![](/logo.png)Clean Links # YouTube Link Cleaner Sanitize YouTube links before you paste them. YouTube's Share button appends `si` - a per-share source identifier Google can trace back to the account that sent it and stitch to the rest of your Google identity. The video plays fine without it. Clean Links removes `si` and keeps your timestamp. Paste Clean Link Settings [4.9ยท241 ratings on the App Store](/reviews) Before and After Tracked link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&si=Example&feature=shared&t=43 Clean link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&t=43 Removed - siPer-share source ID (YouTube, Spotify). - featureTracking parameter ## Why YouTube Tracks Links YouTube share links carry \`si\`, the source identifier, plus \`feature\` tags that tell Google which share button or surface produced the click. That turns a simple video URL into another measurement hook for one of the largest ad platforms on the web. ## Install Clean Links on Any Device Pin the web cleaner as a progressive web app on Chrome, Edge, and Android, or install the iPhone, iPad, and Mac app for on-device cleaning, Share Sheet actions, Safari extension, QR scanning, and Shortcuts. Install web app[![Download on the App Store](/app-store/download-badge/en/download.svg)![Download on the App Store](/app-store/download-badge/en/download-dark.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6747395062?pt=96139298&ct=cll_install_card&mt=8)Install as a web app instead Add Clean Links to your Home Screen 1. Tap the Share button in Safari, then choose Add to Home Screen. 2. Tap Add. Clean Links launches like a native app from your Home Screen. Open your browser menu and choose Install Clean Links or Add to Home Screen. ## How to Sanitize Your YouTube Links - Remove account-linked `si` and noisy `feature` parameters - Drop `gclid` and UTMs from ad clicks - Preserve timestamps (`t=`) so your time cues still work - Share the same video without tracking ## Examples of YouTube Trackers and Redirects Clean Links Removes `si` - account-linked share identifier injected by the share button`feature` - discovery source (for example: share, youtu.be, embed)`gclid` and UTMs - ad and campaign identifiers sometimes added by links in descriptions`t` - timestamp for deep linking; this is preserved by Clean Links ## Why can't I just clean links manually? Many trackers appear after redirects or are added by wrappers. Manual trimming misses those and can break timestamps. Clean Links follows redirects, preserves \`t=\`, and cleans the final URL. ## FAQ: YouTube Link Cleaner - ### Does cleaning change the video destination? No. The video URL is the same without the tracking. - ### What is YouTube's si parameter? \`si\` is YouTube's source identifier - a per-share ID the Share button adds to the URL. It tells Google which account and surface a share came from. Remove it and the video plays exactly the same. - ### What does it mean to sanitize a YouTube link? Sanitizing a YouTube link means stripping the tracking baggage - \`si\`, \`feature\`, and any UTM or \`gclid\` tags - while the video ID, playlist, and \`t=\` timestamp stay put. Paste a link above and Clean Links does exactly that. - ### Do timestamps still work? Yes. Clean Links preserves \`t=\` so your time cues open at the right moment. - ### Will cleaning affect creator revenue? Cleaning removes tracking parameters. It does not block viewing, likes, or subscriptions. - ### Does Clean Links send data to servers? The Apple app cleans YouTube links on-device. The web cleaner currently sends the link to the Clean Links API because the full rule engine is too large to ship to every browser right now. We do not log, store, or tie those requests to an account, and shortlinks are still resolved in an isolated, cookie-free context with a randomized user agent. - ### How does the web cleaner differ from the iPhone, iPad, and Mac app? The cleaning rules are the same, but the Apple app has more system hooks: Share Sheet cleaning, Safari extension support, QR scanning, Shortcuts, Siri, and Mac clipboard tools. The web cleaner focuses on paste-and-clean in your browser today, and a browser-native WASM version is in progress. Need to clean a link from any other site? [Try the free link cleaner](https://cleanlinks.app/en/link-cleaner) ## Clean a Link Right Here Paste any link to strip trackers and unwrap short links. Works in any browser with no account; recent-link history stays in this browser. [Clean a Link](#link-cleaner-tool)Install web app ## Get Clean Links for iPhone, iPad, and Mac Clean links from the Share Sheet on iPhone and iPad, plus the Mac app. No account. Want a history? It syncs through your own iCloud, and we can't see it. [![Download on the App Store](/app-store/download-badge/en/download.svg)![Download on the App Store](/app-store/download-badge/en/download-dark.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6747395062?pt=96139298&ct=cll_platform_cta&mt=8)Install web app Why we built Clean Links ## Someone Close to Us Got Scammed by a QR Code. We Did Something About It. Someone close to us scanned a QR code on a parking meter, typed in their card details, and lost the money before they realized anything was off. A sticker had covered the real code, and the link behind it went somewhere else. We're two engineers in the EU who've spent years building privacy-first apps, and that was the push. We wanted a fast way to see where a link or QR code really goes before you tap it, and to strip the trackers off the ones we share. Clean Links now covers both cases: the Apple apps scan and clean on your device, and the web cleaner lets you check a link in the browser without an account. It's free, and we'd rather earn a spot on your home screen than sell you out. ### More from Numen Two more apps from the same team. Two more apps from the same team. Both run on your device. [![Slop or Not](/app-icons/slop-or-not.png) #### Slop or Not Check AI-generated text and images in your browser. Free online checker, no account. Native iPhone and Mac apps too. Check AI-generated text and images on iPhone and Mac. On-device, no account. ](https://slopornot.ai/en)[![Private LLM](/app-icons/private-llm.png) #### Private LLM Run uncensored, open-source AI chat models on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Chats stay on your device. Your AI, your rules. ](https://privatellm.app/en) Join our Discord to see what we're building next. [Discord](/discord)