The text you see on a link and the address it opens are two different things. "Track your parcel" can point anywhere. Before you tap a link in a text, email or social post, take two seconds to see the actual address. Every common device can do this without any extra apps.
iPhone and iPad
- Press and hold the link (don't tap). In Messages, Mail and Safari a menu appears with the link.
- In Safari, a preview of the page may load. Tap Hide Preview in the corner of the preview and Safari will show the full address instead. It remembers this, so future long-presses show the address. Tap Show Preview to bring previews back.
- To copy the link without opening it, choose Copy Link from the menu, then paste it into our Link Expander.
Hiding previews is worth doing on a phone you use for banking or work, because a preview loads the page in the background to draw it.
Android
- Press and hold the link. In Chrome and most messaging and email apps, a menu opens with the full address at the top.
- Choose Copy link address (wording varies by app) to copy it without opening it.
- Paste it into a link expander if it's a short link, or read the domain if it's a full address.
Windows and Mac computers
- Hover the mouse pointer over the link without clicking.
- Look at the bottom-left corner of the browser window, where the address appears. In desktop email programs such as Outlook, the address appears in a small pop-up next to the pointer.
- To copy it, right-click the link and choose Copy link or Copy link address.
How to read the address you see
Once you can see the address, find the real website name. It's the part just before the first single slash after https://, and the important bit is the end of that part.
| Address | Real website | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/track | canadapost-postescanada.ca | The real Canada Post site |
https://canadapost.track-parcel.info/pay | track-parcel.info | Not Canada Post: the brand is only a subdomain |
https://amazon.com.account-verify.net/login | account-verify.net | Not Amazon: "amazon.com" is just a prefix |
https://bit.ly/3xYz12 | bit.ly | A short link: expand it to see the destination |
Read from the right, not the left. Scammers put the brand name at the start because that's where people look. Watch for swapped characters as well, such as paypa1 with a number one, or rnicrosoft with "r" and "n" standing in for "m".
When the address alone isn't enough
Short links, QR codes and marketing links don't show their final destination until they're followed. For those, use the Link Expander for links and the QR Code Link Checker for codes. Both show the full path without the final page opening on your device.
If you've already tapped a link and now think it was a scam, see what to do if you clicked a suspicious link.
Frequently asked questions
Does long-pressing a link open the website?
No, holding the link only shows a menu. In Safari on iPhone, the preview can load the page in the background, which is why it is worth tapping Hide Preview so only the address is shown.
Why can't I see the address in some apps?
Some apps, such as certain social media apps, open links in their own browser and hide the address. Copy the link with the share or menu button and check it in a link expander instead.
Is a link with https always safe?
No. The padlock and https only mean the connection is encrypted. Scam sites use https too. What matters is which website the address actually belongs to.
What about links in PDFs and documents?
Hover over them on a computer, or press and hold on a phone, the same way. Links in attachments from unknown senders deserve extra care.