How to shorten a link — step by step, for free

You have a long URL — with parameters, with utm_source, with ?fbclid= at the end — and you want to paste it somewhere without it taking up half the message. Shortening a link takes literally a few seconds. Below we show the entire process, without steps like "create an account, provide a card".

Shortest path — without an account

1. Go to cutty.dev.
2. Paste your long link into the field at the top of the page.
3. Click Shorten.
4. Done — you get a short address like cutty.dev/aB3k9 plus a QR code below it.

That's all. We don't ask for an email, there is no "free plan for 5 links per month", and there is no advertisement attached to your link. You copy and paste wherever you want.

What you get besides the shortcut itself

A short link is not just fewer characters. Along with it, you immediately have:

• QR Code — generates automatically, downloadable with one click. Add it to a flyer, poster, or business card without any additional tool.
• OG Preview — when someone pastes your short link on Facebook, Discord, or iMessage, a nice preview appears instead of a naked line of text.
• Automatic prefix — if you paste an address without https://, we will add it for you. The link will simply work.

When it is worth creating an account (but you don't have to)

Shortening works without logging in. An account is only useful when you want to manage links and have access to them later:

• Click statistics — how many people clicked, from which country, from which source. Day-by-day chart in the panel.
• Edit destination — you can change where the link leads without changing the short address itself. Did you print a QR and the destination page changed? You swap the destination, the code remains the same.
• Password for link — you protect a document or an offer with a PIN before someone sees the content.
• Expiration date / click limit — the link closes itself after a deadline or after N openings.

Creating an account is an email and a PIN or logging in via Google, Facebook or others — no password to remember, if you prefer.

Own suffix instead of random

By default, you get a random, short suffix. But you can enter your own: instead of cutty.dev/aB3k9, you can make it cutty.dev/wiosna or cutty.dev/cennik. More readable in print, easier to dictate over the phone, looks better in a campaign.

Once a taken suffix never returns to the pool — even after deleting the link. This means that cutty.dev/your-brand remains yours and won't be taken over by someone else after a month, redirecting your old audience to who knows where.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the shortened link expire on its own? No, unless you manually set an expiration date or a click limit. By default, it works indefinitely.

Do I have to pay? No. Shortening, QR, custom endings and statistics are free. Without a limit on the number of links.

Is my data leaking somewhere? The server is located in the European Union, we keep visitor IP addresses only as an encrypted hash, we do not sell statistics to anyone, and we do not add third-party trackers. More about how privacy works.

Will the link still work in a year? Yes — endings are not recycled, so an old link from a flyer or SMS leads where it is supposed to.

Try once

The best way to check if this is for you is to shorten one link and see how it looks. It will take you less time than reading this paragraph — cutty.dev. If something doesn't work or you have a question, write to hello@cutty.dev, we reply the same day.