How to Use Bitly

Last Updated: October 26, 2022

If you want to share a link that's too long, you can use Bitly to create a short link you can share. Bitly is a free service online that anyone can use to shorten a long link. To track your link's stats, you have to create a free account with the site. This wikiHow will show you how to use Bitly.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating a Bitly Account

1
Go to https://bitly.com in a web browser. You can use a computer or mobile device for this.^{[1]
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2
Click Sign Up for Free. You will be directed to a page of the site's plans. You'll want the free plan if you plan to use Bitly as a personal account.
- With the paid accounts, you can get more focused tracking on more links per month. You can also customize your links to show something other than "bit.ly".^{[2]
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3
Click Get Started for Free. You'll see this blue button under the free plan on the left side of the page.
4
Create a free account. You can use your social media accounts like Facebook, Google, or Twitter to make your account or you can create a username, enter your email, and create a password.
- If you create a username, you can only use letters and numbers.
- Click Create Account when you're ready.
5
Answer the drop-down boxes. You'll have to answer if you plan to use Bitly for personal or work as well as some follow-up questions. Click Submit when you're ready.
6
Confirm your email. Go to your email account that you signed up with and click the link in the email that was sent to you from Bitly Support. The link in the email will say something like "Verify Your Email."
- Once you click the link in your email, you will be redirected to the Bitly site. Your account is verified and ready to use.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating a Link

1
Sign in to https://bitly.com. You can use a computer or mobile device for this.
2
Click Create or CREATE YOUR FIRST LINK. These are orange buttons located either at the top right of the browser or below the stats chart.^{[3]
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- When you click either, a menu will slide out from the right with text fields.
3
Paste the long link in the large text box. You'll see a drop-down menu with "bit.ly" chosen and a text box under that. You can paste by pressing Ctrl + V or Cmd + V or right-clicking and selecting "Paste" from the drop-down menu.
- As soon as you paste a link inside the text box, the page will update with a shortened link. You will see "bit.ly/EXAMPLETEXT." You can edit the back half of the link (after bit.ly/) to make the link more personal. For example, instead of using "bit.ly/8CF7HTUD", you can edit the link to look like "bit.ly/wikiHow."
4
Click Save. You'll see this orange button at the bottom of the menu. This is useful if the link you shortened is something you use constantly.
- This link will stay on your dashboard for you to copy and share.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Tracking Your Links

1
Sign in to https://bitly.com. You can use a computer or mobile device for this.
2
Click Show Chart if available. If the chart is visible, you can skip this step.
3
Look at the chart to see overall stats. As a default, the chart will show you all the information for all the links you've saved, but hovering your mouse over a piece of information in the chart will show you which link that data is from.
- You'll see overall data including how many times that link was clicked, as well as the location of the person who clicked the link. For example, out of your four links, you'll see that "bit.ly/a" was clicked more than "bit.ly/b", "bit.ly/c", and "bit.ly/d," as well as that those clicks came from the US.