Link scheduling
Schedule a short link to activate at a future date and time instead of the moment you create it. Pair a go-live time with an end and a click limit, and you've built a time-windowed link that opens and closes on its own — ideal for launches, flash sales, and embargoed content.
What is link scheduling?
Normally a short link works the instant you make it. Link scheduling adds a go-live time: you set a future date and time, and the link stays dormant until then, activating on its own when the moment arrives. It's the difference between manually flipping a link on at midnight and setting it up a week ahead to launch itself. You can schedule the link, print its QR code, and line up your posts — all before it's live.
Scheduling (start) vs. expiration (stop)
These are the two ends of a link's life, and it helps to keep them straight. Scheduling is the start side: the link is dormant, then goes live at your scheduled time. Expiration is the stop side: the link stops working after a date or a click limit. Set both on the same link and you get a time-windowed link — one that exists only inside a defined window, opening at launch and closing when the promotion ends. This page owns the start side and the combined window; the expiration page covers the stop side in full.
What happens before a link goes live
Being clear about this matters, because you can share a scheduled link before it's active. Until the go-live time, anyone who opens it sees a "Link Not Active Yet" page instead of your destination — so no one reaches the target early. That not-yet-active state is deliberately never cached, which is what lets the link flip live promptly when the scheduled time arrives. Treat activation as prompt but near-real-time rather than to-the-second, and if timing is critical, give yourself a small margin.
Where scheduled links shine
Product launches
Set the exact drop time and let the link go live on its own — no staying up to flip it on manually.
Flash sales
A link that opens when the sale starts and closes when it ends, with a click cap if you want one.
Embargoed content
Share the URL with press or partners now; it stays dormant until the embargo lifts.
Timed drops
Coordinate a release across channels so everyone hits a working link at the same moment.
Combine a start, an end, and a click limit
The three controls stack on one link. Set a go-live time so it opens on schedule, an expiry so it closes when the campaign ends, and a click limit as a cap on top — whichever end condition is reached first stops the link. That's the full lifecycle of a promotional link handled in one place, set once and left to run, with your click analytics recording the whole window.
Link scheduling FAQ
Can I schedule when a link goes live?+
Yes. Set a start date and time and the link activates at that future moment instead of the instant you create it. Scheduling is available on paid plans.
What happens before the start time?+
The link isn't active yet, so visitors who reach it early see a 'Link Not Active Yet' page rather than your destination. That state isn't cached, so the link flips live promptly when the scheduled time arrives.
How is scheduling different from expiration?+
Scheduling controls when a link starts; expiration controls when it stops, by date or click limit. They're two ends of the same lifecycle — see link expiration for the stop side.
Can I set both a start and an end?+
Yes. Give a link a go-live time and an end and you've built a time-windowed link that only works inside that window. The start has to be before the end.
What timezone does the schedule use?+
You pick a specific date and time when you set it up, and the link goes live at that exact moment. Choose the time that corresponds to when you want it live for your audience.
Can I also cap a scheduled link by clicks?+
Yes. Combine the time window with a click limit, and whichever limit is reached first ends the link — a start time, an end time, and a maximum number of clicks all on one link.
Can I schedule a link's destination to change on a date?+
You schedule when this link activates and expires. Changing where a live link points is a separate edit you make when you want it, rather than a pre-scheduled swap.
Do scheduled links still get QR codes and analytics?+
Yes. It's the same link, so its QR code and click tracking carry through the whole window — you can print the code ahead of time and it starts working at go-live.
Does the link activate exactly on the second?+
Treat go-live and expiry as prompt but near-real-time, not to-the-millisecond. For anything time-critical, schedule with a little margin rather than banking on an exact instant.
Is link scheduling free?+
Scheduling a future go-live is a paid-plan feature. You can create a free account to get started, and the scheduling control appears on the plans that include it.
Schedule your next link
Set a go-live time, add an end and a click limit if you need them, and let the link run itself.