Why X Tracks Links
X wraps outbound links in `t.co` so it can count clicks, scan destinations, and keep off-platform engagement tied back to X. That extra hop gives X one more place to measure what gets shared and what gets opened.
Clean LinksTwitter/X Link Cleaner
X wraps every URL in t.co and ties each click to your account. The firehose of that activity flows to surveillance contractor Dataminr, which resells it to the Secret Service, DHS, and police units tracking protests. Clean the Twitter link before you share.
Before and After
Tracked link
https://example.com/article?utm_source=twitter
Clean link
https://example.com/article
Removed
- utm_sourceMarketing campaign source label.
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 as a web app instead
Add Clean Links to your Home Screen
- Tap the Share button in Safari, then choose Add to Home Screen.
- 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.
Why You Should Clean Twitter/X Links
- Expand
t.coto reveal the real destination - Remove UTMs and marketing parameters
- Strip the campaign and share tags X appends to links
- Share the same content without extra redirects
Examples of Twitter/X Trackers and Redirects Clean Links Removes
t.co/... - X short link wrapper used on all outbound linksutm_source=twitter, utm_medium, utm_campaign - campaign tagsWhy not just expand links manually?
Redirect‑based trackers often appear mid‑hop, not in the original URL. Manual trimming misses those and is error‑prone. Clean Links follows the chain safely and cleans the final URL.
FAQ: Twitter/X Link Cleaner
No. Cleaning removes trackers and expands short links but preserves the destination.
`t.co` adds a security layer, but it also tracks your clicks and adds redirects. Clean Links expands it on‑device and shows the real URL so you can decide before opening or sharing.
The Apple app cleans X 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.
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
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.
Get Clean Links for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Clean links from the Share Sheet on iPhone and iPad, plus the Mac app. No account or link history; redirect checks run from your device when network access is enabled.
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.
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