TinyURL Expander

Paste a TinyURL link and see where it leads — the full address, the page it opens and every step in between.

Random codes and custom aliases both work. Paste several links to expand them all.

How TinyURL links work

TinyURL is one of the oldest link shorteners. Each link is either a random code, such as tinyurl.com/5n8x2k7p, or an alias the creator chose, such as tinyurl.com/summer-menu. When it is opened, TinyURL answers with a 301 redirect to the address it was made for. A code that does not exist gets a 404.

An alias looks trustworthy because it reads like words, but anyone can register any free alias. The name tells you nothing about where it goes; expanding it does.

What to look at in the result

  • The arrow line is the real destination. Check the domain, not only the page title.
  • HTTPS to HTTP. TinyURL links are often made for old http:// addresses. The checker says when a step drops to plain HTTP, which means the page is not encrypted.
  • A second shortener after TinyURL hides the destination twice. Each is listed.
  • Long tracking tails. Links from newsletters and forms often end in parameters that identify you or the campaign. Copy clean link removes the common ones.
  • A download at the end, such as an .apk file, when you expected a page, is a reason to stop.

Where TinyURL links turn up

Because TinyURL needs no account for a basic link, its links appear everywhere: printed flyers and menus, QR codes, text messages, forum posts and emails. That convenience is also why scammers like it. A few seconds spent expanding a link you did not expect is cheaper than a stolen password.

If you have many to check, paste them into the Bulk tab or the bulk redirect checker. For other services, the URL expander handles every shortener, and the t.co expander reads links straight out of a post from X.

Questions

How do I find out where a TinyURL goes?

Copy the link without opening it, paste it above and press Expand TinyURL. The final address, its page title and every redirect in between are shown.

What status code does TinyURL send?

A working TinyURL link answers with a 301 redirect to its destination. A link that does not exist answers with a 404.

Why does the result say the link drops from HTTPS to HTTP?

The TinyURL was created for an http:// address. The short link itself is secure, but the rest of the journey is not encrypted. Treat forms and downloads on that page with care.

Can I expand a TinyURL with a custom alias?

Yes. Aliases such as tinyurl.com/your-name are expanded the same way as random codes.

Can I expand several TinyURLs at once?

Paste them together into the box, or use the Bulk tab for up to 50, one per line. The results copy straight into Excel or Google Sheets.

Is the link I paste stored anywhere?

No. It is followed once by our server to draw the result and is not kept.

Related tools

URL Expander Expand bit.ly, TinyURL, t.co or any short link and see the real destination before you click. Redirect Checker & URL Expander Trace every hop of a link: 301/302, meta refresh and JavaScript redirects, short links, and what Googlebot or a phone sees. URL Decoder Encode and decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings. IP Lookup Look up any IP address for location, ISP, ASN and WHOIS details. Meta Tag Extractor Pull the title, description, canonical and social tags from any page. Google Search Preview Test Preview how a title and description will appear in search results.

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