> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkutm.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Link scheduling

> Control when a link becomes active, when it stops, and where it sends visitors after it expires.

Two date controls let you define the active window for a link:

* **Activation Date & Time**: the link does not redirect to its destination until this moment. Before then, visitors go to the fallback URL if one is set, otherwise they see a "not found" response.
* **Expiration Date & Time**: after this moment, the link stops sending visitors to the destination. They go to the fallback URL if one is set, otherwise they see a "not found" response.
* **Fallback URL**: an alternate destination the link redirects to once it has expired, or if someone clicks the link before the activation date.

To cap a link by number of clicks instead of time, see [Click limit](/links/click-limit).

You can set any combination of these. A link with only an activation date goes live on schedule and stays live forever. A link with only an expiration date is live immediately and cuts off at the set time.

## When to use it

* Pre-building campaign links days in advance and scheduling them to go live at a precise moment.
* Running a limited-time promotion that starts and ends automatically with no manual intervention.
* Setting a hard cutoff on a flash sale or embargoed announcement.
* Sending visitors somewhere useful (a waitlist, a homepage) after a campaign ends.

## How to use it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Advanced">
    In the create or edit link panel, click **Advanced** in the bottom bar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a timezone">
    Select your timezone from the dropdown. linkutm defaults to your browser's detected timezone. All dates and times you enter are interpreted in this timezone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set an Activation Date & Time (optional)">
    Fill in **Activation Date & Time** if you want the link to start at a future moment. Leave blank for the link to go live immediately on save.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set an Expiration Date & Time (optional)">
    Fill in **Expiration Date & Time** if you want the link to stop at a set moment. If an activation date is also set, expiration must be later than activation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a fallback URL (optional)">
    Enter a **Fallback Redirect URL**. After the link expires, or if someone clicks before the activation date, visitors are sent here instead of seeing a "not found" page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The schedule is stored. The link activates, expires, and redirects to fallback on its own.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/utm-e577acb5/ve12jDs8nhIW2bv2/images/advancedoptionurlcreation.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ve12jDs8nhIW2bv2&q=85&s=dc4468eebb05adf56abbbcb074a4ce66" alt="Advanced settings panel - Timezone picker, Activation Date and Time, Expiration Date and Time, Click Limit, and Fallback Redirect URL fields" width="1920" height="957" data-path="images/advancedoptionurlcreation.png" />
</Frame>

## Real-world example

A Black Friday flash sale running for 48 hours, with a fallback to the main store:

```
Destination:      https://acme.com/bf-50-off
Activation:       2025-11-28 00:00  (New York / ET)
Expiration:       2025-11-29 23:59  (New York / ET)
Fallback URL:     https://acme.com/shop
utm_source:       email
utm_campaign:     bf_flash_2025
```

Before November 28 midnight ET, the link isn't active yet, so visitors are sent to the fallback `acme.com/shop`. After November 29 at midnight ET, the link expires and visitors are again sent to `acme.com/shop`. In between, the link serves its destination.

## Common mistakes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Setting expiration before activation">
    If the expiration date is the same as or earlier than the activation date, the link never becomes active. The builder blocks this and shows a validation error. Check that expiration is set to a later time than activation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Using the wrong timezone">
    The timezone picker defaults to your browser timezone. If you're scheduling for a different region, switch the timezone first. Otherwise your go-live moment will be off.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Expecting past clicks to disappear after expiry">
    Past clicks stay in analytics. Expiration only stops new redirects.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Edge cases

<Note>
  **Activation and expiration are both optional.** Set one, both, or neither. A link with no activation date goes live on save. A link with no expiration date stays live indefinitely.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Click limits are separate.** To cap a link by number of clicks instead of time, see [Click limit](/links/click-limit). If both a click limit and an expiration are set, whichever is hit first stops the link.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Existing links.** You can add or change a schedule on a link that is already live. Setting an activation date in the past is treated as already active.
</Note>

<Note>
  **UTM parameters do not carry to the fallback URL.** The fallback URL is used exactly as entered, whether the visitor arrives before activation or after expiration. If you need tracking on fallback traffic, add UTM parameters directly to the fallback URL.
</Note>