Why not do this in the URL cleaner?

The cleaner promises not to open links. Expanding a short link requires a request to the shortener. This page is separate and only does that when you press Expand.

Who does the shortener see?

ConfigKit's server. Your browser does not contact bit.ly or t.co. The shortener can still count the request and may see this site's IP address.

Are the links stored?

No. They are followed, the destination is returned to your browser, and they are not written to a database, log line, or analytics event.

Which shorteners are followed?

A fixed list that includes bit.ly, t.co, tinyurl.com, is.gd, ow.ly, amzn.to, a.co, lnkd.in, spoti.fi, ouo.io, and similar hosts. The first hop has to be on that list. Later hops can be any public http or https address. A listed host is still skipped when it does not send an HTTP redirect.

Does it strip tracking too?

Yes, after the destination is known, using the same parameter list as the URL cleaner.

URL unshortener

Paste short links. Press Expand to follow them on this site's server. The destination is then cleaned the same way as the URL cleaner.

Pressing Expand sends only the short links to this site's server so it can follow redirects. The shortener sees a request from ConfigKit, not from your browser. Links are not stored. Analytics records only that the tool was used.

Ctrl+Enter or ⌘+Enter sends the short links to this site's server.

Short links or text

Expanded text

Waiting for input.

Short links are sent to this site's server when you press Expand. They are not stored. Other tools keep parsing in this browser.

How to use this tool

Paste one short link, a list, or a message that contains them. Sample loads three listed shorteners.
Read the Links list. Short links stay unopened until you press Expand.
Press Expand. This site follows the redirect, replaces the short link with the destination, and removes tracking parameters from that destination.

Supported formats and limitations

Only hosts on a fixed list are followed, including bit.ly, t.co, tinyurl.com, amzn.to, and similar shorteners. A normal https://example.com link is not fetched.
Expand posts the short links to this site. Surrounding text stays in the browser. Up to 8 unique short links are followed per request.
Only listed shorteners are contacted. The destination is taken from the Location header and is not fetched. If a shortener shows a Cloudflare challenge, a countdown, ads, or a meta refresh instead of an HTTP redirect, the link is left unchanged. ouo.io is in that group.
Private addresses, non-default ports, and credentials in the URL are rejected. Redirect chains stop after 5 hops.
The shortener still counts a hit. It is attributed to this site, not to your browser.
Tracking on the destination is removed the same way as on the URL cleaner. Affiliate tags are kept.

Examples

A Bitly link

bit.ly is followed on the server. The destination replaces the short link, and utm_source is then removed.

https://bit.ly/3xYz

A link that is not a shortener

example.com is not fetched. Use the URL cleaner to strip tracking from a full address.

https://example.com/blog?utm_source=news

Common errors and solutions

No known short links: This tool only follows listed shorteners. Add http:// or https:// and use a host such as bit.ly, t.co, or amzn.to. Use the URL cleaner for a full address.
The shortener did not send a redirect: The host responded without a Location header. It may show a warning page. Open the short link yourself and paste the destination into the URL cleaner.
The shortener showed a challenge page instead of a redirect: Hosts such as ouo.io sit behind Cloudflare or an ad countdown. This tool only reads HTTP redirects and will not solve a challenge. Open the link in your browser and paste the destination into the URL cleaner.
That address is not allowed: The redirect pointed at a private or blocked address, so it was not followed.
Too many requests: Wait a minute. The server limits how often one address can call Expand.

FAQ

Why not do this in the URL cleaner?: The cleaner promises not to open links. Expanding a short link requires a request to the shortener. This page is separate and only does that when you press Expand.
Who does the shortener see?: ConfigKit's server. Your browser does not contact bit.ly or t.co. The shortener can still count the request and may see this site's IP address.
Are the links stored?: No. They are followed, the destination is returned to your browser, and they are not written to a database, log line, or analytics event.
Which shorteners are followed?: A fixed list that includes bit.ly, t.co, tinyurl.com, is.gd, ow.ly, amzn.to, a.co, lnkd.in, spoti.fi, ouo.io, and similar hosts. The first hop has to be on that list. Later hops can be any public http or https address. A listed host is still skipped when it does not send an HTTP redirect.
Does it strip tracking too?: Yes, after the destination is known, using the same parameter list as the URL cleaner.

Related tools

URL tracker remover
Remove tracking parameters such as utm_source, fbclid, and gclid from links in the browser. Google, Facebook, and Outlook redirect links are replaced by their destination, and the rest of each link is kept as written.
Query-string editor
Decode a URL query into JSON you can edit, then paste the JSON back to rebuild the URL. Duplicate names stay duplicate, + and percent-encoding are decoded, and invalid encoding is rejected.