Broken Link Checker
Find broken links on a web page or in pasted text, with each link's HTTP status code.
Why use this tool?
Find broken links (404s, dead domains, server errors) on a web page or in a list of URLs, with each link's real HTTP status.
How to use it
- Enter a page URL to scan, or paste links/HTML.
- Click Scan or Check Links (up to 50 links).
- Fix or remove the links marked Broken.
How the checker works
Give it a page URL and it downloads the page, finds every link and image source on it, and requests each one to see what the server answers. Or paste a list of URLs, or some HTML, and it checks those. Relative links such as /about are resolved against the page address in page mode; in pasted text they're skipped, because there's no page to resolve them against. Up to 50 links are checked per run.
Each link shows its HTTP status code and a verdict, so you can see not just that something is wrong but what kind of problem it is.
Reading the results
OK (status 200-299): the link works. OK (redirects) means it worked after one or more redirects, such as http:// to https:// or an old address forwarding to a new one. It's worth updating those links to the final address, which saves visitors a hop.
Broken: a 404 (page not found) or 410 (gone) means the page no longer exists; a 500-level code means the server failed; a connection error means the domain doesn't exist any more or the server didn't answer. These are the links to fix or remove.
Blocked / needs login (401, 403, 429): the page may be fine for people but refuses automated checks, requires signing in, or is rate-limiting requests. Open these in your browser before deciding they're broken.
What a link checker can't see
Some sites show a "page not found" message but still answer with status 200, often called a soft 404. A checker sees a working link because the server says so; only opening the page reveals the problem. Links that are added by JavaScript after the page loads, or that are only visible after signing in, also won't be found in the page's HTML.
Because each check is a single request at one moment, a temporary outage can make a working link look broken. If one link fails unexpectedly, run the check again later before removing it.
Why broken links matter
Visitors who hit a dead link often leave, and search engines that keep finding dead links on a site have less reason to crawl it often. The usual fixes are to update the link to the content's new address, link to a similar page, or remove the link. For pages on your own site that have moved, a permanent (301) redirect from the old address to the new one fixes every link pointing at it at once.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a link marked blocked when it opens fine for me?
Some sites reject automated requests or require a login. A 401, 403 or 429 doesn't mean the page is gone; check it in your browser.
Should I fix links that redirect?
They work, so it isn't urgent, but pointing them straight at the final address is slightly faster for visitors and avoids chains of redirects breaking later.
How many links can I check at once?
Up to 50 per run. For a page with more links, the first 50 are checked and the result tells you how many were found.