# How do I shorten a link?

> Paste a long URL on blinkhop.com and get a short zou.sh link right away, copied to your clipboard. No account, no ads and no captcha.

Source: https://blinkhop.com/help/how-to-shorten-a-link

To shorten a link, paste the long URL into the field on the blinkhop.com home page. You get a short zou.sh link right away, already copied to your clipboard, with no account, ads or captcha in the way.

## Shorten a link on the website

1. Open blinkhop.com and click the field that says "Paste a long link…".
2. Paste your URL. When the field is empty, pasting shortens the link immediately. If you typed the URL instead, click **Shorten**.
3. Your short link appears, for example `https://zou.sh/7Kp2x`, and is copied to your clipboard.
4. Click **QR** to open its QR code, or **New** to shorten another link.

Want a readable link such as `https://zou.sh/launch` instead of a random code? See [How do I choose a custom ending?](https://blinkhop.com/help/choose-a-custom-ending)

## What you get

- **A short code.** Codes have 5 characters by default and skip look-alike characters (no 0/O, 1/l/I). Letter case doesn't matter when someone types the link.
- **One link per URL.** Shorten the same URL again without a custom ending and you get the existing link back, not a duplicate.
- **A link that lasts.** Short links never expire unless an owner sets an expiry, which requires an account (early access).
- **A preview page.** Add `+` to the end (`https://zou.sh/7Kp2x+`) to see the destination, the creation date and the total clicks.

## Shorten a link from the command line

The REST API does the same thing, and you don't need a key to try it:

```bash
curl --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com/a/very/long/link?utm_source=newsletter" \
  "https://api.blinkhop.com/v1/links?format=text"
```

`?format=text` returns only the short URL. Leave it out to get the full JSON response. The [API quickstart](https://blinkhop.com/docs/quickstart) walks you through your first request.

Still stuck? [Contact us](https://blinkhop.com/contact) and include the URL you tried to shorten.