Free Tools for Creators

linked.is provides a collection of free tools to help creators, developers, and marketers with their daily tasks. You can use all of them without an account at linked.is/tools. This guide covers each tool in detail.

Available Tools

Free URL Shortener

Shorten any link without creating an account. Open it at /tools/url-shortener.

How to Use

1. Paste Your Link: Paste a long URL into the box.
2. Click "Shorten": The link is checked for safety and a short linked.is URL is created.
3. Share: Copy the short link or click Download QR to save its QR code.
4. Shorten Another: Click Shorten another to start again.

Good to Know

• Links that are flagged as malware, phishing or spam can't be shortened, and links pointing to them are removed.
• If you create many links in a short time, you'll be asked to wait a minute.
• Links created here can't be edited and have no stats. To pick your own slug, edit the destination or see who clicks, create a free account and use Short Links.

Free QR Code Generator

Create QR codes for websites, Wi-Fi networks, contact cards, email, SMS, social profiles, files and more. Open it at /tools/qr-code-generator.

How to Use

1. Choose a Type: Pick what the code should open. There are 25 types, from URL and Wi-Fi to vCard, calendar events and app store links.
2. Fill in the Details: Enter the content. The preview updates as you type.
3. Design It: Change the code color and background, error correction and quiet zone, and add your logo in the center.
4. Download: Download a PNG (512, 1024 or 2048 pixels) or an SVG, or copy the image.

The free generator creates static codes. With a free account you can create dynamic QR codes in the dashboard: they point to a short link, so you can count scans and change the destination after printing. See QR Codes.

UTM Link Builder

Add UTM parameters to any URL so you can see which channels bring visitors in Google Analytics. Open it at /tools/utm-builder.

Parameters

How to Use

1. Enter Your Page URL: Paste the address of the page you want to send visitors to.
2. Add the Parameters: Fill in the fields, or click a quick preset: Instagram bio, TikTok bio, YouTube, Newsletter, Google Ads or QR. Values are lowercased and spaces become underscores.
3. Copy or Shorten: Copy the tagged URL, or shorten it right below so it looks clean in bios, posts and messages.

Giveaway Draw Tool

Run fair giveaways with a cryptographically secure random draw. Open it at /tools/giveaway.

How to Use

1. Add Participants: Paste names or usernames (one per line, comma-separated or tab-separated), drop a .txt, .csv or .xlsx file, or add names one by one. Turn on Skip first row (header) if your file has a header row.
2. Set Filters: Remove duplicates, set Minimum characters, or only keep entries that Must contain keyword. The tool shows how many participants remain after filtering.
3. Configure the Draw: Enter a Giveaway Title, the Number of Winners and Number of Substitutes, and choose an Animation Speed (Fast, Normal or Exciting).
4. Start the Draw: Click Start Draw and watch the winners being revealed.
5. Share the Results: Copy the winners, download a Certificate image, or download the cleaned participant list as .txt or .csv. Use Draw Again or Reset to start over.

WhatsApp Link Generator

Create direct links to WhatsApp with pre-filled messages for easy customer communication. Open it at /tools/whatsapp-link-generator.

What It Does

Generates a https://wa.me/PHONE_NUMBER?text=MESSAGE link and a QR code that:

• Opens a WhatsApp chat with your number on mobile devices
• Pre-fills a message so customers don't have to type
• Works on WhatsApp Web and desktop as well

How to Use

1. Enter Phone Number: Add the full phone number in international format, with the country code first and no leading zero
   • Example: 15551234567 for a US number
   • Spaces, dashes and the + sign are removed automatically
2. Add Message (Optional): Type a pre-filled message. You can use bold, italic and lists, and they are converted to WhatsApp formatting. People can still edit the message before sending.
3. Get Your Link: The link and QR code appear as soon as you enter a number
4. Share: Copy the link, click Open in WhatsApp to test it, or download the QR code for flyers, menus and shop windows

Use Cases

• Customer Support: Pre-fill common questions
• Product Inquiries: Add product details in the message
• Appointment Booking: Pre-fill appointment requests
• Event RSVPs: Collect responses with pre-filled event details

Example

Phone: 15551234567
Message: Hi, I'm interested in your services!

Result: https://wa.me/15551234567?text=Hi%2C%20I'm%20interested%20in%20your%20services!

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

Download thumbnails from any YouTube video in all available resolutions. Open it at /tools/youtube-thumbnail-downloader.

What It Does

Finds every thumbnail size YouTube provides for a video and lets you preview, download or copy each one.

Supported URL Formats

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
• https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• A video ID on its own

Available Sizes

Max Resolution and Standard Definition aren't available for every video. The tool only shows the sizes that exist.

How to Use

1. Paste YouTube URL: Copy a YouTube video URL into the input
2. Click "Get Thumbnails": Fetches all available thumbnails
3. Select a Size: Pick a size to see it in the preview
4. Download: Click Download to save the thumbnail, or Open in Tab to view it at full size
5. Copy URL: Click the copy icon to get the thumbnail URL

Use Cases

• Blog Posts: Get thumbnails for video embeds
• Social Media: Share video thumbnails
• Presentations: Use thumbnails in slides
• Thumbnails Archive: Save video thumbnails for research

YouTube Timestamp Link Generator

Create YouTube links that start at a specific second - perfect for sharing highlights. Open it at /tools/youtube-timestamp-link-generator.

What It Does

Generates links that automatically start a YouTube video at a specific timestamp. The video is embedded on the page, so you can check the exact moment.

