Help Center
Find answers to common questions and learn how to get the most out of Link Shrink. Browse by category or search for what you need.
Getting Started
free
Create your account and shorten your first link in minutes.
Click the "Log In" button in the top-right corner, then choose "Sign Up." You can register with your email address or use a social login provider. Once registered, you'll be taken straight to your dashboard.
Paste your long URL into the input field on the home page or dashboard and click "Shorten." Your shortened link is generated instantly and ready to share. You can also set a custom alias, add tags, or configure advanced options before shortening.
You can shorten links without an account directly from the home page. However, creating a free account gives you access to analytics, link management, tags, QR codes, and the ability to edit or disable your links later.
The free plan allows up to 100 active shortened URLs with basic click analytics, QR code generation, custom aliases, and tag organization. No credit card is required.
Visit the Bookmarklet page from your dashboard navigation. Drag the bookmarklet button to your browser's bookmarks bar, or copy its code and create a bookmark from your browser's bookmark manager. Then, whenever you're on a page you want to shorten, activate the bookmarklet and it will automatically shorten the current page URL using your Link Shrink account.
Link Management
free
Organize, customize, and control your shortened links.
When shortening a URL, click the "Custom Alias" option and type your preferred short code (e.g., "my-brand"). If the alias is available, your link will use it instead of a random code. Custom aliases are available on all plans.
When creating or editing a link, you can add one or more tags (e.g., "marketing", "social"). Tags appear as labels on your dashboard, and you can filter your links by tag to quickly find what you need.
You can update a link's tags, expiration date, and other settings from your dashboard by clicking on the link's details. However, the destination URL and the short code cannot be changed after creation. If you need a different destination, you'll need to create a new shortened link.
From your dashboard, find the link you want to manage. Use the toggle to disable it (visitors will see a "link disabled" message) or use the delete option to remove it permanently. Disabled links can be re-enabled at any time.
Yes, with a Pro or Premium plan. When creating or editing a link, set an expiration date and time. After that date, the link will automatically stop redirecting visitors.
When creating a new link, switch to the "Email Link" tab. You'll see a simple form where you fill in the recipient email address, and optionally a subject and body. Link Shrink builds the mailto link for you automatically and shortens it. When someone clicks the shortened link, their email client opens with all the fields pre-filled.
App Links
free
Understand app opening, web destinations, bridge pages, and automatic continuation.
App links are smart short links that can attempt to hand a supported destination to its native mobile app while preserving the ordinary website as a fallback. For example, a YouTube link can try the YouTube app when the device, browser, installation state, and user settings allow it. App launches are best-effort: some browsers and in-app webviews block the handoff or require the visitor to choose Open in browser.
Link Shrink currently recognizes destinations for six major apps: YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Amazon, Telegram, and Facebook. Supported URLs — including videos, profiles, playlists, product pages, channels, and Facebook content — can attempt an app handoff with the original website retained as fallback. More apps may be added over time.
Paste your destination and create the link as usual. When updated controls are available, expand Advanced options → Opening settings. Supported destinations default to app opening, external web continuation when available, a bridge page, and no timed web continuation. Unsupported destinations cannot enable app opening. Older controls remain in place until the updated capability is enabled.
When the updated controls are available, open the link’s three-dot actions menu and choose Opening settings. For a legacy link, review its existing behavior and choose Customize opening settings. Only Save opening settings converts that link; viewing it or editing its alias, tags, or password does not. With older controls, use the existing Opening Behavior or App Link action.
App opening is best-effort. With a bridge page and automatic continuation off, visitors can choose the web option without a timed web redirect; the initial app attempt may still run. Turn automatic continuation on to choose a whole-number wait time of 1–30 seconds. External browser tries to leave supported in-app browsers, not guarantee a specific or default browser. With no bridge, automatic continuation is attempted separately from the bridge timer. Required password and consent screens still apply.
Native app opening is disabled for unsupported destinations. Web-destination and bridge preferences still work independently when updated controls are available. If external opening is unavailable, the current browser is used. Devices and host apps can restrict all handoff attempts.
No — app links are included on every plan, including the free plan. There is no limit on how many of your links can use app opening.
