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Browser extension by A2Z Tools
LinkGuard
Know where a link really goes before opening it.
Preview a link's real destination, spot look-alike domains and shorteners, and copy a clean URL without tracking parameters.
- Coming soon to the stores
- Free
- No account needed
- Version 1.0.0
Chrome Web StoreComing soon for Chrome
Microsoft Edge Add-onsComing soon for Edge
Firefox Add-onsComing soon for Firefox
We are preparing the store listings. The buttons switch on as soon as each store approves the extension; there are no unofficial downloads.
Screenshots
What LinkGuard does
A link's text and its destination do not have to agree, and that gap is where most phishing lives. LinkGuard shows you the real address of a link before you click, with the domain that actually matters highlighted.
It flags the patterns behind deceptive links: text that names one site while the link opens another, look-alike domains built from other alphabets, raw IP addresses, user-name tricks, shorteners that hide the destination and redirect wrappers. Tracking parameters are listed one by one so you can copy or open a clean link without them.
Everything is analysed locally in your browser. LinkGuard only contacts a website when you ask it to follow a link's redirects, and only after you allow access to that site.
Key features
- Hover card: the link's real address with the domain highlighted, before you click
- Warns when the link text names one site but the link opens another
- Spots look-alike (punycode and mixed-alphabet) domains, raw IP addresses, user-name tricks and unencrypted links
- Recognises 40+ URL shorteners and known redirect wrappers (Google, Facebook, Outlook Safe Links and more)
- Lists tracking parameters with a per-parameter keep/remove preview, then copies or opens the clean link
- Inspector page that can follow a link's redirects without opening it
- Optional: remove tracking parameters automatically from links you click, with an allow list
- Smart mode only shows cards for links worth a look; hold Alt to see any link
Keyboard shortcuts
- Open LinkGuard Alt Shift L
Shortcuts can be changed in your browser's extension shortcut settings.
Privacy
Links are analysed in your browser. LinkGuard never sends the links you hover or click anywhere, has no account and no analytics. It contacts a website only when you ask it to find a link's final destination.
What it can access
The address and visible text of the one link you point at or right-click. When enabled, the addresses of links you click (to remove tracking parameters).
Where data is stored
storage.local in this browser profile: settings, allow lists and per-site on/off choices. No history of links is kept.
Network requests
None by default. "Find final destination" sends one cookie-less HEAD (or GET, aborted after the headers) request to the link's own server, after you grant access to that site.
How long it is kept
Settings stay until you change them or remove the extension. Analysed links are not stored.
No account, no analytics, no advertising, no selling or sharing of data, and no remotely hosted code.
Permissions and why they are needed
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Storage
Saves your hover mode, allow list and parameter preferences on this device.
-
Context menus
Adds "Inspect link with LinkGuard" to the right-click menu on links.
-
Active tab
When you open the toolbar popup, lets it read the current tab's address so it can offer a clean copy of it.
-
Access to websites Only if you turn it on
Optional, asked one site at a time when you press "Find final destination": lets LinkGuard ask that link's server where it redirects, without cookies and without opening the page.
Runs inside web pages on: all websites.
Browser compatibility
| Browser | Minimum version | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome |
120 | Coming soon |
| Microsoft Edge |
120 | Coming soon |
| Mozilla Firefox |
140.0 | Coming soon |
Good to know
- Redirects done by page scripts or meta-refresh pages (some shorteners show an interstitial first) cannot be followed without opening the page.
- Only the final address is shown, not each hop in between.
- Links that change their target when clicked (rewritten by the page's own script) may show the pre-click address.
- Cards do not appear inside cross-origin frames.
Frequently asked questions
Does LinkGuard send my links to a server?
No. Links are analysed inside your browser. The only request LinkGuard ever makes is when you press Find final destination, and it goes to the link's own server, without cookies.
Will it show a card on every link?
Not in the default Smart mode: cards appear only for links with something worth a look. Hold Alt (or the key you choose) on any link to see its card, or switch to Every link.
Which tracking parameters does it remove?
Only well-known analytics and advertising parameters such as utm_source, fbclid, gclid, mc_cid and mc_eid, plus a few site-specific ones. Functional parameters are kept, and you can keep or add any parameter.
Can it expand shortened links?
Yes, from the inspector. It follows the server's redirects without opening the page. Shorteners that show an interstitial page instead of redirecting cannot be expanded this way.
Changelog
-
Version 1.0.0
- Initial release: hover and right-click link cards, look-alike and mismatch warnings, tracking-parameter cleaning, redirect inspector
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Questions, bugs or ideas for LinkGuard? Contact the A2Z Tools team.