How to Shorten Links in Bulk For Free | Shorten 10K URLs

Shortening links one by one is fine—until you’re working with dozens or thousands of them.

Whether you’re a marketer running a campaign, an OnlyFans agency managing 100+ clients, or a business owner sharing URLs across channels, manually shortening each link wastes time.

This post will teach you how to shorten links in bulk for free, even if you’re just getting started.

We’ll cover everything: what bulk URL shortening is, why it matters, how it works, and how to do it using Linko’s free tool.

Plus, you’ll get pro tips, common mistakes to avoid, and real examples to guide your way.

🔑 Key takeaways

• Bulk link shortening saves time by converting multiple long URLs into short ones in one go.
• Linko offers a free plan that supports shortening up to 50 links at once, including direct paste or CSV upload.
• Get built-in features like UTM tagging, analytics, link scheduling, A/B testing, and geo-targeting with Linko’s Paid Plan.
• Common mistakes to avoid include uploading invalid formats, forgetting https://, and skipping UTM tags.
• For serious marketers, bulk link shortening is essential for campaign scaling, error reduction, and consistent performance tracking.
• Linko also supports advanced tools like QR codes, CTA overlays, and branded domains if you upgrade.

What is bulk link shortening?

Bulk link shortening is the process of converting multiple long URLs into short, trackable links in a single go, rather than one at a time.

Instead of copying and pasting each link into a shortener manually, you upload or paste a list of URLs, and the tool generates shortened versions all at once.

Think of it as batch processing for links.

This is especially helpful for:

• Affiliates managing hundreds of UTM-tagged URLs
• Content managers updating outdated links
• Ecommerce store owners tracking product URLs
• Anyone who just doesn’t want to shorten links one by one

Why shorten links in bulk?

Here’s why bulk URL shortening is more than just a time-saver:

✅ Saves hours of manual work

Bulk shortening automates what could take hours if done one link at a time. You can upload 50 or even 10,000+ links and be done in seconds.

✅ Keeps campaigns consistent

Campaign managers and affiliates often need to add UTM tags. Bulk shortening ensures all links are shortened with the same structure and branding.

✅ Enables better analytics

Shortened links help you track clicks, referrals, devices, locations, and performance—all in one dashboard.

✅ Reduces errors

Manual shortening increases the chances of pasting the wrong link or missing one altogether. Bulk processing ensures uniformity.

✅ Essential for scaling

If you run large email campaigns, ads, or social media scheduling—scaling without automation is a nightmare.

Step-by-step guide: How to shorten links in bulk for free

Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: exactly how to shorten links in bulk without paying a dime—at least for your first 50 short links.

We’ll walk you through using Linko, a free and powerful URL shortener that allows up to 50 bulk links in its free plan.

🔹 Step 1: Sign up for a free Linko account

Head over to Linko.me and create a free account. No credit card required.

• You’ll land on a clean dashboard.
• You get access to the link shortener, QR generator, bio page editor, analytics, and more.

📝 Free plan includes up to 50 link shortenings, either one-by-one or in bulk.

🔹 Step 2: Prepare your list of URLs

Make a list of the URLs you want to shorten.

• You can simply paste each URL on a new line.
• Or prepare a CSV file with URLs in the first column.

✅ Linko supports both methods, but shortening via CSV file has a few benefits.

Like you can add a

• Custom Alias,
• Meta Title and,
• Meta Description

for each URL in the CSV file.

Follow this guide for importing and shortening links via CSV file.

🔹 Step 3: Go to the bulk link shortener

In your Linko dashboard:

• Go to the shortening section and click on the Multiple button.
• Paste your URLs into the placeholder provided.
• Click the Shorten button to complete the process.

⏱️ Processing takes just a few seconds.

🔹 Step 4: Copy your shortened links

Once processing is complete:

• You’ll see a table of shortened links below the shortener and/or in the “My Links” section.

💡 Check out this post if you want to shorten links with custom slugs or branding.

🔹 Step 5: Track performance

Every link you shorten is tracked inside Linko:

• Click count
• Countries and devices
• Browsers
• Languages
• Referrers, and
• A/B split test data

This is perfect for campaign monitoring without using third-party analytics tools.

Tools you can use to shorten links in bulk

There are several tools available for bulk shortening, but very few offer a usable free plan with advanced features. Here’s a quick comparison:

🔍 Why Linko stands out:

• 50 Bulk Links in Free Plan
• CSV Support
• Multiple Domains
• Custom Slug
• Analytics
• Meta Tags (social sharing preview)
• CTA Overlay
• Custom Splash Page

💡Check out this post if you want to know the journey of URL shortening from the beginning.

Real-world use cases of bulk link shortening

Let’s see how people use bulk shortening in the real world.

🔸 Affiliate marketer

John, a Linko user, manages 40+ affiliate product links and wants to track which ones get more clicks. He shortens them in bulk, adds UTM tags, and monitors clicks in real-time.

🔸 Email campaign manager

Sara, a Linko user, runs weekly newsletters. Each edition includes dozens of links to blog posts, offers, and videos. With Linko, she pastes all her links, shortens them instantly, and inserts them into her email templates.

🔸 YouTuber with multiple channels

Alex, a Linko user, has three channels and promotes different playlists and sponsors. Instead of copying one by one, he uses Linko’s bulk shortener every month to save time.

🔸 Blogger updating old posts

Maria, a Linko user, is updating 100 blog posts with fresh links. She exports the new links to a CSV and bulk shortens them in Linko, then replaces them in her posts.

Common mistakes to avoid when shortening links in bulk

Even though bulk shortening is easy, some users mess up by skipping the basics:

• ❌ Uploading incorrect file formats
  Use plain text or simple CSVs—no weird headers, no extra formatting.
• ❌ Mixing full and partial URLs
  Always include https:// in every URL.
• ❌ Not reviewing shortened links
  Check a few links to ensure they redirect properly before launching a campaign.
• ❌ Not adding UTM tags
  Don’t miss out on campaign tracking—use Linko’s built-in UTM tag generator.
• ❌ Exceeding the free limit
  The free plan allows up to 50 shortened links. You’ll need a paid plan for more (starts from 1,000).

Pro tips for smarter bulk link shortening

Want to get even more out of your shortening workflow? Try these expert moves:

Use UTM templates

Before shortening, apply consistent UTM templates to all links for easier tracking inside Google Analytics.

Schedule link activations

Use Linko’s link scheduling to make links active only during specific hours or days.

Run A/B tests

You can set up A/B testing to rotate between two landing pages from a single short link.

Hide referrer data

Enable the “Hide Referrer” setting if you don’t want sites to know where the traffic is coming from.

Target by country

Use IP or country-based targeting to redirect users to different URLs based on location.

Conclusion

Shortening links in bulk doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With free tools like Linko, you can shorten up to 50 links in one go—saving time, reducing mistakes, and improving tracking.

If you’re working with larger campaigns or managing 100s or 1000s of URLs, upgrading to a paid plan unlocks even more power, from branded domains to deep analytics and automation.

Give it a try and simplify your workflow today.

👉 Start shortening links in bulk for free with Linko

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