ClearURLs for Chrome: Stop Tracking Parameters in One Click

ClearURLs for Chrome: Tips to Automatically Strip Tracking from LinksPrivacy-aware users often notice tracking parameters appended to URLs — long strings like ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email or ?fbclid=… that let companies follow where you click and what you read. ClearURLs is a browser extension that automatically strips many of these tracking elements from URLs, improving privacy and producing cleaner links you can share without leaking information. This article explains how ClearURLs works in Chrome, how to install and configure it, tips for maximizing its effectiveness, and some best practices and caveats.

What ClearURLs does (quick overview)

• Automatically removes tracking parameters from URLs you visit or copy.
• Applies a large, regularly updated list of rules to detect and clean known tracking query parameters and URL fragments.
• Can rewrite or redirect certain URLs to their canonical forms when safe.
• Works quietly in the background with options to whitelist sites or disable specific rules.

Installing ClearURLs in Chrome

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for “ClearURLs”.
2. Click “Add to Chrome”, then confirm by selecting “Add extension”.
3. After installation, an icon appears on the toolbar; click it to open the extension popup and access settings.

If ClearURLs isn’t on the Chrome Web Store (policy changes sometimes occur), you can install it from the developer’s GitHub releases page as a packaged extension — but be careful to only download official releases and follow Chrome’s instructions for loading unpacked extensions if needed.

Recommended initial settings

After installation, open the extension options and set these base choices:

• Enable the main cleaning engine (usually on by default).
• Enable “Clean on copy” or “Clean when copying link” if available — this ensures links you copy to the clipboard are sanitized automatically.
• Turn on “Clean on request” or “Clean on click” features for additional cleaning behavior.
• Keep automatic updates enabled so new tracker rules arrive without you needing to intervene.

These settings give broad protection while remaining unobtrusive.

Advanced configuration tips

1. Fine-tune rule sets

   • ClearURLs ships with many rules and pattern lists. In settings, review enabled rule categories and add or remove specific groups if you notice overzealous cleaning or missed trackers.
   • If a site breaks because a needed parameter was removed, you can disable that rule or add the site to the whitelist (see below).

2. Use the whitelist sparingly

   • Whitelist domains that require parameters for login, personalized content, or functionality (for example, some banking or subscription sites). Avoid blanket whitelisting like “*.com” — be specific.

3. Add custom cleanup rules

   • If you encounter a tracker not yet handled, add a custom rule (parameter names, patterns, or domains). Use regular expressions if supported to target multiple similar parameters.

4. Combine with “clean on copy” and clipboard tools

   • Enabling cleaning on copy ensures links you share are sanitized. Pairing ClearURLs with a clipboard manager gives you a chance to inspect links before pasting.

5. Use developer tools for troubleshooting

   • If pages break after cleaning, use Chrome Developer Tools to see which query parameters the site expects. Temporarily disable ClearURLs for that site to confirm, then create a targeted whitelist or rule exception.

Workflow tips for everyday use

• Share safe links: Copy links with ClearURLs enabled (clean-on-copy) so colleagues and friends don’t receive tracking parameters.
• Bookmark cleaned URLs: When saving bookmarks, ensure the URL is cleaned first to reduce future tracking.
• Email and social posts: Paste links after cleaning to avoid inadvertently sharing tracking IDs.
• Use alongside other privacy tools: ClearURLs pairs well with ad-blockers and tracker blockers (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger). Each tool covers different layers of tracking.

Comparing ClearURLs to alternatives

ClearURLs specializes in URL cleaning; adblockers/anti-trackers block requests and scripts. Use both for layered protection.

Security, performance, and privacy considerations

• Performance: ClearURLs is lightweight; rule matching is efficient. If you enable many custom regular expressions, check for any slowdown on pages with many links.
• Security: Use only official releases. Installing random builds risks tampering.
• Privacy: ClearURLs runs locally in your browser. It does not need to send your browsing data elsewhere to function. Keeping updates enabled ensures it learns about new trackers.

Common issues and fixes

• Site functionality breaks after cleaning: Add the site to ClearURLs’ whitelist or disable the specific rule removing the required parameter.
• Links still contain trackers: Make sure automatic updates are enabled and consider adding a custom rule for the missing parameter name or pattern.
• Clean-on-copy not working: Check Chrome clipboard permission settings and test copying from different sites; some web apps may use nonstandard copy methods.

Example custom rules

(General guidance — interface wording may differ between versions.)

• Remove parameter by exact name: utm_source, utm_medium, fbclid
• Regex rule to remove anything starting with “utm”: ^utm.*$
• Domain-specific exception: allow parameter x_session for example.com

Final thoughts

ClearURLs is a focused, practical tool that removes many common URL tracking parameters automatically, keeping links clean and limiting passive data leaks. Combine it with good practices (whitelisting only when necessary, keeping updates on, and pairing with other privacy extensions) to get the best results without breaking site functionality.