How to Use

1. Paste YouTube URL: Copy any YouTube video URL (youtube.com, youtu.be, shorts or embed links)
2. Set the Start Time: Type the time (for example 2:30) or drag the slider. The embedded player jumps to that moment.
3. Adjust the Slider Range: For long videos, choose a Slider max of 5, 10, 30, 60 or 120 minutes
4. Copy Link: Click to copy the timestamp link
5. Test: Click Open in YouTube to verify

Use Cases

• Share Highlights: Send friends to the best part of a video
• Tutorial Links: Link directly to specific instructions
• Podcast Timestamps: Reference specific segments
• Music Videos: Start at the chorus or favorite part

Example

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Start Time: 2 minutes 30 seconds (150 seconds)

Result: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?t=150

Color Picker

A color picker with multiple formats, contrast checking, color harmonies, and a picker for colors in images. Open it at /tools/color-picker.

What It Does

Pick any color and get:

• HEX, RGB, HSL, and HSB values
• Color harmony suggestions (complementary, analogous, triadic)
• Contrast ratios on white and black, with WCAG AA and AAA checks
• Shades and tints of any color

How to Use

1. Pick a Color: Use the color picker, or click Random for a random color
2. Pick from an Image: Drop, paste or choose an image, then click anywhere on it to pick that color. The main colors of the image are shown below it. The image stays in your browser and is never uploaded.
3. Pick from Screen: In browsers that support it, click Pick from screen to pick a color from anywhere on your screen
4. Copy Any Format: Click on any color value to copy it to clipboard:
   • HEX: #3B82F6 - Web standard
   • RGB: rgb(59, 130, 246) - CSS use
   • HSL: hsl(217, 91%, 60%) - Human-readable
   • HSB: hsb(217, 76%, 96%) - Design software
5. Check Contrast: See how your color looks on white and black backgrounds
6. Explore Harmonies: View related colors:
   • Complementary: Opposite on color wheel (+180°)
   • Analogous: Adjacent colors (+/- 30°)
   • Triadic: Three equally spaced colors (+120°, +240°)
7. Save Colors: Click Save to keep a color in the Saved Colors list while you work. The list is cleared when you leave the page.

Accessibility

The tool shows contrast ratios for your selected color against:

• White background (#FFFFFF)
• Black background (#000000)

It also shows whether the color passes WCAG AA (Normal), WCAG AA (Large) and WCAG AAA on at least one of them.

Text Separator

Convert text between different delimiters - perfect for data transformation. Open it at /tools/text-separator.

What It Does

Transforms text between different separator formats:

• Newlines to commas
• Spaces to tabs
• Any custom separator

Spaces around each item are trimmed, and empty items are removed.

Supported Separators

How to Use

1. Select Current Separator: Under Currently separated by, choose how your input text is separated
2. Select Target Separator: Under Separate by, choose the format you want
3. Paste Input Text: Your source text in the input area
4. View Result: Converted text appears in the output area, with the number of items and characters
5. Quick Examples: Click example buttons for common conversions, or use Swap separators to reverse the direction

Use Cases

• CSV Processing: Convert between comma and tab-delimited
• Data Migration: Transform data between systems
• List Formatting: Reformat text lists
• Code Development: Convert data for code arrays

Example

Input (comma-separated):

apple, banana, cherry, date

Settings: Comma → New Line

Output:

apple
banana
cherry
date

Duplicate Lines Remover

Quickly remove duplicate lines from text with customizable options. Open it at /tools/duplicate-lines-remover.

What It Does

Scans text for duplicate lines and removes them while preserving order.

Options

How to Use

1. Paste Input Text: Your text with potential duplicates
2. Set Options: Toggle case sensitivity and whitespace trimming as needed
3. View Results: Cleaned text appears in the output area
4. Check Stats: See how many duplicates were removed
5. Copy Result: Click Copy Result to copy the cleaned text

Use Cases

• Data Cleaning: Remove duplicate entries from lists
• Log Analysis: Clean up repeated log entries
• CSV Deduplication: Remove duplicate CSV rows
• Content Processing: Clean scraped content

Example

Input:

apple
banana
apple
cherry
banana
date

Output:

apple
banana
cherry
date

Base64 Encoder / Decoder

Encode text to Base64 or decode Base64 strings to plain text. Open it at /tools/base64-encoder-decoder.

What It Does

• Encode: Converts readable text to Base64 format
• Decode: Converts Base64 back to readable text

Unicode text, such as emoji and non-Latin letters, is supported.

How to Use

1. Select Mode: Choose Encode or Decode
2. Paste Input: Your text or Base64 string
3. View Result: Converted output appears instantly
4. Copy: Click Copy Result to copy it
5. Swap: Use Swap input and output to quickly switch direction

Common Use Cases

Encoding (for developers):

Input: Hello World
Output: SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=

Decoding (for developers):

Input: SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=
Output: Hello World

Technical Use Cases

• API Authentication: Base64 encode credentials
• Data URLs: Create data URLs for images/embedded content
• URL Parameters: Safe text encoding for URLs
• Configuration: Store binary data in JSON/text formats

Quick Start

1. Visit the Tools page
2. Browse by category (Social Media, Developer, Marketing)
3. Use the search bar to find a specific tool
4. Click on any tool to open it
5. No registration required - every tool is free to use

Tips

• Instant Results: Most tools update results as you type
• Privacy: Text, color and giveaway tools process everything in your browser. The URL Shortener sends your link to linked.is to create the short link
• Signed In?: The Tools page is also linked from the dashboard sidebar

Need Help?

If you have questions about any tool, visit our contact page.