URL Cleaner

Remove common tracking parameters from URLs without stripping parameters that a page actually needs.

Built entirely with ChatGPT Codex.

Open the live tool · Browse the source · View the tests

Why this exists

Many shared links contain analytics and advertising parameters that are useful to marketers but unnecessary for the person opening the link.

URL Cleaner removes known tracking parameters while taking a conservative approach:

It removes only recognized trackers. Unknown parameters are kept.

That means search terms, product IDs, page numbers, language settings, invite codes, authentication parameters, and other page-specific values are preserved unless they are explicitly listed as trackers.

Features

• Removes common UTM, Google Ads, Microsoft/Bing, social, email, analytics, affiliate, HubSpot, Matomo, and Adobe tracking parameters
• Removes tracker families such as utm_*, hsa_*, mtm_*, pk_*, piwik_*, and _ga_*
• Preserves unknown and functional parameters by default
• Keeps YouTube parameters such as v, t, and list
• Preserves URL paths, hashes, search queries, page numbers, product IDs, and language settings
• Paste directly from the clipboard with the Paste button
• Optionally cleans automatically whenever you paste
• Optionally copies every successfully cleaned URL automatically
• Remembers the two settings locally without storing URLs or clipboard contents
• Shows a mobile-friendly before/after view and highlights exactly which parameters were removed
• Warns when a shortened link hides a destination that cannot be inspected locally
• Copies the cleaned URL with one click
• Supports pressing Enter to clean
• Handles invalid URLs clearly
• Runs entirely in the browser with no backend, accounts, analytics, database, or external API

Why choose URL Cleaner

Choose URL Cleaner when you want a link-cleaning tool that stays simple, transparent, and privacy-friendly:

• Conservative by design: removes recognized trackers while preserving unknown parameters that may be required by a page.
• Private by default: cleaning happens in your browser; URLs and clipboard contents are not uploaded or stored.
• No account or setup: open the live tool and use it immediately.
• Easy on mobile: paste from the clipboard, clean automatically on paste, or use the Copy button.
• Share Sheet friendly: use the included Apple Shortcut flow from iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
• Open and reusable: the source is public, MIT-licensed, and easy to run locally.
• Honest about limits: shortened links get an informational notice instead of a false safety claim.
• Small and understandable: plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with no framework or backend.

Example

Before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123&utm_source=newsletter&gclid=example#comments

After:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123#comments

The YouTube video ID and page fragment stay intact. The before/after view highlights the removed parameters so the change is easy to verify.

Shortened links

Known shortened links receive an informational notice. URL Cleaner cleans the visible short URL but does not follow its redirect, make a network request, or claim to inspect the hidden destination.

Use the live tool

Open url-cleaner.heyandromeda.chatgpt.site, paste a URL, and select Clean URL.

The app does not upload the URL anywhere. Copying and pasting use your browser's clipboard permission.

Share Sheet shortcut for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

A native Share Sheet extension would require a separate Xcode app. The project stays a lightweight static website instead.

You can get the same practical flow with an Apple Shortcut:

Share URL → open URL Cleaner → clean locally → copy/share the result

Create the Shortcut

1. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut.
2. Open the shortcut's details and enable Show in Share Sheet.
3. Set the accepted input to URLs (or URLs and text if you want broader input).
4. Add Get URLs from Shortcut Input.
5. Add URL Encode or Encode URL, using the URL from the previous action.
6. Add a Text action containing this URL, replacing the bracketed part with the encoded value:

   https://url-cleaner.heyandromeda.chatgpt.site/?url=[Encoded URL]
   

7. Add Open URLs using that Text action.
8. Save it as Clean URL with URL Cleaner.

Now share a URL from Safari or another app, choose the shortcut, and URL Cleaner will open with the URL loaded and cleaned automatically. Tap Copy, then paste or share the result wherever you need it.

Share Sheet limitations

• The Shortcut handoff is local to the browser after the page opens; no URL is sent to a backend.
• iOS and macOS may block silent clipboard writes when a page opens without a direct user gesture. The app therefore always displays the cleaned URL, and the Copy button remains the reliable final step.
• The app removes the url handoff value from the address bar after loading it.

Run locally

The app needs no build step and no package installation.

git clone https://github.com/heyandromeda/url-cleaner.git
cd url-cleaner
python3 -m http.server 8000

Then open http://localhost:8000.

Using a local web server is recommended because browser module imports may be restricted when opening index.html directly as a file:// URL.

Run the tests

The project uses Node's built-in test runner:

npm test

The test suite covers:

• UTM-only URLs
• Additional ad, analytics, and affiliate trackers
• Trackers mixed with legitimate parameters
• YouTube links
• URLs without query strings
• Hash fragments
• Invalid input
• Case-insensitive tracker names
• Known opaque URL shorteners

Project structure

File	Purpose
index.html	Runnable app page
styles.css	Minimal styling
cleaner.js	URL-cleaning logic and tracker lists
app.js	Form, clipboard, settings, and copy interactions
tests/url-cleaner.test.js	Automated tests
LICENSE	MIT License
dist/	Static-site copy used by the hosted deployment

Extend the tracker lists

The tracker lists live in cleaner.js:

• Add a lowercase exact-match parameter to TRACKING_PARAMETERS
• Add a lowercase family prefix to TRACKING_PARAMETER_PREFIXES

For example, a family prefix of example_ would remove example_source and example_campaign.

Avoid adding broad names such as id, ref, source, or token: those can be required for a page to work. Add only parameters confirmed to be tracking-related.

Important limitation

No tracker list can identify every parameter used by every website. This project intentionally favors preserving unknown parameters over making an aggressive guess that could break a link.

Privacy

URL cleaning happens locally in your browser. URLs and clipboard contents are not uploaded or stored. Only the two setting preferences are saved locally: whether to clean on paste and whether to auto-copy. The app has no backend, accounts, analytics, database, or telemetry.

License

This project is released under the MIT License.

You are free to:

• Use it privately or commercially
• Copy, modify, and fork it
• Redistribute it
• Include it in other projects

The only requirement is to keep the copyright and license notice with copies or substantial portions of the software. The software is provided without warranty.