or a Bitly link checker in the same way. It will not request hosts written as private network addresses, such as 192.168.x.x or localhost.
Some links show less than you might hope. A one-time link may be used up by the check itself, and a page behind a login usually redirects to the login form rather than to the content.
Used as a redirect checker, the same report answers what SEO and development work asks of a chain: 301 or 302, a loop or not, how many steps, HTTPS at the end. Paste a full URL instead of a short one to check a site's own redirects, for example after a domain move.
Why affiliate links take several hops
A link in an iGaming post often passes through more than a shortener. Several gates on a link like that are normal. The tower you reach can also differ from what someone in another country, or on another phone, would see.
- THE SHORT LINKPoints to the tracking link.
- THE TRACKERRecords the click, sometimes picks an offer by country or device.
- THE OFFERWhere the visitor lands.
What the scout cannot see
✓ The scout sees
The path: every gate, its status code and the address of the tower.
✕ The scout cannot see
Whether the tower is safe. This is a URL expander, not a malware or phishing scanner. "No dragon spotted" means none of the signs above appeared, nothing more. A destination can also change after you check it.
If the final page asks for a password, a one-time code or card details, or pretends to be someone it is not, do not enter anything. A suspicious urlig.com link? Report it to us. For a link on another shortener, report it to that service as well.
Quick answers.
Is the URL expander free?
Yes, with no account. Very fast repeat checks are slowed down to stop abuse.
Will the site know I checked its link?
It sees a request from URLiG's server, not from your device or your IP address. A tracker may still count the check as a click on that link.
How do I unshorten a URL without clicking it?
Paste it into the field at the top of this page. The redirect chain is followed on our server, so the link never opens in your browser.
Why do some links show several redirects?
Each service in the chain adds a gate: the shortener, a click tracker, sometimes a switch from http to https or to a regional page.
Need a short link instead?
That is the other half of URLiG. Free, no account, every tag kept.