This Mac App Automatically Removes Junk From Any URL
You copy a link to send to a friend. The pasted link is terribly long, with a question mark and some gibberish after the actual link you wanted to share.
Why does this happen? The answer is, essentially, that websites want to track your actions. They usually do this using the Urchin Tracking Module, or UTM. It’s annoying and, in a professional context, unacceptable. I find myself having to remove links several times a day, so I was happy to find the Clean Links app .
Available for macOS and iOS devices, this app automatically removes all the junk embedded in URLs. On a Mac, it can even automatically remove this junk from every URL you copy — just open the app’s preferences and turn on the Monitor Clipboard option.
If this setting is enabled and the app is open in the menu bar, every copied URL will be automatically cleared of unnecessary links. For this reason alone, the app is worth installing on your Mac.
The mobile version doesn’t work this way, mostly due to iOS limitations. However, there is another cool feature on mobile: the ability to scan a QR code, preview the URL before opening it, and remove UTM tags before opening. (Opening a URL in other apps, including the Camera app, usually opens the link without displaying it, raising security concerns.)
And to top it all off, Clean Links is free – no in-app purchases required.