Link Preview Checker: See Exactly How Your URL Looks Before You Share It
Paste any URL and instantly check how its link preview renders on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord — free, no signup required.
Check Your Link Preview in Seconds
You wrote a beautiful post. You've got the perfect caption. You're about to hit "Share", but do you actually know what your link looks like to everyone else?
Most people don't. And that's the problem.
Every platform ( LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord) generates a link preview card when you paste a URL. That card pulls your page's image, title, and description from meta tags in the HTML. If those tags are missing, broken, or just wrong, your audience sees a preview that looks like spam. Or worse, no preview at all.
A link preview checker lets you catch that before it happens. Paste the URL, see the previews, fix the issues, then share.
→ Check your link preview now (free)What a Link Preview Checker Actually Does
A link preview checker fetches the same metadata that social platforms read when you share a URL. It pulls the Open Graph tags, Twitter Card tags, and favicon, then renders a mock of what the preview card will look like on each platform.
Here's what gets checked:
| What's Checked | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
og:title | The headline shown in the preview card. If it's missing, platforms guess — and they guess badly. |
og:description | The supporting text. Too long and it gets truncated. Missing and you get nothing. |
og:image | The preview image. Wrong dimensions, slow server, or a 404 means no image at all. |
og:url | The canonical URL. Gets it wrong and analytics break. |
twitter:card | Tells Twitter what style of card to render (summary vs large image). |
twitter:image | Twitter can use a different image than OG — or fall back to og:image. |
| Favicon | Shown next to the domain name on some platforms (WhatsApp, Slack). |
Without a checker, you'd need to paste your link into 6+ different platforms and wait for each to crawl it. That's slow, annoying, and you'd need accounts on all of them. A link preview checker does it all in one place.
Why Your Link Preview Is Probably Broken (And You Don't Know It)
If you've never run your URL through a link preview checker, there's a good chance something's off. Here are the most common problems we see:
1. The Image Doesn't Show Up
This is the number one issue. It happens when:
- The
og:imagetag is missing entirely - The image URL returns a 404 (you changed your file structure but forgot to update the tag)
- The image is an SVG (most platforms don't render SVG in previews)
- The image server is slow: WhatsApp in particular gives up after a few seconds
Fix: Add a proper og:image tag pointing to a JPG or PNG at 1200×630 pixels. Host it on a CDN so it loads fast.
2. The Title Makes No Sense
When og:title is missing, platforms try to extract a title from the <title> tag or the first heading on the page. The result is usually something like:
"Home | MyCompany | The Leading Platform for Enterprise Solutions in..."
That's not a title. That's a sentence nobody wants to read.
Fix: Add an explicit og:title tag. Keep it under 60 characters. Make it describe what the reader will get, not what your company does.
3. The Preview Is Cached (and Stale)
You fixed the tags. You refreshed the page. But LinkedIn still shows the old broken preview. Why?
Because platforms cache link previews. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Slack — they all cache aggressively. Once they've fetched your metadata, they hold onto it for hours or days.
Fix: Use each platform's cache-clearing tool:
- LinkedIn: Post Inspector
- Facebook: Sharing Debugger
- Twitter: Previews refresh automatically after a few minutes, but can lag
- WhatsApp: No official tool — try appending a query param like
?v=2to force a re-fetch
4. Each Platform Shows Something Different
You checked on Twitter and it looks fine. Then you share on LinkedIn and the image is cropped weirdly. WhatsApp shows the right image but the wrong title.
This happens because each platform has slightly different rendering rules:
| Platform | Primary Tags | Image Size | Title Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Graph | 1200×627px | ~150 chars | |
| Twitter/X | Twitter Cards (fallback to OG) | 1200×628px | ~70 chars |
| Open Graph | 1200×630px | ~88 chars | |
| Open Graph | 300×200px min | ~65 chars | |
| Slack | OG + Twitter Cards | 1200×630px | No hard limit |
| Discord | OG + Twitter Cards | 1200×630px | ~256 chars |
A link preview checker shows you all of these at once — so you can catch the one platform where things look wrong.
