On most platforms nothing stands between your profile and a clickable link: no follower count, no paid tier. The two gates are TikTok, where the tappable link goes to Business accounts at once and to personal accounts typically around 1,000 followers, and LinkedIn, where the visible profile button is for select Premium subscribers. Instagram, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, LinkedIn's contact-info links, and Facebook Pages are open to any account.
Facebook adds a requirement rather than a gate: the slots belong to a Page, so you need access to one. On a gated platform the workaround is the same: switch account type where that unlocks it, and until then put a short, retypable URL in the bio text. Bio text is plain text on Instagram and TikTok; the tappable link lives in its own field. If a link is not clickable, check which box you typed it in first.
The rules, side by side
| Platform | Links allowed | Clickable | Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (first shown) | Yes. Bio text: no. Captions: no (paid test only) | None | |
| TikTok | 1 Website field | Yes. Bio text: no | Business account, or personal typically around 1,000 followers |
| YouTube | 14 channel links (first shown) | Yes. Long-form descriptions and comments: yes. Shorts descriptions and comments: no | None; external info cards need the Partner Program |
| Threads | 5 in the bio | Yes | None stated |
| X (Twitter) | 1 website field | Yes | None |
| 3 websites in Contact info, plus a custom button | Displayed; clickability not stated | Websites: none. Button: select Premium Business, Sales Navigator and Recruiter Lite | |
| 1 Website field | Displayed; clickability not stated | None; claiming needs domain ownership | |
| Page: Links field plus 1 action button | Displayed; clickability not stated | Facebook access to the Page |
Checked September 2026 against each platform's own help center or newsroom, linked in the sections below; Instagram and TikTok rest on our checks of 3–4 September. X's help center blocks automated reading, so its row was confirmed in the product rather than from a help page. We re-check this table monthly.
Instagram: five links, one visible
Every Instagram account can add up to 5 external links, free, with no follower minimum, and only the first shows on the profile. URLs in the bio text and in captions are not clickable, apart from a paid Meta Verified test of clickable caption links.
Path: profile → Edit profile → Links.
If it still doesn't show: if the link saves but nobody can tap it, it is in the bio text; move it to Links. The full Instagram walkthrough covers desktop, ordering, and the story link sticker.
TikTok: the one follower gate on this list
Business accounts get the clickable Website field with no follower minimum. Personal accounts typically unlock it around 1,000 followers. A URL typed into the bio text is never clickable, on any account. Switching to Business is free.
Path: profile → menu → Settings and privacy → Account → Switch to Business Account → pick a category → back on your profile, Edit profile, where a Website field now appears.
If it still doesn't show: if the link is there but not tappable, it is in the bio text and belongs in the Website field. The TikTok requirements post walks the rest of the troubleshooting.
YouTube: fourteen slots, and the Shorts trap
Any channel can add up to 14 links on its channel page. The first displays in the profile section near the Subscribe button; the rest open behind a tap. There is no subscriber or Partner Program requirement for channel links, only the external links policy (YouTube Help: channel links).
Links in long-form video descriptions and comments are clickable. Links in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments are not (YouTube Help: sharing links). The info card that points to an external site is for Partner Program channels (YouTube Help: cards).
Path: YouTube Studio → Customization → Profile → under Links, Add link → title and URL → Publish.
If it still doesn't show: the first link only appears on the channel page, not under a video. For Shorts, say "link on my channel" in the Short and put the destination in the first channel-link slot, the clickable option YouTube's own link-sharing page lists.
Threads: five links, and a click count
Threads lets you add up to five links to your bio, and it shows how many people visited each link, whether it was in your bio or in a post. No gate is stated.
Path: profile → Edit profile → Link (or Bio) → add or edit → Done at the top right (Threads Help: edit your profile).
If it still doesn't show: Meta's help page lists the path and no conditions, so there is nothing to qualify for; if you see one slot, use it for a page that holds the rest.
X (Twitter): one field, open to everyone
An X profile has one website field, separate from the bio text (X API data dictionary). Any account can set it: no follower minimum, no account type, no paid tier. A URL typed into the bio text is not the same thing, and X's help center blocks automated reading, so we confirmed this one in the product.
LinkedIn: three links free, the button costs
A LinkedIn profile can display up to three website links, and they live inside Contact info at the top of the profile, not on the profile face; the help page says they are displayed there and does not say clickable (LinkedIn Help: add a website). That is free for every member. The visible custom button comes in seven labels, such as "Visit my store," and is available only to select Premium Business, Sales Navigator and Recruiter Lite subscribers; LinkedIn says it may widen that later (LinkedIn Help: custom button). Once added, the button shows on your profile, in search results, in messages, and on feed posts.
Path (websites): Me → View profile → Contact info → edit (pencil) → Add website → URL and type → Save.
Path (button): Me → View profile → Add custom button in the introduction section → pick a label, enter the URL → Done.
If it still doesn't show: no Add custom button means your subscription is not in the select group that has it; the three contact-info links are the free route.
Pinterest: one field, and claiming is a separate step
Any Pinterest account has one Website field. Pinterest's help page says people who visit your profile will see it, and does not say clickable (Pinterest Help: add your website). Adding it needs nothing.
Claiming it is separate. You must own the domain and be able to add an HTML tag, an HTML file, a DNS record, or connect Google Merchant Center, which is why a social profile or a marketplace store cannot be claimed. Claiming puts your profile picture on Pins saved from your site and unlocks its analytics. A business account is recommended for claiming, not required (Pinterest Help: claim your website).
Path: Settings → Edit profile → Website → paste → Save (on the app: profile → Edit profile → Website → Done).
If it still doesn't show: a link-in-bio page can go in the Website field but cannot be claimed, because you do not control its domain; that is fine unless you need the claim perks.
Facebook: the Page has the slots
This section covers Pages only; the personal-profile website field is not verified. A Facebook Page has a Links field ("Links to your website") and one action button, and only people with Facebook access to the Page can edit them; the help page says the field holds links and does not say clickable (Facebook Help: add information to your Page, Facebook Help: add an action button).
Path (Links): the Page → Edit → pencil icon next to Links.
Path (button): profile photo → See all profiles → switch into the Page → the Page → Options → Add action button (or Edit action button) → choose a button → Next → follow the prompts → Save.
If it still doesn't show: you are editing as yourself, not as the Page. Only people with Facebook access to the Page can update its information, so switch into the Page first.
What goes in every slot: the same page
Most of these platforms show one link on the profile face, even where five are stored. One visible slot means one URL, and the URL that survives that constraint is a link in bio page that holds everything else: the shop, the booking form, the newsletter, the other profiles. Put the same page URL in all eight fields and you have one place to update when a campaign changes, instead of eight.
The second reason is the numbers. Threads shows visits per link; most of the others do not. A link page with per-link analytics does. InBio is one; it is our product, so weigh the source.
It is free to start with no card, and Free comes with basic visitor stats; per-link analytics are on Pro ($9/month, checked September 2026). The page lives at `in.bio/yourname`, which is short enough to retype from a TikTok bio that has not unlocked the field yet.
This is the pillar of the link in bio basics hub; the explainer and the tool comparison sit alongside it.
Fill the slots today: the ungated platforms first (Instagram, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, your Facebook Page, LinkedIn's contact info), then switch TikTok to Business if you are under the threshold. Every field gets the same URL.
