How to Remove UTM Parameters From a URL

What a UTM parameter actually is

A UTM parameter is a piece of text appended to a URL's query string — after the ? — that tells an analytics tool where a click came from. It changes nothing about which page loads. https://example.com/page?utm_source=newsletter and https://example.com/page open the identical page; the only difference is that the first one leaves a note in the destination site's analytics saying "this visitor came from the newsletter." Removing the parameter removes the note, not the page.

The 5 standard UTM parameters

They come from Google Analytics' original campaign-tracking spec, and every major analytics tool now reads the same five:

Parameter	What it records
`utm_source`	Where the click came from — e.g. `newsletter`, `google`, `twitter`.
`utm_medium`	The channel type — `email`, `cpc`, `social`.
`utm_campaign`	The name of the specific campaign or send, e.g. `spring_sale`.
`utm_term`	The paid search keyword that triggered the ad, when set.
`utm_content`	Distinguishes two links pointing at the same URL — e.g. which of two ad variants was clicked.

You'll also see utm_id (a GA4 campaign ID) and, less often, platform-specific variants like utm_name or utm_reader. All of them exist for the same reason and can be removed the same way.

Who benefits from keeping them — you or the sender?

Only the sender. UTM parameters are added by whoever built the link — a marketer, a newsletter tool, an affiliate platform — to measure their own campaign. They don't personalize the page, unlock anything, or help you as the person clicking or re-sharing the link. That's the whole reason it's safe to strip them: there's no functional parameter mixed in to accidentally lose, the way there sometimes is with, say, an Amazon product link's ID.

How to remove UTM parameters — 3 steps

Paste the link into the URL Cleaner — it runs in your browser, so the link itself is never sent anywhere.
Check the result. Safe mode removes every utm_* parameter automatically and leaves anything functional (like a YouTube video ID or an Amazon product ID) untouched.
Copy the cleaned link and share that instead. It opens the exact same page — with no record of which campaign or channel you got it from.

You can also do it by hand on a single link: delete everything from ? onward (or from the first &utm_ if the URL has other parameters worth keeping). It's easy to delete the wrong thing on a long URL with mixed parameters — the mixed case is exactly what a cleaner that knows which parameter is which handles better than a manual edit.

UTM parameters vs. fbclid and gclid

UTM parameters are added manually, by whoever built the link, for their own analytics dashboard. Click IDs like fbclid (Meta) and gclid (Google Ads) are different: they're appended automatically the moment you click a link from inside Facebook, Instagram, or a Google ad — not something the link's original author chose to add. Both are still pure tracking data with nothing functional attached, so the URL Cleaner strips both the same way it strips utm_*.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing UTM parameters break the link?

No. UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content, utm_id) exist purely for the sender's analytics — they tell Google Analytics or a similar tool where a click came from. The page a link points to loads identically with or without them.

Who benefits from UTM parameters — me or the person who sent the link?

Whoever added them. UTM parameters let a marketer, publisher, or affiliate see which channel, campaign, or post drove a click. They add nothing for the person clicking — which is why stripping them before you re-share a link costs you nothing.

Is a UTM parameter the same as a tracking cookie?

No. A UTM parameter is a piece of visible text sitting in the URL's query string — anyone can read it just by looking at the link. A tracking cookie is a separate file the destination site sets in your browser after you land. Removing UTM parameters doesn't touch cookies at all; it only removes the visible breadcrumb of where the click came from.

Why do some links have utm_ params and others have fbclid or gclid instead?

UTM parameters are added manually by whoever built the link, for their own analytics tool. fbclid and gclid are added automatically by Facebook/Meta and Google Ads respectively, the moment you click a link from their platforms — see our fbclid and gclid guides for the difference.

Can I remove UTM parameters by hand instead of using a tool?

Yes — delete everything from the ? onward (or from the first extra & if the URL already has parameters you want to keep) and re-check the link still works. It's easy to get wrong on a long URL with mixed functional and tracking parameters, which is the whole reason a cleaner that knows the difference exists.