Find broken links in Google’s Index instantly (for free)

Written 21 July 2026 – Updated 19 August 2026

Table of contents

Find broken links using Google Sheets
1. Get a list of URLs
2. Create an Apps Script
3. Copy the code below
4. Save and run
5. Ready — add the command to the sheet

Table of contents Introduction

Find broken links using Google Sheets

A free, fast, and easy way to find broken links in Google’s index.

When you redesign a site, the URL structure usually changes. That means you need to redirect the old URLs to the new ones.

Otherwise the links in Google’s index will lead to a "404 – page not found" error.

This information is visible in Google Search Console, but Search Console data can be several days out of date.

In this guide I’ll show you how to create the script below that checks links in seconds.

The =httpresponse formula in Google Sheets checks the page list from Search Console: one address returns 404, the others 200

1. Get a list of URLs

Fetch a list of all your site’s URLs into a Google Doc

Sign in to Google Search Console
Go to the Performance section
Select Pages
Click Export
Choose Export to Google Sheets

Search Console's performance report: steps 1–3 point to the Performance menu, the Pages tab and the Export button

2. Create an Apps Script

Google Sheets doesn’t include a built-in URL-checking feature, so we’ll create one

From the site menu, click "Extensions" and open "Apps Script"

Apps Script chosen from the Extensions menu in Google Sheets, with a page list exported from Search Console behind it

3. Copy the code below

Google Sheets doesn’t include a URL-checking feature out of the box, so we’ll create one

Give your script a name. For example HTTP Response code checked 404
Remove the boilerplate code and replace it with the snippet below

function HTTPResponse( uri )
{
var response_code ;
try {
response_code = UrlFetchApp .fetch( uri ) .getResponseCode() .toString() ;
}
catch( error ) {
response_code = error .toString() .match( / returned code (\d\d\d)\./ )[1] ;
}
finally {
return response_code ;
}
}