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Does Google still have a URL shortener? What happened to goo.gl

Google stopped making goo.gl links in 2019 and switched off the unused ones in 2025. What still works, how to check your old links, and what to use now.

Utilica2 min read

No. Google no longer offers a URL shortener. You cannot make new goo.gl links, and some old ones have stopped working. Here is what happened, and what to do if you still rely on one.

A short history of goo.gl

  • 2009: Google launches goo.gl, its own link shortener.
  • 2018: Google announces it is winding goo.gl down and points people to other services.
  • 2019: Nobody can make new goo.gl links any more. Existing links keep redirecting.
  • July 2024: Google says all goo.gl links will stop working on August 25, 2025.
  • Late 2024: Links that had seen no recent activity start showing a warning page before they redirect.
  • August 1, 2025: Google changes course. Links that people still actively use will keep working. Only the inactive ones, the ones showing the warning, are switched off on August 25.

Open one and watch what happens:

  • It goes straight to the page. It is one of the links Google kept, and it should keep working.
  • It shows a warning or an error. It was one of the inactive links, and it no longer redirects.

There is no dashboard to check them all at once. If you have goo.gl links in documents, old posts, slides or printed material, test the important ones by hand.

goo.gl is a reminder that a short link is only as permanent as the company behind it. Every place you shared a link depends on that service carrying on, and carrying on for free.

When you choose a replacement, check:

  1. Do links expire, or stop on a free plan? Some services switch links off after a trial or when you stop paying.
  2. Can you change where a link points? If you can, a broken destination is a two-minute fix rather than a reprint.
  3. Can you export your links? A list of every short link and where it goes makes moving easier later.

What to use instead of goo.gl

Any of the established shorteners will make a new link. Our comparison of the best free link shorteners covers Bitly and TinyURL in detail.

If you are replacing links that live somewhere you cannot easily edit, like a printed flyer, a PDF or a video description, pick one that lets you change the destination later for free. Then the next time a page moves, you update the link once and every copy of it follows.

Utilica's free plan includes three short links that never expire, go straight to your page with no ad in between, and can be pointed somewhere new at any time.

FeatureShort links with no ads in the way.Clean short links that go straight to your page. Three are always free, and they keep working.utilica.app/features/short-links

What about printed QR codes that used goo.gl?

Some QR codes were made from goo.gl links. If one of those links was switched off, the code now goes nowhere, and the only fix is a new code.

To avoid this next time, print a dynamic QR code from a service whose codes do not expire. The code holds an address you control, so you can change where it goes without reprinting. Our post on whether QR codes expire explains what to check.

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