# What Is t.co? X's Link Shortener, Explained

> What is t.co? It's X's (Twitter's) link shortener. Why every link on X becomes a t.co link, how it counts toward 280 characters, whether it's safe, and why t.co shows up in your analytics.

Canonical: https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/what-is-t-co
Last updated: 2026-10-28

Category: X. 

**t.co is X's link shortener.** Every link posted on X (formerly Twitter), in posts, bios and DMs, is wrapped in a `https://t.co/...` address. When someone clicks it, X checks the link and then sends them on to the real site. It's run by X itself, so a t.co link isn't a scam on its own; what matters is where it points. It's also why visitors from X show up as "t.co" in your website analytics.

## What t.co does

| Job | What it means for you |
| --- | --- |
| Shortens every link | Any URL counts as **23 characters** toward the 280-character limit, however long it is |
| Screens links | X checks destinations against lists of malicious and spam sites and can block or warn |
| Counts clicks | X knows how many people clicked, which feeds its link-click metrics |
| Shows a clean preview | Readers see the domain and part of the path, not the t.co code |

You don't create t.co links yourself and can't turn them off. Paste a normal link into a post, and X converts it when you publish.

## How t.co links count toward the character limit

Because every link becomes a t.co address, X counts **every link as 23 characters**, whether it's `example.com` or a 200-character tracking URL. That leaves about 256 characters for text in a standard post with one link (257 minus the space before it). Our [X character counter](https://scheduleforyou.com/tools/x-character-counter) counts links the same way, so you can check a draft before posting.

## Is t.co safe?

The t.co domain belongs to X and is legitimate. A t.co link can still lead anywhere the poster chose, including a scam site that X hasn't caught yet. A few habits help:

- **Read the visible domain** on the post or card before you click.
- **Be careful with t.co links in DMs** from accounts you don't know.
- **Don't log in** on a page you reached from a link unless you checked the address bar.
- **If you see a t.co link outside X**, for example in an email, treat it like any unknown shortened link.

If X flags a link, you'll see a warning page instead of being sent straight on.

## Why t.co shows up in your analytics

When someone clicks a link on X, the visit passes through t.co, so tools like Google Analytics often list the referrer as **t.co** rather than x.com. To separate one campaign or post from another, add UTM parameters to your links (for example `utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=launch`). The t.co wrapper keeps them, and they don't cost extra characters because every link counts as 23 anyway.

If you schedule posts, set the tagged link once and let it publish. Schedule For You posts to X from the same queue as LinkedIn, Threads and Bluesky, so one draft can carry a tagged link to each network. See the [X scheduler page](https://scheduleforyou.com/x) and our guide on [how to schedule tweets](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-to-schedule-tweets).

## Can you get the original link from a t.co link?

Yes. Hover over the link on X's website to see the destination, or open the post: the card shows the real domain. You can also paste the t.co address into a link-expander tool to see where it redirects without visiting it.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who owns t.co?
X, the company formerly called Twitter. It has run t.co since 2011.

### Can I turn off t.co on X?
No. Every link on X is wrapped automatically, in posts, bios and DMs.

### Why do all my links count as 23 characters on X?
Because X replaces them with t.co links, which are a fixed length. That's handy for long URLs and means UTM tags don't eat into your 280 characters.

### Is a t.co link a virus?
No. It's a redirect run by X. The destination could still be unsafe, so check the domain before clicking, especially in DMs from strangers.

## Related

- [All guides](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog)
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