Learn how to send website links to other iMessage users on iPhone, iPad and Mac without previews so they only see the full URL.
The built-in Messages app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac makes it easy to send links to web articles. By default, iMessage automatically creates a rich inline preview instead of showing the actual link. You and the recipient see a big card with the domain name, post title, and the featured image or website logo. If the developer has not added the Open Graph metadata to their website, iMessage will generate a generic gray link preview like the one shown below.
Link previews look great and help you decided whether to follow the link, but there are instances when you just want to see the full URL instead. For example, you may want to keep the surprise factor by having the recipient tap the link without seeing that it’s a surprise gift order. It also stops iMessage from waiting to generate a preview if the site is very slow to load. For some URLs, previews are not relevant, like nameserver links such as ns-284.awsdns-35.com. And lastly, not rendering web content within the Messages app is probably better from a security standpoint.
Send iMessage links without previews
Open the Messages app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, open an existing conversation or start a new one, enter the website URL to share in the compose box and it will automatically turn into a rich preview. Simply tap the preview choose the Convert to Text Link option from the floating menu.
On the Mac, right-click the preview and select Convert to Text Link.
It works the other way, too: Select the URL in the compose box and choose to show the preview link once again.
Old methods
If your device is on an older version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, follow the tips right ahead to send URLs over iMessage without previews.
Use the period trick
Prefix and suffix your URL with a period (.) to send it without a preview. This trick works regardless of whether there are any spaces between the URL and the period. The icing on the cake is that the periods are invisible in the final message.
Type text before and after
You can also type text, numbers, or symbols before and after the UR to stop it from converting into a rich preview. For instance, you can put the links inside brackets to hide a preview, but keep in mind that the the brackets will show in the final message.
But if you only add some text before the URL, that text will appear in one bubble, with the actual URL being rendered as a rich preview. To avoid this, add some text to both ends of the URL. You can also add text to one end of the URL and a period on the other remaining end to disable a preview.
View iMessage links without the preview
Unless the sender has sent the URL without a preview, you will see the rich link preview on your end. To reveal the URL, touch and hold the preview card and choose Copy, then paste the URL into a text field to see it. Or, you can choose Hide preview to reveal the URL. The app will even remember your preference and hide previews for future links.
Note: You won’t get the option to hide previews in some links like those for Apple TV and Apple Music titles, but you can still use the Copy method to see the actual URL.
What if you’re messaging an Android user
The above tips won’t work when sending links via SMS to your Android friends. Many messaging apps on Android automatically convert links into previews.
On a related note: How to show link previews by inserting rich links in the Apple Mail app