Free Broken Link Checker: Find 404 and Dead Links

How the broken link checker works

1. Level 1: it loads the start page you enter and checks every link on it, internal and external.
2. Level 2: it opens each internal HTML page linked from the start page and checks every link on those pages too.
3. It reports links that return 404 Not Found or 410 Gone after following redirects, with up to five pages where each link appears and its anchor text (or the image alt text for image links).

The same site with and without www. counts as internal. One scan checks up to 1,500 URLs; when that limit is reached the summary says the results are partial.

What it does not report

• Timeouts, connection errors and 5xx server errors are counted in the summary but not listed as broken links, because they are often temporary or caused by a firewall.
• Links to social networks (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube and similar), mailto:, tel: and javascript: links, and WordPress admin, login, feed and cart action links are skipped.
• Pages deeper than two levels are not crawled. To check a whole site, run the checker on section pages or use your sitemap with the Sitemap URL Extractor.
• Links added only by JavaScript after the page loads are not seen, because the checker reads the HTML the server returns.

How to fix the broken links you find

• If the page moved, update the link to the new URL, or add a 301 redirect from the old address.
• If the page is gone for good, remove the link or point it to the closest useful page.
• For external links, replace them with a working source or remove them.
• Check a single redirect chain or status code with the HTTP Redirect & Status Checker.

FAQ

Is this broken link checker free? Do I need an account?

Yes. It is free to use and needs no sign-up.

Is a 404 the same as a dead link?

A dead link is any link whose target no longer works. This checker lists the two clear cases, 404 (not found) and 410 (gone). A timeout or 5xx error can also mean a dead link, but it may be temporary, so those are only counted.

Why did my site return an error or show no links?

The start page must answer with HTTP 200 and HTML. Firewalls, bot protection or login walls can block the check. Requests identify themselves with a user agent that contains XunLDeadLinkMonitor/1.0, so you can allow it if needed.

Can I scan a local or internal site?

No. Only public http:// and https:// addresses can be checked; private and internal network addresses are refused.