FreeurlYou want a short link that stops working on its own. Maybe it is a 48-hour sale code, a webinar signup page, or a file you only want shared for a week. Here is how to set link expiry in Freeurl: open the Options menu when you create the link, pick an expiry (1, 7, 30 or 90 days), and shorten the link. When the time runs out, the link switches off automatically. No reminder, no cleanup.
The rest of this guide walks through the exact steps, shows a worked example, and covers the parts most guides skip: what visitors actually see, what expiry does not protect you from, and when you should not use it at all.
How to set link expiry in Freeurl, step by step
You do not need an account to try this, though an account gives you more control (more on that below).
- Go to the Freeurl home page and paste your long URL into the box.
- Open the Options menu. This is where the optional settings live: custom alias, password and expiry.
- Choose an expiry. The choices are Never, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days or 90 days. Links never expire by default, so you only get an expiring link if you pick one of the time options.
- Shorten the link. Copy the short URL and share it as usual.
That is the whole process. The countdown works behind the scenes, and once the date passes the link is switched off for everyone.
Want an exact date instead of 7 or 30 days?
The preset choices are rounded. If your offer ends on a specific day, such as Friday at the end of a campaign, a preset can land a day early or late. Signed-in users can set an exact expiry date from the dashboard. That is one good reason to create a free account before you build links for a real campaign.
A worked example: a 7-day webinar link
Say you run a small accounting practice and you are hosting a webinar next Thursday. You want people to register through a short link in your email and on LinkedIn. After Thursday, the registration page will be closed, and you do not want the link floating around for months and sending people to a dead page.
Here is what you would do:
- Paste the registration URL into Freeurl.
- In Options, set a custom alias such as tax-webinar (aliases are 3 to 30 letters, numbers, dashes or underscores).
- Set the expiry to 7 days, since you are creating the link a few days ahead and the event is within the week.
- Shorten it, and use that one link in the email, the social posts and the slide deck.
If you create the link on Friday and the webinar is the following Thursday, 7 days gets you through the day after the event. If you create it three weeks ahead, pick 30 days or set an exact date from your dashboard. The point is to match the expiry to the real end date, plus a small buffer for late clickers.
What happens when a link expires?
This is the question people forget to ask until a customer complains. According to Freeurl's help pages, visitors who click an expired link see a friendly message instead of being redirected to your destination. They do not land on your page, and they do not get a browser error.
Two things to keep in mind:
- You cannot send expired clicks to a replacement page. Some paid tools let you set a fallback URL for expired links, so visitors go to a "this offer ended" page. I did not find that option listed for Freeurl, so plan around the friendly message.
- Expiry is not deletion. The link is switched off, which is different from the destination page disappearing. If the page itself should be private, take it down or protect it at the source.
For comparison, Bitly's expiry works in a similar spirit but with different rules. Its support page on link expiration says the feature is available on some paid plans, accepts any end time between 5 minutes and 1 year, and shows a 410 error page after expiry unless a custom domain has its own error page. Short.io's temporary URL feature adds click limits and a fallback destination on its Pro plan. Freeurl's version is simpler: a handful of time presets, free, no click counter. Simple is fine for most campaigns, but if you need to cap a link at 100 clicks, this is not the tool for that job.
When link expiry is a good idea
Expiring links fit best when the link has a natural end date.
- Promotions and discount codes. A coupon link that dies when the sale ends stops people from finding an old code in a forgotten email.
- Event registration and RSVP pages. The link goes quiet when the event is over.
- Temporary file shares. A 1-day or 7-day link for a draft contract or a photo set limits how long the URL stays live.
- Contest and giveaway entries. The entry link closes on schedule, so you do not have to be online at the deadline.
- Client previews. Share a staging site or design mockup for a week, then let the link lapse.
When you should not use link expiry
Here is the honest limit. Expiry only turns off the short link. It does nothing to the page behind it. If someone saved the original long URL, or you pasted it somewhere else, that address keeps working. So do not treat an expiring link as a security lock for sensitive documents.
Also skip expiry on anything that has to last:
- Printed material. Flyers, packaging, business cards and posters outlive any 90-day timer. If the link is on paper, leave expiry at Never. The same goes for a QR code, because a code that points to a dead link looks broken to anyone who scans it.
- Email signatures and social bios. You will forget they are there.
- Evergreen content. Guides, portfolios and booking pages should not quietly stop working.
If you want a little more protection on a temporary link, combine expiry with a password. Freeurl lets you require a password before visitors reach the destination, and you share the password separately from the link. Expiry limits when the link works; a password limits who can use it while it does. Neither is bank-grade security, but together they are a reasonable fit for a short-lived client preview.
Can you change or remove expiry later?
Free accounts can change a link's destination, and signed-in users can set exact dates in the dashboard. Guest links, on the other hand, cannot be edited at all. The help pages do not spell out whether you can extend or clear an expiry after creation, so I would not count on it. The safe habit: if you may need to change a link later, create it while signed in, and test the behavior on a throwaway link before you rely on it for a campaign.
One more practical point. Pick the expiry on the long side if you are unsure. A link that lasts a few extra days costs you nothing. A link that dies the day before your deadline costs you leads.
Tracking a link that expires
If the link is part of a campaign, you will want numbers before it goes dark. Free accounts get stats for each link: clicks by day, hour, country, device, browser and referrer, with 7, 30 and 90 day ranges. Check those a day or two before the expiry date so you can see how much traffic the link still gets. A burst of late clicks is a sign you should extend your campaign or keep a link live a bit longer next time.
Tag the destination with UTM parameters so your own analytics can separate this campaign from everything else. The free UTM builder does it in a few seconds, and our plain-English guide to UTM parameters explains what each field means. If you want the links to carry your brand, see how to use your own domain for short links. A branded link such as go.yourbrand.com looks more trustworthy in an email than a random string.
A quick checklist before you share
- Is the end date real? Match the expiry to it, plus a small buffer.
- Is the link going on anything printed? If yes, set it to Never.
- Did you open the short link yourself to confirm it lands on the right page?
- Do you need an exact date? If so, sign in and set it from the dashboard.
- Does the destination page itself need protection? Expiry will not cover that.
Freeurl's shortening, expiry, passwords, QR codes and analytics are free, with no paid plans, so there is nothing to lose by testing the setup on a dummy link first.
Frequently asked questions
Do Freeurl links expire by default?
No. Links never expire unless you choose an expiry in the Options menu.
What expiry options does Freeurl offer?
Never, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days and 90 days. Signed-in users can also set an exact date from the dashboard.
What do people see when they click an expired link?
A friendly message instead of your destination page. They are not redirected to the original URL.
Is an expiring link a secure way to share private files?
Not by itself. Expiry only switches off the short link. Anyone who has the original long URL can still use it, so protect sensitive files at the source, and consider adding a password to the short link.
Frequently asked questions
Do Freeurl links expire by default?
No. Links never expire unless you choose an expiry in the Options menu.
What expiry options does Freeurl offer?
Never, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days and 90 days. Signed-in users can also set an exact date from the dashboard.
What do people see when they click an expired link?
A friendly message instead of your destination page. They are not redirected to the original URL.
Is an expiring link a secure way to share private files?
Not by itself. Expiry only switches off the short link. Anyone who has the original long URL can still use it, so protect sensitive files at the source, and consider adding a password to the short link.