t.co Link Expander
Paste a t.co link — or any text or embed code that contains them — and see where every link really goes. No clicking and no sign-in.
Only t.co links are picked out, so the rest of the text can stay.
Why every link on X is a t.co link
X rewrites every link in a post, a profile or a direct message into a t.co address. Even a short, perfectly readable link is wrapped. What you see in the post is usually a trimmed version of the original address, but the link you actually click is the t.co one. X uses it to screen links against lists of known harmful sites and to count clicks.
That is why copying a link from X gives you https://t.co/ followed by ten characters, and why you cannot tell from it where it leads.
How to copy a t.co link without opening it
- On a computer: right-click the link in the post and choose Copy link address.
- On a phone: press and hold the link, then choose Copy link. The share menu copies the post's own address, not the links inside it.
- All links in a post at once: on the web, open the post's ··· menu and choose Embed post. The embed code contains every
t.colink in the post; paste all of it here. Copying the post's visible text does not work, because X shows shortened display addresses there, not thet.colinks.
What t.co does when you click
We traced real t.co links as different visitors. t.co does not answer everyone the same way:
| Visitor | t.co answers with | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome, Safari, other browsers | 200 and a small page with a meta refresh | The browser loads that page, which sends it on to the destination at once |
| Googlebot and other crawlers | 301 redirect | Straight to the destination |
A simple link checker that only reads server redirects stops at the 200 and reports the t.co page itself as the destination. This expander reads the meta refresh and keeps going, so the first step is labelled Meta refresh and the steps after it show the rest of the journey. Switch Check as to Googlebot on the redirect checker to see the 301 version.
Older links often go through more than one hop after t.co: a link to twitter.com is sent on to x.com, and media links end on the post's photo or video page.
Links that are not what they seem
The text of a post can show one address while the link goes somewhere else, and replies are full of spam that relies on nobody checking. After expanding a link, look at the domain on the arrow line: is it the site the post claimed? Is it a lookalike spelling, or an unexpected download? The URL expander page has a longer checklist, and every result has a Scan on VirusTotal button for a malware check.
Other short links in posts
Posts often contain a short link inside the t.co wrapper, so a single click passes through two shorteners. The trace shows both. For links shared elsewhere, use the Bitly link checker or the TinyURL expander.
Questions
What is a t.co link?
It is the link shortener run by X, formerly Twitter. Every link posted on X is rewritten to a t.co address, whatever its length, so that X can check it against lists of harmful sites and count clicks.
How do I see where a t.co link goes?
Copy the link without opening it, paste it above and press Expand t.co. You can also paste the embed code of a post, or any text that contains t.co links, and every one is expanded.
Why does a t.co link show a status of 200 instead of a redirect?
Because that is what t.co sends to browsers: a small page with a meta refresh that sends you on. Crawlers such as Googlebot get an ordinary 301 instead. The checker reads the meta refresh and keeps following, so you still see the destination.
Why does a t.co link lead back to x.com?
Photos and videos in a post also get a t.co link, shown as pic.twitter.com or pic.x.com. It points at the post's own media page on X, not to another site.
Can I expand a t.co link without an X account?
Yes. The link is followed by our server with no sign-in. The final page may still ask you to sign in if it is on X itself, but the address is revealed either way.
Do t.co links expire?
They stay active as long as X keeps them. A link that has been removed, for example because it was reported as harmful, no longer leads anywhere and the checker shows the error X returns.
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