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2 Comments

Hover over links in email newsletters and see where it redirects to

Hi,

I subscribe to email newsletters which contain hyperlinks. I'd like to be able to hover over a hyperlink and see what the URL is before deciding whether to click on it.

However, the hyperlinks are something like this:

https://ben-evans.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b98e2de85f03865f1d38de74f&id=84e2ac79f9&e=749d74a805

and I can't easily work out where the hyperlink links to.

(FWIW, this link redirects to: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-florida-idUSKBN2A82FV?taid=6021cab1d3964a0001081cd0&utm_source=Benedict's+Newsletter&utm_campaign=05e1fbe6a6-Benedict's+newsletter_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4999ca107f-05e1fbe6a6-71266513 )

Is there some way which lets me find out the destination URL without me having to click on it first?

I don't like clicking on links in emails without seeing where it leads to. For example, if I can see that it's a dubious looking domain, then I would be more careful in case it's a phishing site.

FWIW, I use Gmail so a Gmail specific solution (browser extension?) could work for me. Seeing the link by hovering over it seems natural to me, but I'd consider alternatives too.

Thanks all for reading!

  1. 1

    Hi all,

    I built my own solution to this. It's a bit raw and I don't know how scalable it is.

    Please see: https://bengtan.com/blog/email-cleaner-clean-tracking-links-and-pixels/

    Thanks!

  2. 1

    Obviously, I've posted a description of a problem instead of an idea. But if there isn't an existing solution to this problem, then it's a potential idea to consider.

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