How to Check Your Link Preview (Step by Step)
Here's the fastest way to check how your URL preview looks across all major platforms:
Step 1: Grab Your URL
Copy the exact URL you plan to share. Include any UTM parameters, query strings, or tracking codes — these can sometimes affect how the page renders.
Step 2: Paste It Into the Link Preview Checker
Use ChottuLink's Social Preview Tool — paste your URL and click Preview. The tool fetches your page's metadata and renders mock preview cards for each platform.
Step 3: Check Each Platform
Look at the preview for every platform you plan to share on. Ask yourself:
- ✅ Does the image look right? (Not cropped, not blurry, not missing)
- ✅ Is the title clear and benefit-driven?
- ✅ Does the description make sense and fit the character limit?
- ✅ Is the domain name correct?
Step 4: Fix What's Broken
If something's off, update the meta tags in your page's <head>:
<!-- Open Graph (LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp) -->
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Title Here">
<meta property="og:description" content="A clear, compelling description under 160 characters">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/preview-image.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://yourdomain.com/your-page">
<!-- Twitter Card -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Title Here">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="A clear, compelling description">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/preview-image.jpg">
Step 5: Re-Test and Clear Caches
After updating your tags, run the preview checker again. If you've shared the link before on any platform, clear the cache using the appropriate tool (Post Inspector for LinkedIn, Sharing Debugger for Facebook).
What Makes a Good Link Preview
A well-optimized preview card has four things working together:
1. A Compelling Preview Image
This is what people see first. The image should be:
- 1200×630 pixels (the universal sweet spot across platforms)
- JPG or PNG (not SVG, not WebP — most platforms don't support them in previews)
- Under 1MB (so it loads fast, especially on WhatsApp)
- Visually clear at small sizes (it'll often render at 300px wide on mobile)
- Branded — use your logo, colors, or product screenshots. Generic stock photos kill CTR.
2. A Title That Earns the Click
Your og:title is not your <title> tag. It should be shorter, punchier, and written for social feeds — not search engines.
Good examples:
- "Save 3 Hours a Week with Smart Link Management"
- "Why Your App Links Break on WhatsApp (And How to Fix It)"
Bad examples:
- "MyCompany | Home"
- "Product Features — MyCompany — The #1 Platform"
3. A Description That Creates Curiosity
You've got about 150 characters. Use them to tell the reader what they'll get if they click — not what your company does.
- ✅ "See exactly how your links appear on LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp — before you share."
- ❌ "MyCompany is the leading provider of link management solutions for enterprise teams."
4. A Recognizable Domain
If your URL shows bit.ly/abc123 or sometracker.page.link/xyz, people don't know where they're going. That kills trust.
Use your actual domain (yourdomain.com) or a branded short domain (link.yourdomain.com). ChottuLink supports custom branded domains on all paid plans — so every link you share shows your brand, not a third-party domain.
Link Preview Checker vs. Individual Platform Debuggers
You've probably seen Facebook's Sharing Debugger and LinkedIn's Post Inspector. They work — but they only check one platform at a time and require separate logins.
Here's how they compare:
| Feature | Link Preview Checker (ChottuLink) | Facebook Debugger | LinkedIn Post Inspector | Twitter Card Validator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms checked | All (LinkedIn, Twitter, FB, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord) | Facebook only | LinkedIn only | Twitter only |
| Login required? | No | Facebook login | LinkedIn login | Twitter/X login |
| Shows OG tag validation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Limited |
| Shows image issues | ✅ | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Cache clearing | Instructions provided | Built-in "Scrape Again" | Built-in re-fetch | Automatic |
| Deep link testing | ✅ (via Deep Link Tester) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
If you're sharing on multiple platforms (and almost everyone is), using a single link preview checker saves you from logging into three different debuggers and comparing results manually.
