Broken Link Checker
Free broken link checker — fetch a page, extract its links, and test each one's HTTP status to find 404s and broken links, with a clear status report.
About the Broken Link Checker
Broken links frustrate visitors and waste crawl budget. This free broken link checker fetches any page server-side, extracts every link on it, and then checks the HTTP status of each one — reporting which links are healthy, which redirect, and which are dead 404s or server errors.
It resolves relative links to absolute URLs, deduplicates them, and tests each with a lightweight headers-only request so the scan is fast. To keep things responsive it checks up to the first several dozen links and shows live progress, then presents a clear status table you can scan or copy.
Run it on your own pages to catch broken links before users do, on a page after a migration, or on any URL you are auditing. Fixing 404s improves user experience, preserves link equity, and keeps your site looking maintained.
How to Use the Broken Link Checker
- 1Enter the page URL whose links you want to check.
- 2Click Check links to fetch the page and extract its links.
- 3Watch the progress as each link's status is tested.
- 4Review the status table and fix any broken links found.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a broken link?
A broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page that no longer exists or cannot be reached, returning an error such as 404 Not Found or a 5xx server error. Broken links lead users to dead ends, waste crawler resources, and signal a poorly maintained site.
How does this broken link checker work?
It fetches the page you enter, extracts every link in its HTML, resolves them to absolute URLs, and sends a lightweight request to each to read its HTTP status code. Links returning 200 are healthy, 3xx are redirects, and 4xx or 5xx are flagged as broken.
Why does it only check a limited number of links?
Each link is tested with its own network request, so checking hundreds would be slow and heavy for a free tool. It caps the scan at the first several dozen links on the page to stay fast and responsive, which covers the important links on most pages. Check inner pages separately for full coverage.
Do broken links hurt SEO?
Broken internal links waste crawl budget and interrupt the flow of link equity through your site, while broken outbound links signal neglect. Neither directly penalises you, but both harm user experience and crawl efficiency, so fixing them is a standard part of technical SEO maintenance.
How do I fix a broken link?
Update the link to the correct current URL, or if the target is gone for good, point it to a relevant replacement page or remove it. For pages you have moved, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL so existing links keep working.