Links created in the past using Google’s URL shortener will no longer be accessible starting August 25 next year. The company will then permanently shut down the tool, potentially leaving millions of dead links.

Google He writes in a blog post Links created in the past using their URL shortener will no longer be accessible as of August 25, 2025 and will display warnings about it. These are URLs that start with goo.gl.

Google’s URL shortener is long gone; the company has moved in. I already pulled the plug in 2018.The tech giant wanted developers to switch to Firebase Dynamic Links, a URL shortener that would make it easier to create links for apps and mobile devices. So the goo.gl shortener no longer works. However, Google now says that links created in the past will no longer be accessible starting next year. After August 25, all those links will lead to a 404 page.

Starting August 23 of this year, visitors to shorter URLs will see a warning. According to Google, the intermediate page is also intended for administrators, who can track how many links they need to replace. Initially, this concerns a small percentage of links, but according to the company, this percentage will increase as the expiration date approaches. Administrators who do not want to use the intermediate page can use the parameter si=1 In addition to the links.

Google did not give a reason for the shutdown, but admitted that it “could cause problems.” At the time, the company shut down its URL shortening service as it saw the rise of several competing services like Bit.ly.