`_branch_match_id`

Social · Branch · Updated 2026-10-05

What is _branch_match_id in a URL?

What Branch says it is

Branch makes deep links: its web SDK calls itself the "Branch Metrics Deep Linking/Smart Banner Web SDK". That SDK documents an option called branch_match_id as "The current user's browser-fingerprint-id. The value of this parameter should be the same as the value of ?_branch_match_id (automatically appended by Branch after a link click)."

When the page loads, the SDK reads _branch_match_id from the address and uses it as the identifier of the link that was clicked. Branch's changelog for version 2.24.1 (July 2017) adds that the SDK "resets session data when _branch_match_id is not available".

What it reveals when the link is shared

In Branch's own words the value identifies a browser. If you copy the address from the page and send it on, the number travels with it, attached to someone else's visit.

Branch's own code strips it too: when the SDK builds a link's desktop address, it removes _branch_match_id= and the digits after it.

How LinkClean removes it

Default-on and global, with _branch_referrer, which AdGuard's filter files under Branch beside it. Branch's SDK does not describe _branch_referrer, so this page does not either. AdGuard's filter and Brave strip both names, and ClearURLs strips _branch_match_id on Reddit links.

Looks like this in a URL

https://example.com/item/42?_branch_match_id=1234567890123456789&color=blue

After LinkClean

https://example.com/item/42?color=blue

Frequently asked

Is _branch_match_id a fingerprint?

Branch's web SDK calls the value the current user's browser-fingerprint-id. That is Branch's own term for it.

Does the page still work without it?

Yes. The page is addressed by the rest of the link. Branch's SDK uses the number to tie the visit to the click.

What is _branch_referrer?

A second Branch-prefixed name that blocklists remove beside _branch_match_id. Branch's web SDK does not describe it. LinkClean removes both.

mibextid — mibextid 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.
fb_action_ids — fb_action_ids is one of four tags that ride on a link Facebook opens from a story, with fb_action_types, fb_source and fb_ref. Facebook's own SDK reads them as the IDs and types of the actions behind the link and a breadcrumb set when the story was made. The destination is in the rest of the address, and LinkClean strips all four on every site.
share_id — share_id is an identifier Reddit adds to a post link when you use Share. It marks the share event, and it usually arrives with a set of utm_ tags that record which app it came from. The post is addressed by the path, and LinkClean strips the whole payload on reddit.com.

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