Is this link safe?
Paste a link to see where it really goes, who blocks it and how old its domain is. Every warning shows its source; we never guess "safe".
How do I check if a link is safe?
Don't open it to find out. Check five things first: who blocks it, where it really goes, how old its domain is, what the page asks for, and whether the link itself is a disguise.
The checker above does all five without opening the link in your browser. Security DNS services keep lists of malware and phishing domains; we ask six of them. The link's redirects are followed from our server, the domain's age comes from its registry, and the page is read for a password or card field.
No checker can promise a link is safe: a scam page can be hours old and on nobody's list yet. That's why the result is "No warning signs found" at best, and why the domain's age and what the page asks for matter as much as the lists.
- Who blocks itSix security DNS services asked about its domain.
- Where it goesEvery redirect followed from our server, each host checked.
- How old it isThe domain's registration date from its registry.
- What it asks forA password or card field, a form that sends elsewhere.
- What the link isLook-alike letters, decoys, short links, taken apart in your browser.
How do I spot a phishing link?
Read the part right before the first single slash: the domain decides where you land. Everything before it can be decoration.
Phishing links lean on a few tricks: a brand's name in a subdomain (paypal.com.account-check.example), a look-alike letter (a Cyrillic а, a 1 for an l), text before an @ that the browser skips, a short link that hides the destination, or a domain that reads like a file (.zip, .mov).
The figure takes made-up links apart the same way the checker does, in your browser, before anything is sent.
https://paypal.com.account-check.example/login
Uses the name PayPal, but account-check.example isn't one of PayPal's sites (that's paypal.com).
https://pаypal.example/
Looks like paypal.com but isn't: some letters are swapped for look-alikes.
https://www.example.com@login.example.net/
The text before “@” is a decoy: this link goes to login.example.net, not www.example.com.
https://invoice.zip/
.zip is a real domain ending that looks like a file name.
What do shortened links hide?
Where they go. A short link is a redirect: the address you see belongs to the shortening service, not the site.
The checker follows the redirect from our server and shows each step, with the security services' answer for every host on the way. Bitly and TinyURL also show a preview of the destination: add a + to a Bitly link, or open tinyurl.com/preview/ and the alias.
- The linkgo.short.example
- Redirect 301track.example.netanother domain
- Redirect 302offer.example.organother domain
- Page refreshlogin-check.example.comanother domain
Is a link with HTTPS safe?
No. The padlock means the connection is encrypted, not that the site is honest: certificates are free and issued in minutes, so scam sites have them too.
What the padlock can't tell you, the domain's age can: a sign-in page on a domain registered last week is a warning sign whatever its certificate says.
- Certificate
- Valid
- Domain
- Registered 27 years ago
- Certificate
- Valid
- Domain
- Registered 2 days ago
Which security services does it ask?
Six public DNS services that refuse to resolve domains on their malware and phishing lists. Each says "blocked" its own way, and we read each one by its own documented signal.
A block means that service listed the domain when we asked: lists change, and a site that was cleaned up can stay listed for a while. Each service's list is its own, so one block among six still matters.
| Service | What it blocks | How it says blocked |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare 1.1.1.2 | Malware and phishing | Answers 0.0.0.0 |
| Quad9 | Domains on its threat-intelligence feeds | Answers NXDOMAIN with no zone record |
| Cisco OpenDNS | Malware, phishing, botnet control (one address per category) | Answers a block-page address, 146.112.61.x |
| CleanBrowsing Security | Phishing, spam, malware and malicious domains | Answers NXDOMAIN from its policy zone |
| DNS4EU Protective | Malware, phishing and command-and-control domains (and court-ordered blocks) | Its own block answer |
| Control D Malware | Malicious domains | Its own block answer |
I clicked a phishing link: what now?
Don't type anything into the page. If you already did, change that password where you use it, and turn on two-step verification.
If you entered card details, call your bank on the number on the card. Run your security software if a file downloaded. Then report it: in the US forward phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org and texts to 7726, and report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; in the UK forward emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and texts to 7726.
- Close the page. Don't type anything else into it.
- Change the password you entered, everywhere you use it, and turn on two-step verification.
- Entered card details? Call your bank on the number on the back of the card.
- Downloaded a file? Update your security software and run a scan.
- Report it: reportphishing@apwg.org or 7726 in the US, report@phishing.gov.uk or 7726 in the UK.
Link Safety Checker FAQ
How do I check if a link is safe before clicking?
Is a link with HTTPS safe?
Can opening a link infect my phone?
What does "blocked by Quad9" mean?
Is it safe to check a link here?
How do I check a shortened link?
How do I report a phishing link?
Why does it say "No warning signs" instead of "safe"?
Missing something?Suggest a feature or a new tool
Related tools
QR Code Scanner
Scan QR codes from webcam or uploaded images instantly
Email Header Analyzer
Parse raw email headers and trace the email journey
Website Down Checker
Is it down for everyone or just you? Check any site from 11 places and your own connection, with a live screenshot
Domain Age Checker
Check domain registration date, age, expiry, and registrar details via WHOIS