Yes. The top-level appLinkEnabled and externalBrowserEnabled flags remain authoritative. When V2 capability is enabled, explicitly opt in with openingPolicy: { version: 2, showBridgePage: true, autoContinueToWeb: false, autoContinueDelayMs: 5000 }. Omitting openingPolicy preserves legacy creation behavior and does not convert an existing link on update. External true requires server capability. App support is recomputed by the server from the destination.
Analytics & Tracking
Understand your audience with detailed click analytics.
The free plan includes basic click analytics: total click count, click timestamps, and referrer data (which websites are sending traffic to your links).
Pro and Premium plans unlock advanced analytics including geographic data (country, city, region), device type breakdowns (mobile, desktop, tablet), browser and operating system detection, and detailed charts showing trends over time.
From your dashboard, click the chart icon next to any link to open its detailed statistics page. You'll see a comprehensive breakdown of clicks over time, geographic distribution, device types, browsers, referrers, and more.
Yes, Premium plan users can export click data as CSV files. On the statistics page for any link, click the "Export" button to download a spreadsheet with all click details.
Analytics are updated in near real-time. Click data typically appears within seconds of a visitor clicking your link.
QR Codes
free
Generate and download QR codes for any shortened link.
Every shortened link automatically has a QR code. From your dashboard, click the QR code icon next to any link to view and download it. The QR code links directly to your shortened URL.
QR codes are downloaded as PNG images, which work well for both digital use (websites, emails, presentations) and print materials (flyers, business cards, posters).
From your dashboard, find the link you want a QR code for and click the QR code icon. A preview of the QR code will appear, along with a download button. Click it to save the QR code as a PNG file to your device. You can then use it in print materials, presentations, or anywhere else you need it.
Password Protection
pro
Secure your links with password verification.
With a Pro or Premium plan, you can set a password when creating or editing a link. When someone clicks the link, they'll be asked to enter the password before being redirected to the destination.
Yes. Edit the link from your dashboard and you can update the password or remove password protection entirely at any time.
They'll see an error message and can try again. The link remains protected and the visitor will not be redirected until they enter the correct password.
Custom Domains
premium
Use your own domain for branded short links.
Go to the Custom Domains page from your dashboard. Add your domain, then follow the DNS verification instructions provided. You'll need to add a CNAME record pointing to Link Shrink. Once verified, your short links can use your custom domain.
Premium plan users can add up to 3 custom domains. Each domain needs to be verified separately through DNS.
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate, depending on your DNS provider. Most verifications complete within a few hours. SSL certificates are provisioned automatically once the domain is verified.
Links created before adding a custom domain will continue to work with the default linkshrink.pro domain. New links can be created using your custom domain. You can also update existing links to use your custom domain.
API & Webhooks
premium
Integrate Link Shrink into your own applications.
Premium plan users can generate API keys from the API Keys page in the dashboard. Each key can have specific scopes (read, write, delete) to control what actions it can perform.
The API lets you create, read, update, and delete shortened URLs programmatically. You can also retrieve click analytics data. Full documentation is available on the API Docs page, accessible from your dashboard.
Webhooks send real-time notifications to your application when events occur (e.g., when someone clicks a link). Set up webhooks from the Webhooks page in your dashboard by providing a URL endpoint and selecting which events to listen for. Premium users can configure up to 5 webhooks.
Yes. API usage is tracked and rate-limited based on your plan. You can monitor your API usage on the API Usage page in your dashboard, which shows request counts and remaining quota for the current period.
Account & Billing
Manage your subscription, profile, and payment details.
Link Shrink offers three plans: Free (100 URLs, basic analytics), Pro (500 URLs, password protection, link expiration, advanced analytics), and Premium (2,000 URLs, custom domains, API access, webhooks, CSV export). Visit the Pricing page for full details.
Go to the Pricing page and select the plan you'd like. You'll be guided through the payment process via Stripe. Your new features will be available immediately after payment.
Yes. Visit the Subscription page from your dashboard to manage or cancel your subscription. You'll continue to have access to your paid features until the end of your current billing period.
Click the profile icon in your dashboard header to access your profile settings. You can update your name and view your account details.
We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. All payments are processed securely.