---
title: "Internet Shortcuts to CSV"
description: "Drop Windows .url Internet Shortcut files, or a ZIP of them, and get a CSV of names and URLs or a plain URL list. Files stay in your browser and the links are never opened."
url: https://findutils.com/convert/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/
category: convert
---

# Internet Shortcuts to CSV

Drop Windows .url Internet Shortcut files, or a ZIP of them, and get a CSV of names and URLs or a plain URL list. Files stay in your browser and the links are never opened.

**Use this tool:** [Internet Shortcuts to CSV](https://findutils.com/convert/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/)

## Programmatic access

- REST id `internet-shortcuts-to-csv`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/)
- MCP tool `internet_shortcuts_to_csv` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/)

## Why Use Internet Shortcuts to CSV?

Windows saves a web link as a small .url file: drag an address from the browser to the desktop, keep an old Favorites folder, or receive a folder of links from a colleague, and you have dozens of them. Each one is a short text file with a URL= line, but Windows only opens the link when you double-click it, so turning a pile of shortcuts into a list means opening each file in Notepad and copying one line at a time. Internet Shortcuts to CSV reads all of them at once, in the browser, and writes the name, URL, working directory and icon of each shortcut to a spreadsheet or a plain list.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is a .url file?

A .url file is a Windows Internet Shortcut, a small text file that stores a web address. It contains an [InternetShortcut] section with a URL= line and, often, icon settings. Double-clicking it opens the address in the default browser.

### How do I see the URL inside a .url file?

Open the file in Notepad, or right-click it, choose Properties and look at the URL field on the Web Document tab. To read many at once, drop them on this page, which shows every URL in a table.

### What columns does the CSV have?

Four: name, the file name without .url; url, the address from the URL= line; working_directory, from WorkingDirectory= when present; and icon_file, from IconFile= when present. Empty values stay empty.

### Can I convert a whole folder of shortcuts?

Yes. Select all the .url files in File Explorer and drop them, or compress the folder into a ZIP file in File Explorer and drop the ZIP. The page reads every .url file inside the ZIP, including those in subfolders.

### Why was a file skipped?

Each skipped file is listed with its reason. The usual reasons are that the file has no [InternetShortcut] section, that the section has no URL= line, that the file is empty, or that it is a .lnk shortcut rather than a .url file.

### Does it work with .lnk shortcuts?

No. A .lnk file is a Shell Link, a binary format that points to programs, folders and files rather than a web address. It is listed as skipped instead of being parsed as if it were text.

### What about Mac .webloc files?

A .webloc file is the Mac equivalent of a .url file, but it is stored as a property list, not in INI format. It is skipped here. To turn .webloc files into Windows .url shortcuts, or into a name and URL CSV, use [Webloc to URL](https://findutils.com/convert/webloc-to-url/); to go the other way, use [URL to Webloc](https://findutils.com/convert/url-to-webloc/).

### Does the page open or check the links?

No. The URLs are copied as text and never requested, so no website learns about your shortcuts and a link that no longer works still appears in the output.

### Can I remove duplicate links?

Yes. Turn on Remove duplicate URLs to keep only the first shortcut for each exact address. The summary shows how many duplicates were removed. For looser matching, such as ignoring tracking parameters, use Dedupe Bookmarks on a bookmarks export.

### Are my files uploaded?

No. The .url files and ZIPs are read by JavaScript in your browser tab, and the CSV is created there. No request carries the files or the links in them.

## Related Tools

- [Webloc to URL](https://findutils.com/convert/webloc-to-url/)
- [URL to Webloc](https://findutils.com/convert/url-to-webloc/)
- [Bookmarks HTML to CSV](https://findutils.com/convert/bookmarks-html-to-csv/)
- [CSV to Bookmarks HTML](https://findutils.com/convert/csv-to-bookmarks-html/)
- [OPML to CSV](https://findutils.com/convert/opml-to-csv/)
- [Dedupe Bookmarks](https://findutils.com/convert/dedupe-bookmarks/)
- [Clean ZIP](https://findutils.com/convert/clean-zip/)
- [Plist JSON Converter](https://findutils.com/developers/plist-json-converter/)