# share_id — what Reddit adds to a shared link

- Canonical: https://linkclean.app/trackers/share-id/
- Updated: 2026-10-05
- Author: Ken Tominaga (https://ken0nek.com)
- Get the app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linkclean/id6758604043

Parameter: `share_id` · Category: Social · Vendor: Reddit

> 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.

## What a shared Reddit link carries

Share a post from the Reddit app and the link gains `?share_id=` and a random-looking value, followed by `utm_source=share`, `utm_medium=` (for example `ios_app`), `utm_name=` and often `utm_content=` and `utm_term=`.

The web site's share button uses a different spelling of the same idea: `ref=share`, `ref_source=link` and sometimes `ref_campaign=`. A `correlation_id` can appear too, naming the request that produced the link.

## What it tells Reddit

A share identifier lets Reddit count how many people opened one particular share and from which kind of device it was made. It is unique per share, so two links to the same post, shared by two people, differ only in this value.

## How LinkClean removes it

`share_id`, `ref_source`, `ref_campaign` and `correlation_id` are default-on and scoped to `reddit.com`. The `utm_` tags are removed everywhere. `context=`, which sets how many parent comments a comment link shows, is kept.

One part stays: `ref` is a generic name that many sites use for something functional, so it is off by default and can be switched on in the parameter list. ClearURLs, AdGuard's filter, Brave and Firefox all strip the four Reddit names.

## Example

Looks like this in a URL: `https://www.reddit.com/r/swift/comments/1abcde/title/?share_id=AbCdEf123456&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&context=3`

After LinkClean: `https://www.reddit.com/r/swift/comments/1abcde/title/?context=3`

## Frequently asked

**Does share_id reveal who shared the link?**

Not to the person who opens it: the value is opaque. Reddit generated it, so Reddit can connect the visit to the share it came from.

**Does the post still open without share_id?**

Yes. The subreddit and post id in the path address it.

**Why does a Reddit link have utm_name=ioscss?**

It is part of the tag set the Reddit app adds on Share. It names the client the share was made from. LinkClean removes it with the other utm_ tags.


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