--- title: "Leaving Bitly: What Moves, and What Stays Dead" description: "Import Bitly or Rebrandly links as new rrte.link addresses. A printed bit.ly QR still resolves through Bitly. Never-die after import, with a quota skip report." canonical: https://reroutehq.com/resources/leave-bitly --- # Leaving Bitly: what moves, and what stays dead **Who this is for:** Teams migrating off Bitly or Rebrandly Importing a Bitly or Rebrandly CSV creates new rrte.link addresses. Destinations, titles, tags and — when they are free — the back-halves come across. The old short URLs do not. A QR code that already encodes bit.ly/… still resolves through Bitly. Import cannot take over that printed square. Anything you print from now on should encode the new rrte.link address instead. Once those new links exist here, they keep redirecting even if you later downgrade. The never-die guarantee applies the moment the import finishes. ## Steps ### 1. Export the CSV from Bitly or Rebrandly Both tools export a spreadsheet with one link per row. Any CSV works as long as each row has a destination URL. Bitly and Rebrandly column names are detected automatically — Long URL, Custom Bitlink, Destination, Slashtag, and the usual title and tag headers — so you do not have to reformat the file. ### 2. Upload it on the import page Drop the file at /import, or open the importer from the dashboard if you already have an account. The parser matches headers against those alias sets, keeps custom back-halves when they are syntactically valid, and reports rows that have no usable http(s) destination instead of dropping them silently. One upload is capped at 1,000 rows and 2 MB. ### 3. Read the new addresses as rrte.link, not bit.ly Each imported row becomes a new dynamic link. bit.ly/summer-sale becomes rrte.link/summer-sale when that back-half is free. If the back-half is taken, reserved, or duplicated in the file, that row gets a fresh short ID rather than failing the whole import. The Bitly URL itself is not transferred — no provider can take over another provider's domain. ### 4. Read the quota skip report before you walk away Import creates links up to the remaining quota on your plan and tells you exactly how many were skipped. Nothing is silently dropped. The free plan includes three dynamic links; paid plans are unlimited. Upgrade and re-run the file for the rest whenever you like — already-taken back-halves simply receive new short IDs. ### 5. Treat imported links as ordinary dynamic links They pick up scan analytics from the first scan after import, and you can add routing, expiry, a password or retargeting afterwards. They also inherit the never-die rule: once a link exists, it keeps redirecting forever, even if you cancel a paid plan. Plan limits only apply to creating new links. ### 6. Reprint anything that still encodes bit.ly While the old Bitly account is active, you can repoint those bit.ly links at the new destinations from inside Bitly's dashboard, so existing prints keep working during the switch. For every new print run, encode the rrte.link address. That is the square import can actually own. ## What this will not do - Import creates new rrte.link addresses. It cannot take over a QR code that already encodes bit.ly or rebrand.ly — that square still resolves through the original provider. - Scan history, passwords, expiry dates and branded domains from Bitly or Rebrandly do not come across. Only the destination, an available back-half, the title and the tags. - The free plan includes three dynamic links. A larger file imports up to the remaining quota and reports the rest as skipped. - Location rules route by country only. There is no city- or region-level routing — city is captured in analytics, not used for routing. ## Frequently asked questions ### Will my printed bit.ly QR codes start using reRoute after I import? No. A code that already encodes bit.ly/… still resolves through Bitly. Import creates a new rrte.link address for each row; it cannot rewrite ink. Keep the old Bitly links pointed at the right destinations until you reprint, and encode rrte.link on everything new. ### Do custom back-halves survive the move? Yes, when they are free. bit.ly/launch-2026 becomes rrte.link/launch-2026. If that back-half is already taken, reserved, or appears twice in the file, that row gets a fresh short ID and the rest of the import continues. ### What happens to rows over my plan's limit? They are counted and reported as skipped. The import creates everything that fits, then tells you how many did not. Upgrade and upload the file again for the rest — nothing is silently discarded. ### Do imported links die if I stop paying? No. Once a link exists it keeps redirecting, including on the free plan. We never pause links, inject ads, or hold printed QR codes hostage. Plan limits only apply to creating new links. Destination edits on those existing links stay unlimited. ### Does Bitly click history come with the CSV? No. The export gives us destinations, back-halves, titles and tags. Analytics start from the first scan of the new rrte.link address. ### Does this work for Rebrandly as well as Bitly? Yes. The same importer auto-detects Rebrandly headers (Destination, Slashtag, and the usual title and tag names) and treats the file the same way. A printed rebrand.ly code has the same limit as a bit.ly one: import cannot take over that square. ## Related - [/tools/url-qr-code](/tools/url-qr-code) - [Import your CSV](/import) - [Migrate from Bitly](/migrate/bitly) - [Run Bitly and reRoute together](/resources/bitly-dual-run) - [reRoute vs Bitly](/vs/bitly) - [Free QR code generator](/generate) - [Pricing](/pricing)