Using Second Life URLs (SLurls)

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Revision as of 06:22, 3 November 2010 by Jeremy Linden (Talk | contribs)

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What is a SLurl?

You can't get to a webpage without knowing its URL (Uniform Resource Locator), commonly called a "link". Just like your web browser has bookmarks, in Second Life, we have landmarks. Since our virtual world is three-dimensional, landmarks contain a Region name and 3 positioning coordinates within that region. But what happens when you want to share a landmark outside of Second Life to promote your home, business, or other place?


If you have Second Life installed, using a SLurl will automatically transport you to that location inworld. If you don't yet have Second Life, just click the SIGN UP link to go to a simple registration page. After registering and downloading the Second Life Viewer, you'll automatically start at the specified location. Watch this fun video tour to understand more:


How it works

Use a SLurl to direct people to inworld locations like this:

  1. Create a SLurl, either using SLurl Builder, or "manually."
  4. They'll see a page and more info, if you provided it. Like this:

If the person doesn't have Second Life

The page at will display a link to SIGN UP NOW for free. From the sign-up up page, they can quickly register, download the Second Life Viewer, and log in. When they first log in, they will initially arrive at the destination specified by the SLurl, not the default start location on Welcome Island. A quick tutorial will open upon their initial arrival to help them get started.

Providing new users the ability to sign up for Second Life directly from is sometimes referred to as "Direct SLurl". For more information, see the announcement of Direct SLurl.

If the person has Second Life


  2. If they're already logged in, a Place Information window opens in the Second Life Viewer:
  3. When they click the Teleport button in this window, they'll be instantly teleported to the location specified by the SLurl. Alternatively, they can click Show on Map to display the target location on the inworld map, or close the window if they don't want to be teleported.


On Windows, a SLurl opens the most recently installed Viewer.




Constructing SLurls



  • <region> is the name of the destination Region

Making beautiful SLurls

The first step to making beautiful SLurls is adding explanatory text and a picture to give it more context and information.

For example, say you've got an island in Second Life you want to invite people to. This base URL works:

But it tells nothing about the destination. Compare this to the following:

Click on the link to to see that it provides more descriptive information.

Use SLurlBuilder to easily make beautiful SLurls.

Query string parameters


Parameter Description Example

For example:


For example:


For example:

Shortening SLurls

SLurls, especially if they have text and a picture included (see example), can get quite lengthy. This makes them difficult to paste into places like emails, which may have line breaks that mangle the SLurl. Plus, they look unsightly!


  • Snurl - No relation to SLurl.
  • TinyURL - One of the first.


Further information