1. Decide whether to save the link to your account
You can create a single link from the home page without signing up. For a personal dashboard and analytics, select Create Free Account or Sign In, then Continue with Google before creating your links. URLBit does not have a separate password or email-code login. Signed-out links are not automatically claimed when you sign in later.
2. Paste the destination
Enter a valid public website https:// or http:// URL and select Shorten URL. Known malware/phishing domains and private-network destinations are blocked; IP-address URLs are not supported. Checks cannot detect every harmful page or later redirect. URLBit stores the destination and generates a six-character code, producing a link such as https://urlbit.io/AbC123. The example is illustrative, not a guaranteed existing link. Already-short destinations may be shorter than the generated redirect.
To choose your own name, check Customize your short URL and enter only the name after https://urlbit.io/. Use 3–20 ASCII letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. Names are case-sensitive. The form explains invalid formats, reserved names and names already in use. Availability is checked again when the link is created. Custom names are available on both plans and for signed-out single-link creation.
3. Copy, test or download a QR code
Use Copy for the full URL, Test Link to open it, or QR Code to download a PNG or SVG. Copy and QR use the same full urlbit.io address.
During Preview, use Test in Preview to test the redirect locally. Public sharing requires the urlbit.io domain to be connected to the deployed app. A temporary Preview address may expire when its sandbox changes. QR images can be printed, but following a link requires an internet connection.
4. Manage your saved links
Your dashboard shows total links, recorded clicks and active links. Search your links or sort by newest, most clicks or title. Use Edit to change the title, description or destination while retaining the short URL. Pause stops redirects until you resume the link. Archive also stops redirects and retains the record; Restore makes it active again. Use Rename URL to choose a new short code while keeping the same link record and analytics. Confirm that old shared URLs and QR codes will stop working, then copy the new URL and download a new QR code. Old codes stay reserved. Delete permanently removes the link details and recorded click history after you type its current short code to confirm. This cannot be undone. A small reservation and creation-count record remains; deletion does not refund the monthly allowance.
5. Review recorded clicks
Open Analytics beside a link you own. Select 7, 30 or 90 days, or all time. View total events, daily counts, device and browser breakdowns, and referring hostnames. The events view shows up to 100 events in the selected range; CSV export includes the loaded events in that range.
These are recorded redirect events, not unique visitors. Repeat visits and bots are not deduplicated. A missing referrer is shown as Direct. Country currently displays Unknown. Analytics load when requested; they are not a live-streaming dashboard.
Free or Premium?
- Free: 100 links created per UTC calendar month, one URL per submission. Archived links still count toward that month's creation allowance.
- Premium: unlimited monthly link creation and batches of up to 50 URLs. Paste one URL per line; bulk creation is not a file upload or bulk-editing tool. Custom names apply to individual links.
- Both: custom names, recorded-click analytics, CSV exports, QR downloads and individual link management.
Premium is listed at $9.99/month. Live Stripe Checkout charges $9.99 USD per month, renewing monthly until cancelled. Test-mode payments, if explicitly labelled as such, do not make real charges or grant live paid access. Access changes only after server verification. See Pricing for details.
Do links expire?
There is no automatic age-based expiry or inactivity timeout. An Active link continues redirecting while the service, domain and destination are available. Paused, archived or missing links do not redirect. Ending Premium does not expire existing active links; it restores Free limits for future creation. This does not promise permanent hosting or prevent a temporary Preview address from expiring.
