Shorten links in bulk from Google Sheets

If your links already live in a spreadsheet, such as a list of product pages, event sessions or ad variations, you can shorten all of them from Google Sheets. A short Apps Script calls the Shortener.dev API for each row and writes the short link next to it.

You need an API key, which is included on paid plans. Every destination must be on a verified domain or a whitelisted site.

Set up the sheet

Use the first three columns:

Leave column B empty to get a random 7-character back-half. Column C is filled in by the script.

Add the script

1. In the sheet, open Extensions and choose Apps Script.
2. Replace the contents of Code.gs with the script below and click the save icon.
3. Go back to the sheet and reload it. A Shortener.dev menu appears next to Help.

const API_URL = 'https://api.shortener.dev/v1/links';

function onOpen() {
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
    .createMenu('Shortener.dev')
    .addItem('Shorten selected rows', 'shortenSelection')
    .addItem('Set API key', 'setApiKey')
    .addToUi();
}

function setApiKey() {
  const ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
  const res = ui.prompt('Shortener.dev API key', 'Paste your API key', ui.ButtonSet.OK_CANCEL);
  if (res.getSelectedButton() === ui.Button.OK) {
    PropertiesService.getUserProperties().setProperty('SHORTENER_API_KEY', res.getResponseText().trim());
  }
}

function shortenSelection() {
  const apiKey = PropertiesService.getUserProperties().getProperty('SHORTENER_API_KEY');
  if (!apiKey) throw new Error('Add your API key first: Shortener.dev > Set API key');

  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const range = sheet.getActiveRange();
  const first = range.getRow();

  for (let row = first; row < first + range.getNumRows(); row++) {
    const [url, key, shortUrl] = sheet.getRange(row, 1, 1, 3).getValues()[0];
    if (!url || shortUrl) continue; // skip empty rows and rows that already have a short link

    const res = UrlFetchApp.fetch(API_URL, {
      method: 'post',
      contentType: 'application/json',
      headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer ' + apiKey },
      payload: JSON.stringify(key ? { url: url, key: key } : { url: url }),
      muteHttpExceptions: true,
    });
    const body = JSON.parse(res.getContentText());
    sheet.getRange(row, 3).setValue(res.getResponseCode() === 200 ? body.short_url : 'Error: ' + body.message);

    Utilities.sleep(500); // stay under the API rate limit
  }
}

The API key is saved in your own user properties for this script, not in the sheet, so people you share the sheet with can't read it.

Shorten the rows

1. Click Shortener.dev and choose Set API key. Paste your key and click OK. You only do this once.
2. Select the rows you want to shorten. Selecting whole rows or just cells in column A both work.
3. Click Shortener.dev and choose Shorten selected rows.

The first time, Google asks you to authorize the script to connect to an external service. Allow it.

Short links appear in column C as each row finishes. If a row fails, column C shows the error from the API, such as Error: Domain not verified: example.org. ... or a back-half that's already taken. Fix the row, clear its cell in column C and run it again. Rows that already have a short link are skipped, so it's safe to re-run on the whole sheet.

Large sheets

The script pauses half a second between rows, which keeps it under the API's limit of 150 requests a minute. Google stops an Apps Script run after 6 minutes, which is a few hundred rows. For a bigger list, run it again: finished rows are skipped and it continues where it stopped.

Each row creates one link and counts toward your plan's monthly link limit.

Track the links

Every short link you create this way shows up on the Links page in the dashboard and in click analytics. To group them, create a project and add project_id to the payload in the script.