> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dub.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to create a short link on Dub?

> Learn how to create your first short link on Dub and start tracking your links.

Dub's link builder comes with powerful features like [UTM builder](/help/article/utm-builder), [device targeting](/help/article/device-targeting), [password protection](/help/article/password-protected-links), [expiration dates](/help/article/link-expiration), and more.

Dub is also the only link management platform that lets you [customize the social media cards](/help/article/custom-link-previews) for your links, so you can have full control over how your links look when shared on social media.

In this article, we will take a look at how you can leverage these features to create your first short link on Dub.

## Step 1: Open the Dub link builder

There are 3 ways to open the [Dub link builder](/help/article/dub-link-builder) to create a short link:

1. **Slowest**: Click on the "Create link" button on the dashboard.
2. **Faster**: Use the keyboard shortcut `c` to open the link builder.
3. **Fastest**: Just paste in a valid URL into the dashboard. This will automatically open the link builder and pre-fill the URL field.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://assets.dub.co/help/dub-link-builder.jpg" alt="The Dub link builder" />
</Frame>

As you can see, the link builder also gives you a preview of your short link on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn.

## Step 2: Enter your destination URL

Enter your destination URL in the "Destination URL" field. You can enter the URL with or without the `https://` protocol – behind the scenes, Dub will automatically make sure it's formatted correctly.

## Step 3: Set a short link slug (optional)

Under the **Short Link** field, you can either:

1. Enter your own short link slug
2. Generate a random short link slug
3. [Generate a short link slug with AI](https://dub.co/blog/introducing-dub-ai)

<Frame>
  <video src="https://assets.dub.co/help/generate-shortlink-ai.mp4" loop autoPlay muted playsInline />
</Frame>

<Tip>
  This step is optional. If you don't enter a short link slug, Dub will generate
  one for you.
</Tip>

## Step 4: Customize your link previews (recommended)

You can also [set custom link previews](/help/article/custom-link-previews) for your short link to control how your links look when shared on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Slack, Telegram, iMessage, and more.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://assets.dub.co/help/custom-link-previews.png" alt="Create custom link previews for your links" />
</Frame>

You can also use AI to generate custom link previews for your links. [Learn more](/help/article/custom-link-previews).

<Frame>
  <video src="https://assets.dub.co/help/generate-metatags-ai.mp4" loop autoPlay muted playsInline />
</Frame>

## Step 5: Add tags to your short link (optional)

Optionally, you can add tags to your short link to help organize your links and make them easier to find.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://assets.dub.co/help/multiple-tags-dropdown.png" alt="Fun fact: You can assign multiple tags to a given Dub link" />
</Frame>

You can also [filter your analytics by tags](/help/article/filter-analytics-by-tags), which allows you to create powerful campaign-specific reports for your links.

That's it! You've just created your first short link on Dub.

## Advanced link features

Additionally, Dub also offers a variety of advanced link features that you can use to enhance your short links:

1. **UTM Builder**: Add UTM parameters to your links. [Learn more](/help/article/utm-builder).
2. **Link Cloaking**: Mask your destination URL with your short link. [Learn more](/help/article/link-cloaking).
3. **Password Protection**: Protect your links with a password. [Learn more](/help/article/password-protected-links).
4. **Expiration Date**: Set an expiration date for your links. [Learn more](/help/article/link-expiration).
5. **Device Targeting**: Set a custom destination URL for iOS and Android devices. [Learn more](/help/article/device-targeting).
6. **Geo Targeting**: Redirect your users to different links based on their location. [Learn more](/help/article/geo-targeting).
7. **Search Engine Indexing**: Control how your links are indexed by search engines. [Learn more](/help/article/how-noindex-works).
8. **Comments**: Add comments to your links – for you and your team. [Learn more](/help/article/link-comments).

## Can I edit the destination URL of my link after it's created?

Yes, you can edit the destination URL of your link after it's created. To do so, click on the `⋮` button next to the link in the links list and select "Edit link".

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/dub/j9hR8Dhc1zTtE3YO/images/dub-links/edit-link-popover.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=j9hR8Dhc1zTtE3YO&q=85&s=28b28800d3ffd4e97b0fe638963fd2bc" alt="Edit link popover" width="2014" height="1050" data-path="images/dub-links/edit-link-popover.png" />
</Frame>

This will open the [individual link settings page](https://dub.co/changelog/link-pages), where you can edit the destination URL and save the changes.

Unlike other link platforms like [Bitly](https://dub.co/compare/bitly) where you need to [pay a whopping \$1](https://support.bitly.com/hc/en-us/articles/14354987499661-How-do-I-purchase-more-links-or-redirects) every time you want to update the destination URL of a short link, you can edit the destination URL of your link on Dub for free – for as many times as you want.