Short URL Expander

About Short URL Expander

What is the URL Expander Tool?

The Short URL Expander is a free URL expander, link expander, and URL unshortener. Paste a short link and T.LY follows the redirects for you, then shows the final destination before you click. It works for T.LY, Bitly, TinyURL, t.co, goo.gl, branded short domains, affiliate links, and tracking links.

Use it when you need to unshorten a URL, check where a masked link goes, or trace URL redirects without opening the destination in your own browser.

• The expanded URL and the full redirect chain with HTTP status codes
• Page title and meta description of the destination
• A live screenshot of the final page
• DNS records and WhoIs information
• SSL certificate details for security validation
• An automated risk signal when available, plus links to trusted services for extra checks

How It Works

1. Paste a shortened URL (e.g., T.LY, bit.ly, t.co, or goo.gl) into the input box.
2. Click "Expand URL" to unshorten the link and trace all redirects, including hidden meta refresh redirects.
3. Review the expanded URL, redirect chain, security checks, and site details before visiting.

Unshorten a URL Before You Click

Short links are useful, but they hide the real destination. A URL like bit.ly/..., t.co/..., or t.ly/... might lead to a normal page, a tracking hop, an affiliate redirect, a login page, or something you do not want to open. This link unshortener gives you the final URL first, so you can decide what to do next.

If you are reviewing several links, use the Bulk URL Expander. If you already know the full URL and only care about safety, use the Link Checker.

Key Features

• Trace Link Redirects: Follow every redirect in the chain — HTTP 301/302 hops and meta refresh redirects — and see the full path.
• Check Short URLs for Safety: Identify the true destination of short links and look for phishing, malware, and scam signals before you open them.
• Works With Every Shortener: Expand links from bit.ly, T.LY, goo.gl, TinyURL, t.co, ow.ly, is.gd, buff.ly, cutt.ly, rb.gy, lnkd.in, amzn.to, youtu.be, and any branded short domain.
• Useful context: View DNS, SSL, WhoIs, meta information, and safety signals for the final link.
• Bulk Support: Need to expand multiple short URLs at once? Unshorten up to 20 links in one batch.

URL Expander, Link Unshortener, or Redirect Checker?

Different names, same job: a URL expander, link expander, short link expander, link unshortener, and redirect tracer all reveal where a shortened link really goes. This tool combines them: it expands the short URL, unshortens every hop in the path, and doubles as a redirect checker and link safety checker in one place.

When to Expand a Short URL

• Before clicking unknown links from email, SMS, or social media — see where the link goes first.
• Security research: Investigate suspicious or phishing links without ever loading them.
• SEO and affiliate audits: Trace redirect chains, spot broken hops, and confirm final landing pages.
• Social media: Unshorten t.co, buff.ly, and lnkd.in wrappers to see the real article or site.

If you do this a lot, install the Link Unshortener Chrome extension so you can expand short links right from your browser. If you often inspect links on your iPhone or iPad, download BeforeTap from the App Store for the same workflow in a native iOS app.

Whether you want to trace URL redirects for SEO research, check suspicious links for security, or just see where a short URL leads, this tool gives you the redirect path and destination without the guesswork.

FAQ