Short link not working? Find and fix the failing step
Diagnose missing links, paused redirects, wrong destinations and login barriers with a practical checklist that protects already-shared URLs.
A short link can fail before the redirect, while choosing a destination, or on the destination website. Find out which step fails before you change anything. A new QR image or a new short link won’t repair an address that’s already out there in messages and print.
This checklist is for links you manage. If someone else sent you the link, ask them for the right destination. Don’t enter your password on an unexpected page just because the link came from someone you know.
Capture the exact failure
Copy the full short link from the original message or printed code. Compare it with the link in the Links app, including every character after the domain. A similar title isn’t enough. Remove punctuation you copied by accident from the surrounding text, but don’t guess a different code.
Write down the time, device, browser, the message you saw and the final address. Ask whether everyone has the problem or only people with one language, device or network. Keep account details out of any screenshot. This short note stops you mixing up different problems.
Locate the failing layer
Open the saved destination directly as a separate test. Then open the actual short link and compare the results.
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| The short link says the link doesn’t exist | The exact code, and whether the link still exists |
| The short link says it’s unavailable | The paying account’s credits |
| The redirect works but opens the wrong page | Main destination, matching rules, then any later redirects |
| The destination fails when opened directly too | Hosting, publishing status and access permissions |
| The camera can’t read the QR code | Print quality, empty margin around the code and lighting |
A working redirect only proves the browser was sent onward. It doesn’t prove the form, document or checkout at the end works.
Distinguish a missing link from a paused link
Links shows a not-found page when a code is unknown or the link was deleted. Before you decide the link is gone, check your own links and each identity you manage. Deleting a link and creating it again gives you a new address; it can’t bring back copies of the old one that you’ve already shared.
A paused link shows a page saying the link is unavailable instead. Links pause when the paying account runs out of credits. Counted clicks use credits, and so do Mono and Studio, which share the same balance. Check the account or team that pays, add credits if needed, and test again: paused links come back on their own shortly after you top up.
Trace a wrong destination
Check the main destination and every relevant rule. The first matching rule wins, so an old language-specific address can still win over a main address you just edited. Use the routing guide to work out where the affected browser should go.
Then check the destination’s own redirects. A shop or booking service may send visitors somewhere else after Links has done its job. Test while signed out and on the affected device. If the problem happens in an in-app browser, try the same address in the normal browser and note the difference; don’t assume every device has the problem.
Repair one cause and verify the journey
- Save the old destination and rule settings in your note.
- Fix the wrong address, rule, file permission or account balance.
- Open the original shared short link again.
- Finish the intended task, using the destination’s test mode if it has one.
- Test again as an affected visitor and as an ordinary visitor who matches no rule.
If you own a document, being able to open it doesn’t prove the public can. For forms, reaching the first screen doesn’t prove sending the form works. Follow the destination editing guide when an address has to change.
Leave a useful recovery record
Write down the cause, the fix, the test result and who is responsible. Keep a real printed sample when QR codes are involved, and follow the print checklist. Plan another check before the next campaign.
If the problem continues, send the short link, the time, the error you saw and the steps to reproduce it through your usual support channel. Don’t include passwords or sign-in links. Links keeps the redirect running; for links people can rely on, you also need a destination that opens, the right permissions and enough credits.