Xenu’s Link Sleuth — Quick Reference

A lightweight Windows tool for crawling websites to find broken links, redirects, oversized files and architecture issues.

Key Features

Crawls: standard links, images, frames, plug-ins, local image maps, style sheets, scripts and Java applets.
Protocols: supports HTTPS (SSL), FTP and limited Gopher access.
Reports: colour-coded lists (working links in green, broken in red) sortable by URL, status, size, inbound links and click-distance.
Export: HTML reports and spreadsheets (CSV) for issue tracking.
Lightweight: very small executable and multithreaded crawling for speed.
Use cases: pre-launch audits and ongoing link monitoring.

Why It Matters

Broken links harm user experience and credibility, and can negatively affect SEO. Finding oversized media and inefficient redirects improves site speed and analytics accuracy.

TipGood for teams that need a free, focused link/audit tool to complement enterprise SEO software.

System Requirements & Limitations

Windows required (uses WININET.DLL) — historically runs on Windows 95 through Windows 10.
Not native on macOS/Linux (Wine reported to work by some users).
Multithreaded: setting too many threads on large sites may cause timeouts or server blocks — segment large crawls.
Not a full SEO suite — focuses on link integrity & structure, not keyword research/backlink tracking.

Typical Workflow

Download & install Xenu from an official/trusted mirror.
Open > File → Check URL → paste start URL (or select local files).
Configure crawl options: depth, thread count, external links on/off.
Run crawl and review colour-coded status list (green/yellow/red).
Export CSV/HTML, fix issues, then re-run to verify.
Schedule periodic crawls (monthly/quarterly) depending on content change frequency.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is Xenu free?

A: Yes — the tool is free to use.

Q: Which OS does it support?

A: Windows (WININET.DLL required). Unofficial use via Wine for macOS/Linux reported by users.

Q: What issues does it detect?

A: Broken links (404s/no host), redirect chains, external/internal links, links from images/scripts/styles/iframes, oversized files, and deep pages by click-distance.

Q: Can it crawl large sites?

A: Yes — but for very large enterprise sites segment the crawl and tune thread count to avoid timeouts and server throttling.

Q: Is Xenu still maintained?

A: The software is older. Historic versions include v1.3.8 (2010); some download sources list later minor updates. Test before large-scale use.

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