How to Check If a Link Is Safe Before Clicking
Links arrive all day, in texts, emails, messages and on social media. Most are perfectly fine, but some lead to fake websites built to steal your details. Knowing how to check a link before you tap it is one of the most useful safety habits there is, and it only takes a few seconds.
This guide shows you simple ways to see where a link really goes, and when it is best not to click at all. No technical knowledge needed. This is one piece of a bigger picture, so it is worth reading our full guide to staying safe online as well.
Quick answer
The safest rule is simple: if a link arrives unexpectedly, do not tap it. If you want to visit the company, type its address into your browser yourself or use its app. To preview where a link really points, on a computer hover your mouse over it without clicking, and on a phone press and hold the link to see the address pop up.
The golden rule
If a link turns up out of the blue, especially with a sense of urgency, the safest thing is not to click it at all. If the message claims to be from your bank, a courier or a company you use, go to them directly instead. Type the address you know into your browser, or open their app. You lose nothing, and you avoid the one thing the scammer needs you to do.
How to see where a link really goes
The words in a link can say one thing while the link points somewhere else entirely. Here is how to peek at the real destination without opening it:
- On a computer: rest your mouse pointer over the link without clicking. The real web address appears at the bottom corner of the screen.
- On a phone or tablet: press and hold your finger on the link for a second. A box pops up showing the full address. Then lift your finger off without tapping Open.
Read the address that appears. If it does not clearly match the company it claims to be from, or it is full of odd words and symbols, leave it alone.
Watch out for shortened and odd links
Some links are deliberately shortened so you cannot tell where they lead. Others use a company’s name buried in the middle of a longer, strange address to look genuine. Treat both with caution. The real test is always whether you were expecting the link, and whether you can reach the same place by going to the company yourself.
If you do tap something by mistake, our guide on what to do if you clicked a scam text link walks you through it calmly. Spotting the messages these links arrive in is covered in how to spot text message scams.
Before you finish
Download the free Family Tech Safety Checklist to help check phone safety, passwords, scam messages, emergency contacts and medical alarm details.
FAQ: Checking if a link is safe
How do I see where a link goes without clicking?
On a computer, hover your mouse over it and read the address at the bottom of the screen. On a phone, press and hold the link to see the address, then lift off without opening it.
Is it ever safe to click a link in a text?
If you were expecting it and trust the sender, usually yes. If it arrives unexpectedly, it is safer to go to the company directly instead.
What about shortened links?
They hide the real destination, so be cautious. Only follow one if you trust the source and were expecting it.
The link has my bank’s name in it. Does that make it real?
Not necessarily. Scammers tuck real names into longer, fake addresses. Reach your bank by typing its address yourself or using its app.
I clicked one by accident. What should I do?
Do not enter any details, close the page, and follow our guide on what to do if you clicked a scam link.
