Link cleaner: remove tracking from links
Paste a link to strip the tracking tags (utm_, fbclid, gclid, si and dozens more) before you share it. It also unwraps Google and Facebook redirect links. Nothing is sent anywhere: it all happens in your browser.
Links are cleaned as you paste. Nothing is sent anywhere.
What gets removed
- Campaign tags: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign and friends, which record which post, email or ad you came from.
- Ad click IDs: fbclid (Meta), gclid and gbraid (Google Ads), msclkid (Microsoft), ttclid (TikTok), twclid (X) and more. These can tie your click to an advertising profile.
- Email tracking: Mailchimp, HubSpot and Marketo IDs that identify you as the person who received the email.
- Share IDs: the si on YouTube and Spotify links, igsh on Instagram, and s and t on X, which identify who shared the link.
- Shopping tracking: Amazon’s ref, qid and affiliate tags, plus eBay and AliExpress tracking.
Parameters a page actually needs, like a product colour, search terms or a video’s start time, are kept.
Why bother?
A shared link with an fbclid or si on it can tell the site, and the ad companies on it, who shared it and where it came from. Cleaning the link before you send it is a small habit that keeps your friends out of someone else’s analytics. It also makes links shorter and tidier.
Links are only one way you’re tracked. Most tracking happens through scripts on the page itself: on the popular UK sites we checked, almost half kept loading trackers even after visitors clicked “Reject all”. See the findings.
See the tracking you can’t see in the link
Browser Monster shows every tracker on the pages you visit, and who’s behind it. Free, and everything stays on your device.
Questions
- What are tracking parameters in a link?
- They are the extra bits after the question mark, like utm_source=instagram or fbclid=IwAR…. Websites and ad companies add them to record where you came from, which ad or email you clicked, and sometimes who shared the link with you.
- What is fbclid?
- fbclid is a click ID Facebook adds to links you click on Facebook or Instagram. When you land on the website, its Meta Pixel can read it and link your visit back to your Facebook account and the ad or post you came from.
- What does utm_source mean?
- utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign are campaign tags (UTM tags). They tell the website’s analytics which newsletter, social post or ad sent you. They don’t identify you on their own, but they reveal where the link was shared.
- Will a cleaned link still work?
- Yes. The cleaner only removes parameters known to be used for tracking, and keeps the ones a page needs, such as product colours, search terms or a video’s start time. If a site ever breaks, use the original link.
- Why does the link cleaner unwrap Google and Facebook links?
- Links copied from Google results, Facebook and some emails often go through a redirect (google.com/url, l.facebook.com) that logs your click before sending you on. The cleaner pulls out the real destination so you can skip the redirect.
- Is the link sent anywhere?
- No. The cleaning happens in your browser as you paste. Nothing is sent to Browser Monster or anyone else.