Link rules on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and more, side by side
The short answer
What gets a link punished is where it leads and how it's dressed up: every platform here acts on links that mislead or open content it doesn't allow.
- TikTok removes links that break its rules and may stop you posting links for a while.
- YouTube treats a web address shown on screen, or spelled out like 'site dot com', the same as a clickable one, and removes videos made only to send viewers elsewhere.
- Clickable links in a YouTube description need a channel with advanced features.
- Snapchat doesn't recommend Snaps with a link or QR code to another social app, a messaging app or a cloud drive.
- On X, swapping a link after a post takes off, or posting bare links as most of what you do, cuts reach.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X
- Threads
- Snapchat
At a glance
| Platform | What can happen | Its strictest rule |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Taken down, Demonetized | Link that leads to rule-breaking content |
| YouTube | Taken down | Link to porn, malware, piracy or other banned content |
| Taken down | Misleading or deceptive links | |
| Taken down | Misleading or deceptive links | |
| X | Shown to fewer people | Malware, phishing or misleading redirect links |
| Threads | Taken down | Misleading or deceptive links |
| Snapchat | Shown to fewer people | Link or QR code to another app or cloud drive |
| Taken down | Spammy, unsafe or redirecting link |
The rules, side by side
Each row is a platform's own rule: what it means, what the platform says, how to fix it, and where to read it in full.
| Platform | The rule, in plain words | In their words | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Link that leads to rule-breaking contentRemovalA link in the video, caption or profile that leads to content TikTok doesn't allow (porn, scams, regulated-goods shops, hate).Fix: Point links only at pages that would themselves follow TikTok's rules. | “If a link breaks our rules, we’ll remove it. We may also temporarily stop you from posting links—or, for severe violations, ban your account.” | |
| TikTok | Phone, email or business contact shownDemonetizationPersonal or business contact information in the profile or account info (listed as 'Advertising').Fix: Remove phone numbers, emails and messaging handles from the bio and from rewards videos. | “Advertising: Your profile or account info contains personal or business contact information.” | |
| YouTube | Link to porn, malware, piracy or other banned contentRemovalA URL in the video, description, title or pinned comment (clickable, shown as text, obfuscated like 'site dot com', or spoken) that leads to pornography, malware, phishing, pirated paid content, terrorist content, sellers of regulated goods, or other violating content.Fix: Remove links to adult subscription sites, piracy, unverified shops and shorteners; use direct links to well-known domains. | “These links include: clickable URLs, showing text of URLs in videos or images, and obfuscated URLs” | |
| YouTube | Video exists only to send viewers to another siteRemovalContent made solely to drive viewers off YouTube, especially to malware, adult content or illegal goods, e.g. a short teaser promising a 'free unreleased movie' at a link.Fix: Make the video stand on its own and keep links as an extra, not the whole point. | “Content created solely to drive users off of YouTube to external sites” | |
| YouTube | Long video or clickable links need a verified channelVideo longer than 15 minutes or a custom thumbnail (need phone verification), or a description that relies on clickable links, chapters or a Shorts Related Video link (need advanced features), on a channel without that access.Fix: Verify the channel's phone number (intermediate) or ID, video or channel history (advanced) in Studio > Settings > Channel > Feature eligibility. | “Violations of our policies may result in a strike or restrict your feature access.” | |
| InstagramFacebookThreads | Misleading or deceptive linksRemovalA link that promises one thing and delivers something substantially different, landing pages that require a captcha/ad click and then switch domains, fake play buttons or Meta-looking features, or lookalike domains impersonating brands.Fix: Link straight to the promised content on a reputable domain and describe it accurately. | “Content containing a link that promises one type of content but delivers something substantially different.” | |
| X | Malware, phishing or misleading redirect linksReduced reachLinks in the caption or on screen that lead to malware or phishing, redirect to an unexpected destination, or mislead about the site's content, including shortener chains that end on a bad-reputation domain.Fix: Link directly to the final, reputable page and avoid chained shorteners. | “deceptive links that redirect people to unexpected destinations or mislead people about the website's content.” | |
| X | Posting links with no commentary as your main activityReduced reachMost of the account's posts are links shared without any commentary.Fix: Write a real caption that says what the video and link are about. | “repeatedly posting or sending direct messages consisting of links shared without commentary, so that this comprises the bulk of your post/direct message activity;” | |
| X | Swapping a post's content or link by editingReduced reachEditing a post that already has engagement so it shows substantially different content (a different message, swapped media), or editing its link so the destination page changes significantly.Fix: Make only corrective edits. Publish new content or a new link as a new post. | “editing links (URLs) so that the final destination page has significantly changed, either in content or location (e.g. domain, URL path).” | |
| Snapchat | Link or QR code to another app or cloud driveNot recommendedA URL, QR code or other redirect (in the video or caption) that sends viewers to a social network, messaging app or cloud-storage service.Fix: Remove the link or QR code from the video and caption. | “We also prohibit redirections to destinations that are social media, messaging, or cloud-storage services.” | |
| Snapchat | Links with redirects, pop-ups or switched destinationsNot recommendedLinks that redirect excessively, open pop-ups or pop-unders, carry heavy ad load, or whose landing page is changed after posting.Fix: Link straight to the final page and do not change it after posting. | “We prohibit links with excessive redirects or links that generate pop-ups or pop-unders or excessive ad load.” | |
| Spammy, unsafe or redirecting linkRemovalA Pin link to an unsafe, deceptive, untrustworthy or unoriginal site, excessive or deceptive redirects, or link shorteners used for spam.Fix: Link directly to an original page that matches what the Pin shows (Pinterest calls this the 'no surprises' principle). | “Links that exhibit excessive or deceptive redirection, as well as shortener services that are abused for spam, may be blocked.” | ||
| Affiliate link spam or save-for-save dealsRemovalAsking others to save your affiliate Pins in a quid pro quo, paying people per save, using fake accounts to save affiliate links, or posting affiliate Pins repetitively or in large volumes.Fix: Add original value to affiliate Pins and keep the volume moderate. | “Creating affiliate Pins repetitively or in large volumes - marketers should follow our spam policy and use affiliate links in moderation.” |
Free caption check
Is my caption at risk?
Paste the caption and hashtags you plan to post. We check the words against each platform's published rules in a second. Nothing you type is saved.