Start with the query string
A query string begins with a question mark. Parameters are commonly written as name=value pairs, separated by ampersands. A shop might use a category parameter to display the right products. A search page might use q to identify the search.
Parameters with the same name can appear more than once. Shortform’s inspector displays each pair rather than hiding duplicates. Its cleaner removes all occurrences of a parameter name you select.
What UTM parameters do
Campaign tags such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign label where a visit came from and which campaign it belongs to. Compatible analytics at the destination can read those labels. Adding labels does not install analytics or measure visits on its own.
For example, source=newsletter, medium=email and campaign=autumn-launch make one naming convention. Consistent spelling and capitalization keep campaign groups easier to interpret. Use the UTM builder to construct a link with encoded values.
Remove tracking deliberately
The URL cleaner recognizes parameter names beginning with utm_ and common click identifiers such as fbclid, gclid and msclkid. You can choose which names to remove. Other query keys are left alone, and the fragment after the hash stays in place.
Removing those labels may remove campaign attribution. It does not make the destination private, stop its own analytics, remove cookies or prevent server logs. “Clean” describes the URL, not a guarantee about the website.
Leave signed links alone
Temporary downloads, account actions and payment flows may carry a signature that covers the complete URL. Removing a parameter, changing its order or re-encoding a value can invalidate that signature. Even a parameter that looks like tracking may be required.
If the link was generated for a private action or expires after a short time, keep it unchanged unless the issuing service explicitly documents the modification. Shortform does not detect all signing schemes or verify whether a modified link remains usable.
Check before sharing
Inspect the hostname, keep parameters you do not understand, and review the result before shortening. If you need to verify a destination, only open it in a browser if you trust it. The tools on this site do not fetch or security-scan URLs.