Platform-Specific Link Preview Quirks
Each platform has behaviors that trip people up. Here's what to watch for:
- Caches very aggressively — once cached, it can take hours to clear even after using Post Inspector
- Requires images at minimum 200×200px (but really, use 1200×627px)
- Falls back to the first image on the page if
og:imageis missing — often a tiny logo or icon - Post Inspector URL: linkedin.com/post-inspector
Twitter/X
- Uses Twitter Card tags first, then falls back to Open Graph
twitter:cardmust be set tosummary_large_imagefor the large preview format- Images smaller than 144×144px get skipped entirely
- The old Twitter Card Validator is deprecated — use ChottuLink's preview tool instead
- The Sharing Debugger is the official tool — but requires a Facebook login
- Facebook pre-fetches your page and caches the result. Click "Scrape Again" to force a refresh
- Supports
og:typeto control how the card is categorized (article, website, product)
- Reads Open Graph tags — but is extremely strict about
og:imageload times - No official debugger — you have to test by sending the link to yourself in a chat
- Image must be at least 300×200px or it won't render
- Preview caching has no reliable expiry — use a fresh URL parameter (
?v=2) if you need an immediate update
Slack
- Renders both OG and Twitter Card tags (OG takes priority)
- Great for quick internal testing — paste any URL into a DM to yourself
- Shows favicon alongside the domain name, so make sure your favicon works
Discord
- Supports
<meta name="theme-color">for a colored sidebar on the embed — a nice brand touch - Truncates titles at ~256 characters, descriptions at ~2048
- Won't render previews for JavaScript-rendered OG tags — your meta tags must be in the static HTML
<head>
Check Your URL Preview for Free
ChottuLink's Social Preview Tool lets you check your link preview across all major platforms — no signup, no login, no cost.
What you get:
- Multi-platform preview — see your URL as it appears on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord in one view
- OG tag validation — instant feedback on missing or misconfigured meta tags
- Image check — flags size, format, and loading issues before they become visible problems
- Free to use — paste and preview, that's it
Want more?
- Deep Link Tester — goes deeper: domain health, iOS Universal Links, Android App Links, redirect chains, SSL, and more
- Share Analyzer — analyze any link's sharing performance and social engagement
- UTM Builder — quickly create properly formatted UTM tracking URLs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a link preview checker?
A link preview checker is a tool that shows you how a URL will appear when shared on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. It reads the Open Graph and Twitter Card meta tags from your page and renders a preview card — so you can see what your audience will see, without actually posting.
How do I check my URL preview?
Paste your URL into ChottuLink's Social Preview Tool. Click Preview. The tool fetches your page's metadata and shows you what the preview card looks like on each platform. If something looks wrong, update your og:title, og:description, and og:image tags in your page's HTML and test again.
Why does my link preview look different on each platform?
Each platform has its own rules for rendering previews. LinkedIn and Facebook use Open Graph tags. Twitter prefers its own Twitter Card tags (but falls back to OG). WhatsApp is strict about image loading speed. Discord adds a themed sidebar. They also have different image size requirements and character limits for titles and descriptions.
Why is my link preview not showing an image?
The most common causes: your og:image tag is missing, the image URL returns a 404, the image is in SVG format (which most platforms don't support), or the image server is too slow (WhatsApp gives up after a few seconds). Fix: add a proper og:image pointing to a 1200×630px JPG or PNG, hosted on a CDN.
How do I fix a cached link preview?
Each platform has its own method:
- LinkedIn: Use Post Inspector and click "Inspect"
- Facebook: Use Sharing Debugger and click "Scrape Again"
- Twitter: Previews refresh automatically (usually within minutes)
- WhatsApp: No official tool — try appending
?v=2to your URL to force a fresh fetch
Is the link preview checker free?
Yes. ChottuLink's Social Preview Tool is free to use with no signup required. You can preview your link on Facebook immediately. For other platforms, just verify your email to unlock them for the session.
What's the difference between a link preview checker and a deep link tester?
A link preview checker focuses on how your URL looks when shared — the image, title, description, and preview card rendering. A deep link tester goes further: it checks domain health, SSL certificates, iOS Universal Links (AASA), Android App Links (assetlinks.json), redirect chains, and app behavior. If you're sharing mobile app links, use the deep link tester. If you just want to check how a web page looks when shared, the preview checker is all you need.
Further Reading
- Deep Link Tester: Check Your Link Preview and URL Preview Before You Share
- How Rich Social Link Previews Boost CTR by 150%
- Open Graph Protocol Specification
- LinkedIn Post Inspector
- Facebook Sharing Debugger
Your link preview is the first thing people see. Make sure it's not the last thing they click.