.url File Extension

What kind of file is a .url?

A .url file is a Windows Internet Shortcut. It stores a destination such as a web page in a small text structure. Double-clicking a trusted shortcut asks Windows to open that destination with its registered handler, usually your default browser.¹

A minimal file looks like this:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://example.com/guide

Windows shortcuts can also carry properties such as a description, icon file, icon index, or working directory.¹ There is no dependable magic-byte signature, so inspect the [InternetShortcut] section and URL= field when a filename may be misleading.

How do I open a .url on my computer?

• On Windows, double-click a trusted .url file to open its destination in the default handler. You can also open it in Notepad when you only want to inspect the text.
• On macOS, import it into Poly or inspect it with a text editor, then copy a verified HTTP or HTTPS destination into a browser. A .webloc file is the more native desktop-bookmark choice.
• On Linux, support varies by desktop. Inspect the shortcut before opening it, or convert the destination into a .desktop link. The freedesktop.org specification uses Type=Link with a required URL key for that purpose.³

Do not open an unfamiliar shortcut based only on its icon or filename. Check the complete destination, including its scheme, hostname, query, and fragment. A .url file can refer to something other than an ordinary HTTPS page.

Poly support for .url

Poly understands Windows-style .url files as bookmark interchange. Drop one into the desktop sync folder and Poly creates a bookmark for its destination, removing the .url suffix from the displayed name. The result behaves like a link saved directly in Poly: you can organize, tag, share, and search it beside ordinary files.

Poly can preview the destination when the site permits embedding. Available page title, description, supported content, and the URL improve search and give the Poly agent useful context. Access-controlled, offline, removed, or automation-blocking pages may provide a reduced preview or less readable content. See Bookmarks for the full workflow.

History of .url

Microsoft built Internet Shortcuts into the Windows Shell as desktop links to Internet sites. Its documented programming model creates an Internet Shortcut object, sets a destination through IUniformResourceLocator, and saves the shortcut as a .URL file.¹

The format belongs to the same era of desktop-and-browser integration as the Windows WebBrowser control. It remains separate from binary .lnk Shell Links, which are normally used for filesystem objects and applications rather than web destinations.

Working with .url and alternatives

Choose the representation that matches where the link will live:

Renaming a .url file does not convert its contents. To migrate it, extract the URL= value, validate the destination, and write the structure required by the target format. Preserve query strings, fragments, and percent-encoding unless you intentionally mean to change where the link leads.