How to shorten a URL
Turn a long web address into a short link you can share, print or track. What a short link is, how to make one, and what to do with it next.
A short link is a small web address that forwards to a longer one. Instead of sharing 120 characters of campaign URL, you share something that fits in a message, on a card, or inside a QR code.
Make one
- Sign in, or create a free account.
- Paste the long URL.
- Optionally set a title, so you can find it again later, and a custom ending.
- Save. Copy the short link.
That link now works everywhere: social posts, email, print, SMS, a slide, a QR code.
Why bother
It fits. Some channels charge you by the character, and all of them punish a wall of URL.
It looks deliberate. A tidy link reads as something a person chose to send you. A raw URL with tracking parameters reads as machinery.
It can be measured. A short link counts clicks. The original URL cannot tell you where the traffic came from unless you tag it.
It can be changed. If the destination moves, you update the short link and everything already shared keeps working — see Change where a short link points.
What to do next
- Give it a title. Six months later,
promo-2means nothing. A title makes the list searchable. - Add tags. Group by campaign, client or channel so you can filter the list later.
- Add UTM parameters if the traffic lands somewhere with its own analytics, so both systems agree.
- Generate a QR code if it is going anywhere physical.
Making it your own domain
Short links do not have to sit on uyou.in. On plans that include custom domains, you can serve them from your own — go.yourbrand.com/spring rather than a generic shortener. Branded links are clicked measurably more often, because people can see where they are going before they tap.
See Use your own domain for short links.
Limits
Free accounts include a monthly allowance of new links, and paid plans raise it. Nothing you have already created stops working when you reach the limit — you simply cannot create more until the month rolls over or you upgrade. Current numbers are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Do short links expire?
Not by default. A uYou short link works until you disable it or set an expiry date yourself.
Can I see how many people clicked?
Yes. Every short link records clicks, and paid plans keep the history for longer. See the pricing page.
Can I choose the ending myself?
Yes, that is a custom short code. See Choose your own short code.
Last updated 2026-08-24