What are UTM parameters and why do they exist?
UTM parameters are query string tags that marketers append to URLs before sharing them in campaigns. When a
visitor clicks a tagged link, analytics tools like Google Analytics read the parameters and record which
campaign, channel, and piece of content drove the visit. The five standard UTM tags are
utm_source (e.g. "newsletter"),
utm_medium (e.g. "email"),
utm_campaign (e.g. "spring-sale"),
utm_content, and
utm_term. Beyond UTM, every major ad platform
adds its own click ID parameter so it can match a click to a conversion: Google Ads appends
gclid, Meta appends
fbclid, Microsoft Ads appends
msclkid, and so on.
These parameters are invisible to the user — they don't change what page loads — but they do travel with the URL when you copy and paste it. If you paste a campaign link into a forum post, a chat message, or a document, everyone who follows that link carries the original sender's tracking tags with them. The result is inaccurate analytics for the sender and unnecessary data exposure for the person sharing the link.
Why remove tracking parameters?
The most common reasons are cleaner links, better privacy, and shorter URLs. A URL without tracking parameters is easier to read, easier to trust at a glance, and less likely to break when wrapped in an email client or truncated in a preview. From a privacy standpoint, stripping the parameters means the person you're sharing with doesn't inadvertently send attribution data back to a platform they may not use. From a practical standpoint, UTM tags add no value for the reader — they exist entirely for the sender's analytics.
What parameters the tool removes
The tool removes a wide range of known tracking parameters across all major platforms. In addition to all
utm_* prefixed parameters, it targets platform-specific
click IDs, session identifiers, and email marketing tokens by exact name and by prefix.
| Platform | Parameters removed |
|---|---|
gclid, dclid, gbraid, wbraid, _ga, _gl, all utm_* | |
| Meta (Facebook / Instagram) | fbclid, igshid, ig_* |
| Microsoft Advertising | msclkid |
| TikTok | ttclid |
| Yahoo | yclid |
| Mailchimp | mc_cid, mc_eid |
| Marketo / HubSpot | mkt_tok |
| Vero / Wickedsource / Redbubble | vero_*, wicked_*, rb_* |
| General / referral | ref, ref_, referrer, spm, scid, si |
How to use the tool
Paste the URL — with or without tracking parameters — into the tool on this page. Toggle on "Remove tracking params" before clicking Unshorten. The tool follows any redirects first, then strips the tracked parameters from the final URL. Copy the clean result from the output.
The redirect-following step matters when the URL you start with is also a shortened link — for example, a Bit.ly or TinyURL that expands into a long campaign URL full of UTM tags. In one step you get both the unshortened URL and the cleaned version, without having to run the link through two separate tools.