How to see where a link really goes before you click

Hover over the link and look at the bottom-left corner of your browser: that’s the address it points to. For a shortened link like bit.ly or t.co, that only shows the short address, not where it ends up. A link preview extension shows you the real destination and the page itself before you commit to visiting it.

The quick check, built into every browser

1. Hover the link without clicking.
2. Read the address that appears in the bottom-left corner of the window.
3. Check the domain carefully: paypa1.com is not paypal.com.

When the quick check isn’t enough

Short links, tracking redirects and links in emails often show an address that tells you nothing. With Peekly, rest on the link and the preview shows the page it actually lands on, without you leaving the page you’re on. Turn on short-link warnings in Settings and Peekly also flags shortened links so you know to look twice.

Strip the tracking while you’re at it

Many links carry tracking parameters like utm_source or fbclid that tell the site where you came from. Turn on tracking-parameter stripping in Peekly’s Settings and they’re removed, so the page you open is the plain address.

Is previewing a risky link safe?

Looking at where a link goes is always safe. Opening a page you don’t trust is a judgement call either way: a preview loads the page just like a tab would, only without leaving where you are. If the address looks wrong, don’t open it at all.