Frequently asked questions

This is the home of Shortner, the URL shortening service that operates the website-shortner.link domain. Short links created on our service look like website-shortner.link/x7Kq2 and redirect to a longer destination URL.

Most likely you visited our domain without a link code after it — for example by typing the domain from a link you saw, or by trimming a short URL back to its root. The root of the domain is this site; the links themselves live at paths like /x7Kq2.

That's the service working as designed. A short link is an alias: when you click it, our servers respond with a standard HTTP redirect pointing your browser at the original long URL. The whole exchange takes milliseconds and no page from us is shown in between. The how it works page has the full breakdown.

Links on our domain are subject to our Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits malware, phishing, and other harmful destinations, and we disable links that violate it. That said, treat any link — short or long — with normal caution: check the destination domain once you arrive, and don't enter credentials or payment details anywhere you didn't expect to be. If a link on our service took you somewhere that seems harmful or deceptive, please report it.

On a computer, hovering over a link shows the short URL, and after clicking, your browser's address bar always shows the true final destination. If you'd rather not click at all, send the short URL to abuse@website-shortner.link and we'll check it.

Shortner is currently invite-only. We onboard newsletters, publications, and brands in small batches so that we can keep quality and abuse-review standards high. If that's you, request access.

By default, no — links stay live as long as the account behind them is in good standing. Customers can optionally set an expiry date or click limit per link. Expired or disabled links show an error page instead of redirecting.

No. Clicks go straight from the short link to the destination. We don't insert ad pages, countdown timers, or "continue" buttons, and we never will — it's the fastest way to ruin a link service.

A 307 is the modern HTTP "temporary redirect" status code. We use temporary redirects for most links so that features like editable destinations and expiry work correctly — browsers don't permanently cache the mapping, so changes take effect on the very next click. More detail on the how it works page.

Email abuse@website-shortner.link with the short URL, or see the report abuse page for what to include. Reports are reviewed by a human and violating links are disabled.

Short links point at content we don't host, so we can't remove the destination content itself — but if a short link violates our Acceptable Use Policy (for example, harassment or impersonation), report it and we'll disable the link on our end.