What is a broken link checker?

A broken link checker is a tool that fetches a web page, extracts every hyperlink on it, and tests each destination to report which ones return errors such as 404 Not Found or fail to respond at all.

How do I find 404 errors on a page?

Enter the page URL and the checker requests each linked destination, flagging any that return a 404 or other 4xx/5xx status, plus links that time out or fail to resolve.

Does this crawl my entire website?

No. It checks only the links found on the single page URL you submit. To audit a whole site, run each important page through the tool separately.

How many links can it check at once?

Up to 100 unique links per page. Each is tested with a fast HEAD request and a short timeout, so a full page's results come back within a few seconds.

Where does the check actually run?

On our EU-based servers, not in your browser. The tool sends standard HEAD requests from European infrastructure under a clearly identified user agent and uses no third-party services.

Broken Link Checker

Scan any public web page, follow every link it contains and get back a clear list of which destinations are dead, broken or redirected.

About Broken Link Checker

Give the Broken Link Checker a page URL and our EU servers fetch the HTML, parse it, and pull out every hyperlink it contains. Each destination is then tested with a lightweight HEAD request so we can report its HTTP status without downloading the whole target page. Both internal links (to your own domain) and external links (to other sites) are checked, up to 100 unique links per page, and each result shows the link's status code alongside the anchor text it used.

Reading the report is straightforward. A status in the 200 range is healthy; a 404 means the target page no longer exists; other 4xx codes are client errors such as forbidden or gone; 5xx codes point to a failing server on the other end. A link with no status at all could not be reached - the domain failed to resolve, the connection timed out, or the host refused it - which usually signals a genuinely dead link rather than a temporary blip.

Dead links matter more than they look. For visitors they break trust and interrupt journeys; for search engines they waste crawl budget and can dilute the authority you pass through your pages. Link rot is gradual and invisible: external sites move, rename URLs or shut down, and internal links break quietly after a migration or a CMS restructure. A periodic 404 sweep is the cheapest way to catch these before users or crawlers do.

The check runs server-side from our European infrastructure, so nothing is installed in your browser and you don't need a browser extension. Requests go out as standard HEAD calls under an identifiable dns-checker.eu user agent, each with a short timeout, and the tool refuses to probe private or reserved addresses. It inspects only the single page URL you submit - it is a per-page audit, not a full-site crawler - so run your key pages through it one at a time.

How to use it

1Paste the full URL, including https://, of the page you want to audit.
2Run the check so the server fetches the page and extracts up to 100 unique links.
3Review the results table, where each link shows its HTTP status and the anchor text it used.
4Filter for entries flagged as broken - 4xx, 5xx or no response - and fix or remove them.
5Re-run the check after your edits to confirm every destination now returns a healthy status.

Common use cases

-Auditing a blog post or landing page for 404s before or after publishing.
-Finding link rot in older documentation where the external sites it cites have moved or closed.
-Checking that a site migration or URL restructure left no dangling internal links.
-Verifying that the outbound links in a newsletter or reference page still resolve.
-Spot-checking a partner, supplier or reference page for dead links before you rely on it.

Frequently asked questions

What is a broken link checker?: A broken link checker is a tool that fetches a web page, extracts every hyperlink on it, and tests each destination to report which ones return errors such as 404 Not Found or fail to respond at all.
How do I find 404 errors on a page?: Enter the page URL and the checker requests each linked destination, flagging any that return a 404 or other 4xx/5xx status, plus links that time out or fail to resolve.
Does this crawl my entire website?: No. It checks only the links found on the single page URL you submit. To audit a whole site, run each important page through the tool separately.
How many links can it check at once?: Up to 100 unique links per page. Each is tested with a fast HEAD request and a short timeout, so a full page's results come back within a few seconds.
What does a link with no status code mean?: It means the destination could not be reached at all - the domain failed to resolve, the connection timed out, or the server refused it - which usually indicates a genuinely dead link.
Where does the check actually run?: On our EU-based servers, not in your browser. The tool sends standard HEAD requests from European infrastructure under a clearly identified user agent and uses no third-party services.