# gad_source — Google Ads parameter meaning & values

- Canonical: https://linkclean.app/trackers/gad-source/
- Updated: 2026-07-20
- Author: Ken Tominaga (https://ken0nek.com)
- Get the app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linkclean/id6758604043

Parameter: `gad_source` · Category: Ad-click identifiers · Vendor: Google Ads

> gad_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.

## What gad_source encodes

Google's auto-tagging system gained a series of `gad_*` parameters in 2023 as part of the GA4 migration. gad_source is a small numeric code — typically a single digit — that identifies which Google Ads surface generated the click. Google doesn't publish the mapping; community observation pins the common low values as 1 (Search Ads), 2 (Display Network), 3 (YouTube), 5 (Shopping), while higher values like 4, 6 and 7 have no public consensus.

On its own gad_source carries less attribution power than gclid — but it's used in combination with gad_campaignid and the older gclid to disambiguate where a click came from when Google's downstream analytics joins the data.

## Why it appeared recently

GA4 deprecated some of the older referrer-driven source attribution that Universal Analytics relied on. To keep the source/medium dimension populated reliably in GA4, Google started adding gad_source + gad_campaignid to outbound clicks as supplementary first-party tags. They sit alongside the classic utm_* and gclid rather than replacing them.

## How LinkClean removes it

Default-on. Same default-on treatment as the rest of the gad_* family. No legitimate non-tracking use of this exact name.

## Example

Looks like this in a URL: `https://example.com/landing?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12345678&gclid=Cj0KCQ`

After LinkClean: `https://example.com/landing`

## Frequently asked

**Why did Google add gad_source if gclid already existed?**

Because GA4 needed first-party source/medium signals that don't rely on the cookie or referrer plumbing Universal Analytics had used. gad_source + gad_campaignid are durable first-party tags that survive cookie restrictions.

**What do the gad_source numeric values mean?**

Google doesn't publish the mapping. Community observation pins the common values as 1 = Search Ads, 2 = Display Network, 3 = YouTube, 5 = Shopping; values like 4, 6 and 7 aren't reliably documented. The [Google ad-click parameters](https://linkclean.app/learn/google-ad-click-parameters/) overview covers the whole gad_* / gclid family.

**Will removing gad_source affect what I see?**

No. It's read by analytics scripts, not by the destination page.


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LinkClean removes tracking parameters from links on-device — free to clean, one-time Pro. https://linkclean.app/ · Cite freely with attribution.