# q= — the standard search-query URL parameter

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

Parameter: `q` · Category: Region & language (preserved) · Vendor: Standard search-query convention · functional — preserved

> `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.

## What q= does

On any site that has a search box, the query you typed often ends up as `?q=<your-search-text>` in the URL. The server reads it, looks up matching results, and renders the page. Strip q= and you get the search page with no results — the search box is empty.

The convention is old — it dates to early HTML forms where `name="q"` was the natural shorthand for the query input. It's a convention, not a standard, but it's so widespread that the major search engines all use it.

## Why it's preserved

q= shapes what the user sees — strip it from a `google.com/search?q=ramen` URL and the user lands on a blank search page instead of seeing ramen results. The opposite of what tracking parameters do (which never affect what loads).

LinkClean's curation rule keeps generic words like `q`, `t`, `s`, `ref`, `source` default-off precisely because they can be functional. Host-scoped tracker rules apply only where the parameter is a known tracker on that specific site.

## How LinkClean handles it

Preserved on every host. q= is in LinkClean's reference functional set alongside hl, gl, lang, t (on YouTube), v (on YouTube).

## Example

Example URL: `https://www.google.com/search?q=ramen+tokyo&hl=ja`

LinkClean preserves this parameter — no change.

## Frequently asked

**Is q= always functional?**

Almost always. The exception would be a site that uses `q` for non-query purposes — extremely rare. LinkClean defaults to preserving it.

**What sites use q=?**

Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Hacker News, npm, PyPI, and many more. It's a de-facto convention from the early HTML era.

**Does q= leak my search history?**

Only to the site you searched on — which is what searching does. Forwarding a `?q=ramen` URL is sharing your search results page with someone, intentionally.


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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.