What link cloaking does
Normally a short link redirects, and the browser’s address bar changes to the destination’s long URL. A cloaked link works differently: urlf.ly serves a page on the short URL that shows the destination in a frame filling the whole window. The visitor sees and uses the destination page, but the address bar still shows your short link.
The browser tab shows the link’s title if you gave it one, otherwise the site name. Clicks on a cloaked link are counted in your statistics like any other click.
Cloaked link or normal redirect?
With a normal redirect, the visitor ends up on the destination’s own address, can bookmark it, and every page they open shows its real URL. That is the best choice for most links. With cloaking, the visitor stays on your short address the whole time, which keeps a clean, consistent link on screen but hides the real location of the page they are reading.
Choose cloaking when the short address is the point, for example on a slide, in a video, or on a printed card. Choose a normal redirect when visitors need to bookmark, share, or sign in on the destination.
When a site refuses to be framed
Many websites tell browsers not to show them inside a frame, using the X-Frame-Options header or a Content Security Policy. Banks, login pages, and large social networks usually do this. urlf.ly checks the destination before cloaking; if it does not allow framing, the link falls back to a normal redirect, so visitors still get where they are going.
Search engine crawlers and other bots are not shown the frame; they get the normal redirect. Cloaking here changes only what appears in the visitor’s address bar. It does not show different content to search engines.
How to cloak a link
- Sign in and open the dashboard.
- Paste the long URL into Destination URL and give the link a Title; it becomes the browser tab title.
- Tick Cloaking enabled.
- Press Create link. The dashboard list marks the link as Cloaked.
- Open the short link yourself to check the destination appears in the frame. If it redirects instead, that site does not allow framing.
You can switch cloaking on or off later from the link’s Edit page.
Good uses for cloaked links
- Clean addresses for long-URL pages. Show a page hosted on a builder or document platform under one short, readable address.
- Portfolios and presentations. Keep a tidy link on screen while people browse the page.
- Print and spoken links. When people type the address from a flyer or a podcast, the address they see stays the one you gave them.
Limits
Inside the frame, the address bar does not change as the visitor moves around the destination site, so they cannot bookmark or share a specific inner page from it. Some sites behave differently inside a frame, for example logins that depend on cookies. Check that the destination’s terms allow framing; some programs and services do not permit their pages to be shown inside another site.
Link cloaking is part of the paid plan. You can upgrade from your dashboard.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my cloaked link redirect normally?
The destination site tells browsers not to show it inside a frame. When that happens, the link falls back to a normal redirect so visitors still reach the page.
Is link cloaking bad for SEO?
Cloaking here only keeps the short URL in the visitor’s address bar. Search engines and other bots get a normal redirect, so they are not shown different content.
Are clicks on cloaked links tracked?
Yes. Clicks are counted in the link’s statistics the same way as normal redirects.
Can I turn cloaking off later?
Yes. Open the link’s Edit page, untick Cloaking enabled, and save.