View the Real Links Behind Shortened URLs in Chrome
- by Asian Angel
When you encounter shortened URLs there is always that worry in the back of your mind about where they really lead to. Now you can get a “sneak peak” at the real links behind those URLs with the View Thru extension for Google Chrome.
The URL Shortening services officially supported at this time are: bit.ly, cli.gs, ff.im, goo.gl, is.gd, nyti.ms, ow.ly, post.ly, su.pr, & tinyurl.com.
Before
When you encounter a shortened URL you are pretty much on your own in deciding whether to trust that link or not. It would really be nice if you could just hover your mouse over those links and know where they will lead ahead of time.
After
Once you have the extension installed you are ready to access that link viewing goodness. Please note that you will need to reload any pages that were open prior to installing the extension.
For our first example we chose a shortened URL from “bit.ly”. As you can see the entire link behind the shortened URL is displayed very nicely…no hidden surprises there!
Note: There are no options to worry with for the extension.
Another perfect result for the “goo.gl URL” shown below. View Thru will certainly remove a lot of the stress related to clicking on shortened URLs.
Bonus Find
Just out of curiosity we looked for a shortened URL not listed as being officially supported at this time. We found one with the “http://nyti.ms/” domain and View Thru showed the link perfectly…so be sure to give it a try on other services too.
Conclusion
If you worry about where a shortened URL will really lead you then the View Thru extension can help alleviate that stress.
Links
Download the View Thru extension (Google Chrome Extensions)
Similar Articles
Productive Geek Tips
See Where Shortened URLs “Link To” in Your Favorite BrowserVerify the Destinations of Shortened URLs the Easy WayCreate Shortened goo.gl URLs in Google Chrome the Easy WayCreate Shortened goo.gl URLs in Your Favorite BrowserAccess Google Chrome’s Special Pages the Easy Way
TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey
The Icy Undertow Desktop
Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN
The Clear & Clean Desktop
Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums
Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window
Latest Software Reviews
Tinyhacker Random Tips
DVDFab 6
Revo Uninstaller Pro
Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows
PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010
QuicklyCode Provides Cheatsheets & Other Programming Stuff
Download Free MP3s from Amazon
Awe inspiring, inter-galactic theme (Win 7)
Case Study – How to Optimize Popular Wordpress Sites
Restore Hidden Updates in Windows 7 & Vista
Iceland an Insurance Job?
