How to rickroll someone
One link, six chat apps, about a minute of work. Write the card you want people to see, send the link, and let the page do the rest.
Make the link before you pick an app
The chat app does not decide what the card looks like. It uses the title, description, image and dimensions stored with the link, so the work happens once and the same link behaves well everywhere.
On the generator, type a headline of up to 70 characters and a description of up to 200, paste an image URL if you want a picture, and press Create link. You get the link, a copy button and a QR code for the same address. Then open whichever app you are sending it to.
Keep the subject dull and specific: a local weather line, a result, a recipe, a lost pet, a school notice, a game update. A card that reads like something a friend would genuinely forward gets tapped. A card that shouts does not, and shouting is also outside the rules this site runs under.
How to rickroll on Discord
Paste the link into a channel or a direct message and Discord unfurls it into a card with the image, the headline and the site name underneath. Send it as its own message rather than inside a sentence, because Discord gives a lone URL the largest preview.
Discord caches what it sees. If you edit a link and re-send it, the old card can stick around, so a fresh link is the reliable way to change what people see. Server members who have already seen the first one will recognise it.
How to rickroll on WhatsApp
Paste the link into a chat and WhatsApp builds a small card: a thumbnail on the left, the headline above the domain. Group chats are where it works best, because the card is visible to everyone before anybody taps it.
WhatsApp is strict about images. A file that is too heavy is often dropped, which leaves a text-only card, so a picture around 1200 by 630 pixels under 300 KB is the safe choice. The generator's preview tells you before you send whether the image loaded.
How to rickroll on iMessage
Send the link on its own and iMessage draws a large card with the image and the headline. It is one of the more generous previews, which makes a decent picture worth the thirty seconds it takes to find one.
In a group thread, the first tap gives the game away, so send it when people are likely to open it at the same time — during a conversation rather than at the end of one.
How to rickroll on Messenger
Paste the link into a conversation and Messenger fetches its own preview, which can lag behind the app you made the link in. If a card looks empty, the fetch failed rather than the link; sending the same link again usually fixes it.
Messenger caches previews for a long time, so a link you have sent before may keep its original card. Make a new link with a new headline instead of editing the old one.
How to rickroll by text message
Plain text messages usually show only the domain, with no picture and no headline. That is not a failure of the link — most SMS apps simply do not fetch previews at all.
Compensate in the message itself: write the headline as the body, then the link on the next line. The person reads the story you wrote, taps the link, and gets the page. It reads slightly more hand-made, which often makes it land better with people who ignore bulk forwards.
How to rickroll on Snapchat
Snapchat attaches links to a snap or a chat as a tappable card and shows an abbreviated preview. It is the least predictable of the six, so treat it as a bonus: the headline you wrote still travels with the link, and the page opens the same way.
Doing it without them knowing
Be honest about the limits. The headline is yours, so that part is invisible until the tap. The domain printed under the card is not — it is a plain name that does not mention the joke, which is the most a chat app will give you.
There is also no way to hide what happens after the tap, and no reason to want one. The page announces the joke, offers a replay and explains itself. Anything that kept the pretence going would be a different product with a different set of problems.
Keeping it harmless
The version of this that stays funny is short, public, and aimed at nobody in particular: a group chat, a poster, a slide, a shared screen. It stops being funny when it is aimed at one person, impersonates a person or an organisation, or dresses up as a request for money or details.
Those cases are excluded by the abuse policy and removed when reported, which keeps the domain out of spam lists and keeps the joke available for everyone else.
Questions
How do I rickroll someone in a chat app?
Make a link here, paste it into the chat, and let the app build the preview. The card shows the headline, description and image you typed, and the page behind it plays the video when it is tapped.
Why does my link not show a preview?
The app fetches the card the first time it sees a URL and keeps what it found. A brand-new link previews immediately; a link the app already cached may keep the old card until the cache expires.
Can I rickroll someone without them knowing?
They will not know from the headline, because you wrote it. They will see the destination domain under the card, so the room for surprise is that the domain looks ordinary, not that it is invisible.
Does it work in a group chat?
Yes, and it usually works better there: one card is seen by everyone, and the first person to tap it gives the joke away for the rest, which is half the fun.
What should the headline say?
Something ordinary and specific — the kind of thing a friend would actually send. Avoid anything alarming, official-sounding or aimed at one person, because those are outside the abuse policy.
Can I send the same link twice?
Yes, but the second time the app may show the cached card with the same preview, and anyone who already tapped it knows the ending. A fresh link with a new headline usually lands better.
Make the link on the rickroll link generator
Prank responsibly: no harassment, no impersonation, and never use a link made here to ask for money, passwords or personal details. Read the abuse and takedown policy. Privacy policy. Terms of use.