Markdown Link Checker
Extract and validate all links in your Markdown content. Find broken URLs, redirects, and errors instantly.
About This Tool
The Markdown Link Checker is a free browser-based tool that extracts every link from your Markdown content and validates them by checking their HTTP status. Whether you are maintaining a README, writing documentation, or publishing a blog post, broken links erode reader trust and hurt SEO rankings. This tool helps you catch them before they go live.
Paste any Markdown text and the parser instantly identifies all link types: standard inline links, reference-style links, image links, autolinks wrapped in angle brackets, and even bare URLs. Each link is displayed in a table alongside its source line number, link text, and type so you can locate it in your original document quickly.
When you click Check Links, the tool sends the extracted URLs to a lightweight API endpoint that performs HEAD requests (falling back to GET when needed) against each URL. The results show HTTP status codes, response times, and redirect targets. Links are color-coded: green for working (2xx), yellow for redirects (3xx), and red for errors (4xx/5xx) or timeouts.
Filters let you narrow the results to only broken links or only redirects. The Copy Report button generates a Markdown-formatted summary of all issues that you can paste directly into a GitHub issue, pull request comment, or project tracker. Links are checked in batches with a concurrency limit to avoid overwhelming target servers, and each request has a 10-second timeout so slow endpoints do not block the entire check.
How to Use
- Paste your Markdown content into the Markdown Input textarea, or click Sample to load example content.
- Links are extracted automatically and displayed in the table below with their line number, text, URL, and type.
- Click Check Links (or press Ctrl+Enter) to validate all extracted URLs.
- Watch the progress bar as each batch of URLs is checked. Results appear in real time.
- Use the All, Broken, or Redirects filter buttons to narrow the results.
- Click Copy Report (or press Ctrl+Shift+C) to copy a Markdown-formatted summary of broken links and redirects to your clipboard.
- Click Clear to reset the tool and start fresh.
FAQ
What types of Markdown links are detected?
The parser detects inline links ([text](url)), reference-style links ([text][ref] with [ref]: url definitions), image links (), autolinks (<url>), and bare HTTP/HTTPS URLs in plain text.
Does this tool check internal/anchor links?
Currently the tool only validates external HTTP and HTTPS URLs. Relative paths, fragment-only anchors (#section), and mailto: links are not checked because they require the context of a deployed site.
Is my Markdown content sent to a server?
Link extraction happens entirely in your browser. Only the extracted URLs are sent to the API route for validation. Your full Markdown text never leaves your machine.
How many links can I check at once?
The API accepts up to 50 URLs per request. If your document contains more than 50 unique URLs, they are automatically split into batches and checked sequentially with a progress bar.
Why does a working link show as broken?
Some websites block automated requests by rejecting HEAD requests or returning 403/429 status codes to non-browser user agents. The tool falls back to GET when HEAD fails, but some sites may still block the request. This does not necessarily mean the link is truly broken.
What is the timeout for each link?
Each URL has a 10-second timeout. If the server does not respond within that window, the link is marked as timed out with a gray icon. This prevents slow endpoints from blocking the entire check process.
Can I export the results?
Yes. Click the Copy Report button to copy a Markdown-formatted report of all broken links and redirects to your clipboard. You can paste it directly into a GitHub issue, pull request, or any Markdown-compatible editor.
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