What is fbclid?
fbclid is the Facebook Click Identifier, added to outbound links you click on Facebook and Instagram. What it records, whether deleting it is safe, and how to remove it.
Blog
Every link you click picks up something on the way. These posts explain what each of those parameters is, which platform put it there, and whether deleting it breaks anything. If you just want the short version, the url cleaner is on the homepage - or use the one below.
URL tracking parameters: a glossary
Every common URL tracking parameter in one table. What each one is called, which platform adds it, what it records, and whether removing it breaks anything.
How to clean AliExpress and Temu links
AliExpress and Temu produce some of the longest URLs on the web. What spm, aff_trace_key and refer_share_id actually record, and how to cut a 400-character link down to 60.
What is gclid?
gclid is the Google Click Identifier added by Google Ads auto-tagging. What it stores, how wbraid and gbraid replaced it under privacy rules, and how to strip all of them.
UTM parameters explained
utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content, what each one is for, where they came from, and whether they hurt your SEO.
How to clean Instagram links
Instagram links carry igshid, igsh and img_index. Which of those you can delete, which one you should keep, and how to shorten a link without breaking a carousel.
What is igshid?
igshid is the Instagram Share ID, appended when you copy a link from Instagram. What it is, why igsh replaced it, and whether it is safe to delete.
What is the si parameter on YouTube links?
The si parameter is a share identifier YouTube adds to links from the Share button. What it does, why shared links got longer in 2023, and how to remove it without losing your timestamp.
How to clean TikTok links
TikTok share links carry web_id, sender_device and more, describing the person who copied the link rather than the video. How to strip them.
What is ttclid?
ttclid is the TikTok Click ID, added to links from TikTok advertisements. What it records, the other parameters TikTok share links carry, and how to strip them.
How to clean Twitter and X links
X wraps every outbound link in t.co and adds an s parameter to shared posts recording which app you shared from. What each part does and how to remove it.
How to clean Reddit links
Reddit share links carry utm_source, share_id and rdt parameters. Which to remove, why context is worth keeping on comment permalinks, and how to shorten them properly.
What are mc_eid and mc_cid?
mc_cid identifies a Mailchimp campaign. mc_eid identifies you, the individual subscriber. Why forwarding a newsletter link matters more than most tracking parameters.
How to clean LinkedIn links
LinkedIn adds trk, li_fat_id and lipi parameters to shared links, and wraps outbound links through lnkd.in. How to get back to the clean URL.
How to clean Spotify links
Spotify share links carry an si parameter that identifies the share, not the track. How to remove it, and what to keep on podcast episode links.
What is msclkid?
msclkid is the Microsoft Click ID, added by Microsoft Advertising auto-tagging on Bing search ads. What it does, why it survives cookie blocking, and how to remove it.
Cleaning links before you send them on WhatsApp and Telegram
Forwarded links carry the tracking of whoever first copied them. Why messaging apps are where tracking parameters spread furthest, and what link previews reveal.
Clean a link without reading anything
The tool is on the homepage, with dedicated pages for Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and Google links.