How to Set Expiring Links That Auto-Disable

URLNIX Pro lets you set an expiry date, a click limit, or both on any short link. Once the limit is reached, the link automatically stops redirecting and shows a clean expired page instead of a 404 error.

Setting an Expiry Date

To add an expiry date to a link:

  1. Open your Dashboard and find the link
  2. Click the link row to open the detail panel
  3. Go to the Settings tab
  4. Under Expiration, toggle on Expire by date
  5. Set the date and time (times are in your local timezone, converted to UTC for storage)
  6. Click Save

After the expiry date and time passes, the link automatically stops redirecting. Visitors who click it see a branded expired page.

Setting a Click Limit

Click limits let you control exactly how many people can use a link:

  1. In the link's Settings tab, toggle on Expire by click count
  2. Enter the maximum number of clicks
  3. Click Save

Once the click count is reached, the link stops redirecting — even if the expiry date hasn't arrived. If you set both, the link expires when whichever threshold is hit first.

What Visitors See After Expiry

Expired links show a clean, professional "This link has expired" page. The destination URL is not revealed. The page is served by URLNIX and looks like a deliberate experience, not a broken link. This protects your brand for time-limited campaigns and events.

Extending or Removing Expiry

You can update or remove expiry settings at any time from the Settings tab, including after a link has already expired. Removing the expiry date or click limit immediately reactivates the link. No analytics history is lost — the click count continues from where it was.

Use Cases

Flash sales and promotions. Set a link to expire at midnight on the last day of a sale. Share the link freely — it stops working automatically. You don't need to manually disable it.

Event registration. Cap early-bird sign-ups at N people. Once that many people have clicked, the link expires and latecomers see the "sold out" expired page.

Exclusive access. Send a link to your first 50 email subscribers that auto-expires after 50 clicks. Everyone else who tries to use it after that sees the expired page.

Time-gated content. Release content on a specific launch date and time. Combine with password protection for even tighter control — share the link in advance, remove the password on launch day, and let the expiry handle the deadline automatically.