Delimiter.live
Network & Web Tools Runs on our server Free · no account

URL Redirect Checker

The redirect checker follows a URL through each redirect and lists every hop with its status code, so you can see where a short link ends up and spot chains, loops and mixed permanent and temporary redirects.

Follows up to 10 hops. Only headers are read — the destination page is never loaded.

Reset

Runs on our server. Processing happens securely on our server. What you enter is sent to Delimiter.live to produce the result and is not stored in a database.

How to use the URL Redirect Checker

  1. Paste the URL you want to trace, including https://.
  2. Read the chain from top to bottom: each row shows a status code and the location it pointed to.
  3. Check the final URL and status at the bottom of the chain.

Example

Input
http://example.com/old
Output
301 http://example.com/old → https://example.com/old
301 https://example.com/old → https://example.com/new
200 https://example.com/new

Common use cases

  • Finding out where a shortened link actually leads before clicking it.
  • Auditing a site migration for redirect chains that waste crawl budget.
  • Checking that old URLs return 301 rather than 302 so ranking signals transfer.
  • Diagnosing a redirect loop reported by a browser.

Limitations and things to watch for

  • A maximum of ten hops is followed. A chain longer than that is almost certainly a misconfiguration, and a loop is reported explicitly.
  • Only http and https are followed, and every hop is re-validated against private, loopback and link-local address ranges so the tool cannot be pointed at internal systems.
  • Redirects performed by JavaScript or a meta refresh tag are not followed, because only response headers are inspected.
  • The request comes from our server, so a site that redirects based on the visitor country, device or cookies may send you somewhere different.

Frequently asked questions

How many redirects will it follow?
Up to ten. Beyond that the chain is almost certainly broken, and a genuine loop is detected and reported rather than followed.
Why do redirect chains matter for SEO?
Every hop adds latency for users and consumes crawl budget. Search engines follow chains but recommend pointing old URLs directly at the final destination rather than through intermediate hops.
Does it follow JavaScript redirects?
No. Only HTTP-level redirects — 301, 302, 303, 307 and 308 — are traced. A meta refresh or a client-side redirect happens after the response and is not visible here.
Can I expand a shortened link safely?
Yes. The tool reads headers only and never loads the destination page, so you can see where a link goes without visiting it. Judging whether the destination is trustworthy is still up to you.

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