What is a URL expander?
URL Expander is a service using which you can find out the destination of a shortened URL before you click and visit that link. By examining the link before clicking, you will have a better chance of avoiding phishing, malware, and viruses, from entering your network.
How do I reverse a shortened URL?
Use the built-in preview
- TinyURL. Add preview before the tinyurl.com part of the link.
- Goo.gl. Add + (plus sign) at the end of the original URL.
- Bitly.com. Similar to Goo.gl, add a + at the end of the URL.
- is.gd. Add – (hyphen) at the end of the URL.
- Tiny.cc. Add ~ (tilde) at the end of the URL.
- BudURL.
What is this short URL?
A short URL obscures the target address and can be used to redirect to an unexpected site. Examples of this are “rickrolling”, and redirecting to shock sites, or to affiliate websites.
Are link shorteners safe?
The security risk with a shortened URL is you cannot tell where you are going when you click the link, you have to trust the sender. As a result, some organizations teach their employees not to trust shortened URLs, or simply block them at their network gateway.
How do I know if my TinyURL is safe?
If you receive an unsolicited TinyURL link from someone you do not know, you should avoid clicking on it. It is also recommended to ignore TinyURL links that seem too good to be true. For example, “Click here to win a free iPad!” is a long-running scam that sends you to websites designed to steal your identity.
How do I make a hyperlink smaller?
For a Website
- Copy the URL that you want to shorten.
- Go to tinyurl.com.
- Paste the long URL and click the “Make TinyURL!” button.
- The shortened URL will appear. You can now copy and paste it where you need it.
How long do URL shorteners last?
Bitly links never expire. If you use a custom domain to shorten your links they will continue to work as long as your DNS is still pointing at Bitly and the custom domain is attached to a Bitly account. While you can hide links and their analytics from the analytics view, the data will remain in Bitly.
How do URL shorteners work?
URL shorteners work by creating a redirect to your long URL. Entering a URL into your internet browser sends an HTTP request to the web server to pull up a specific website. The long and the short URLs are both simply different starting points for an internet browser to get the same destination.