LinkCleanURL parameters glossary
Every tracking parameter LinkClean strips by default — plus a few functional ones (like hl) everyone wonders about. One-line summary per entry; tap for the long version.
UTM campaign tags
- utm_sourceutm_source names where a click came from — “newsletter”, “twitter”, “google”. It's a Google Analytics campaign tag, not part of the page. Removing it never breaks the link.
- utm_mediumutm_medium names the marketing **channel** — “email”, “social”, “cpc” (paid search), “organic”. Pairs with utm_source to answer “which channel?”. Removing it never breaks the link.
- utm_campaignutm_campaign labels the marketing campaign — “spring-launch”, “black-friday-2026”. It buckets clicks inside Google Analytics so the publisher can compare campaigns. The page renders identically without it.
- utm_termutm_term names the **paid-search keyword** that triggered an ad click — “running shoes”, “privacy app ios”, etc. Only appears on paid-search URLs (Google Ads, Bing Ads). LinkClean strips it everywhere; the destination page never reads it.
- utm_contentutm_content names the **creative variant or CTA** that was clicked — “hero-button”, “v2-banner”, “footer-link”. Publishers use it to A/B-test which version of an ad or email works. The destination page never reads it.
- utm_idutm_id is **GA4's campaign-ID UTM tag** — a numeric identifier added by Google Analytics 4 to join clicks to a specific campaign row. Newer than utm_source / utm_medium / utm_campaign; same safe-to-strip property.
Referral & source
- sisi is a share-identifier token both YouTube and Spotify add to links copied from their apps. It ties the click back to the sharing session. LinkClean strips it host-scoped to youtube.com / youtu.be / spotify.com so a parameter called si on an unrelated site is left alone.
- sX (formerly Twitter) adds two share-tracking parameters to outbound links: t= (the per-share session token) and s= (which surface the share came from — iOS app = 20, web client = 19, third-party = 46, etc). Both are host-scoped to x.com / twitter.com in LinkClean and stripped by default.
Ad-click identifiers
- gclidgclid is Google Ads' per-click identifier — added to every outbound click from Google Search ads, YouTube ads, and the Display Network. It exists to credit ad spend. Removing it never breaks the link.
- gbraidgbraid is the **post-ATT replacement for gclid in iOS app-install flows**. Google Ads added it in 2021 after Apple's App Tracking Transparency made the classic cookie-based gclid unusable on iOS. It attributes ad clicks → app installs without needing a cross-app identifier.
- gad_sourcegad_source is one of Google Ads' **newer auto-tagged URL parameters** (rolled out late 2023 alongside GA4's enhanced conversions). Encodes a numeric source identifier (`gad_source=1` = Search Ads, etc.). Strip it like the rest of the Google Ads tail.
- wbraidwbraid is the **post-ATT replacement for gclid on iOS web destinations**. Same era and motivation as gbraid (rolled out 2021), but used when the destination is a website rather than an app. Aggregates attribution at a campaign level instead of per-user.
- dcliddclid is Google's **display-and-video click identifier** — the DoubleClick / Display & Video 360 (DV360) analog of gclid. Where gclid is for Search Ads, dclid is for display-network and YouTube video ads.
- srsltidsrsltid is Google Shopping's **search-result listing ID** — added to every outbound click from the Shopping tab (paid and free Product Listings alike). Identifies which result panel was clicked, useful only for Google's conversion bookkeeping.
- gad_campaignidgad_campaignid is **Google Ads' newer first-party campaign identifier**, rolled out 2023 alongside gad_source. It's a numeric campaign ID added directly to outbound URLs so GA4 can attribute clicks without relying on the cookie/referrer plumbing Universal Analytics used.
Email marketing
Mailchimp
- mc_cidmc_cid is **Mailchimp's campaign identifier** — names which Mailchimp campaign the link belongs to (the campaign-level identifier; mc_eid is the per-recipient one). Stripping mc_cid is less sensitive than mc_eid but pairs with it on every Mailchimp link.
- mc_eidmc_eid is Mailchimp's per-**recipient** identifier — a token tied to the specific email address the newsletter was sent to. Forwarding it tells Mailchimp that someone else opened your email. Of all the trackers LinkClean strips, this is the one that most directly leaks identity.
- mc_tcmc_tc is **Mailchimp's tap-target identifier** — names which specific link inside an email was clicked. The third in Mailchimp's standard tracking trio with mc_cid (campaign) and mc_eid (recipient). Strip it with the rest.
HubSpot
- _hsenc_hsenc is **HubSpot's encoded engagement parameter** — joins email clicks back to a specific contact record in HubSpot's CRM. Companion to _hsmi (the email's message ID). Same identity-bound risk as Mailchimp's mc_eid or Marketo's mkt_tok.
- _hsmi_hsmi is **HubSpot's email message identifier** — names the specific email send the link came from. Less sensitive than _hsenc (campaign-level vs per-recipient), but always paired with it on HubSpot links.
Social
- igshidigshid is the share-link identifier Instagram appends when you copy a link from the app — it ties the click back to your Instagram session for Meta's first-party analytics. Stripping it preserves the destination perfectly while breaking the attribution chain back to your account.
- mibextidmibextid is the share-identifier Facebook's mobile apps add to every link you share — separate from fbclid (which is for paid-ad clicks). It identifies the *sharing* session, not an ad click. Strip it before forwarding.
Region & language (preserved)
Google (Search & YouTube)
- hl`hl` stands for “host language” — it tells Google services which language to render the interface in (`hl=ja` → Japanese UI, `hl=fr` → French). **It's functional, not tracking.** LinkClean preserves it on every host. The page is in this glossary because everyone asks what it is, not because we strip it.
- gl`gl` stands for “geolocation” — it tells Google services (Search, Maps, Shopping) which country to scope results to. `gl=us` returns US-relevant results; `gl=jp` returns Japan-relevant results. **Functional, not tracking.** LinkClean preserves it.
- t`t=` on a YouTube URL means **start playing at that many seconds in** — `?t=42` jumps to the 42-second mark, `?t=1m20s` jumps to one minute twenty. **Functional, not tracking.** LinkClean preserves it host-scoped to youtube.com / youtu.be.
- v`v=` on a YouTube URL is the **video identifier** — the unique 11-character base64 ID that names the specific video. Strip it and the URL doesn't resolve to any video at all. **Functional, not tracking.** Always preserved.
Multi-vendor
- q`q=` is the **search-query parameter** — a near-universal convention for naming the search term in a URL. Used by Google (`google.com/search?q=…`), Wikipedia, GitHub, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Stack Overflow, and many more. **Functional, not tracking.** LinkClean preserves it.
- lang`lang=` is the **generic language parameter** — a convention many non-Google sites adopt to select the interface or content language. Wikipedia uses `setlang`/`uselang`; many CMSes use `lang` directly. **Functional, not tracking.** LinkClean preserves it.
Clean tracking on iPhone, in one tap.
LinkClean strips ~80 vendor-specific tracking parameters from any link, from any app's share sheet — and preserves functional ones like hl, t (YouTube timestamp), and q (search). No account, on-device.
