What does Un-Shorten Protection do?
It follows a short link (such as bit.ly, t.co or tinyurl.com) without opening it in your browser and shows the full address it leads to, including every redirect along the way.
Interactive calculator loads when JavaScript is enabled. All calculations stay on your device.
Usage
- Check a short link from an email or text message before opening it.
- See where a QR code link really points.
- Remove tracking tags before sharing a link with friends.
- Debug your own redirects and spot redirect loops.
- Confirm affiliate or campaign links land on the right page.
- Find the original article behind a social media short link.
Knowledge
A short link is a tiny address that forwards visitors to a longer one using an HTTP redirect. The server answers with a status code and a Location header pointing to the next address.
Common redirect codes
- 301 / 308: moved permanently.
- 302 / 303 / 307: temporary redirect, often used by link shorteners for click tracking.
- Meta refresh: an HTML page that forwards after loading, used by some shorteners.
Staying safe
A link can pass through several services before landing. Check the final domain carefully — look-alike spellings and unexpected domains are common signs of phishing.
FAQs
Why check a short link before clicking?
Short links hide their destination, which makes them popular in phishing and scam messages. Expanding a link first lets you see the real website and decide whether to trust it.
Does expanding a link visit the website?
The dab.tools server requests each address in the chain to read its redirect, but only the response headers and the start of the page are read. Nothing runs in your browser and your IP address is not shared with the site.
What are tracking parameters?
Tags such as utm_source, fbclid or gclid are added to links so marketers can tell where clicks came from. They do not change the page. Use the clean link to share the destination without them.
Why does a link stop before the final page?
Redirects are followed up to 10 hops. Some sites redirect with JavaScript, block automated requests, or require a login, so the last address shown may be a landing or sign-in page.
Which links can be expanded?
Any public http or https link — not just well-known shorteners. Addresses on private or local networks are refused for security.
Are the links I check stored?
No. Links are expanded on request and not logged or saved.