83
LPT: Always remove the si= part of YouTube links. (lemmy.zip)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by BoycottTwitter@lemmy.zip to c/lifeprotips@lemmy.world
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The part that says either ?si= or &si= is only for tracking. You can remove this part of the link and it will still function just the same. It makes the link shorter and also helps protect your privacy. The only important part of a YouTube URL is the video ID. There are two types of URLs:

youtube.com/watch?v=

For this one you can remove everything after and including the ampersand if present.

youtu.be/(videoid)?tracking

For this one you can remove everything after and including the question mark.

Note the exception is if you want to intentionally leave in playlist information you might want to keep that part.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] squirrel@piefed.kobel.fyi 1 points 3 months ago

While this is a handy tool, I actually like cleaning up URLs manually. You see a lot of interesting and sometimes malicious stuff in there, like tracking IDs, campaign names, source names, app names etc. It's kinda rewarding to remove all that stuff and seeing the link is still working.

this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2025
83 points (100.0% liked)

Life Pro Tips

3407 readers
1 users here now

Unlocking the Secrets to Success and Fulfillment!

Rules

  1. Share valuable life pro tips.
  2. Keep it concise and clear.
  3. Stay on-topic.
  4. Respect fellow members.
  5. No self-promotion.
  6. Verify information before sharing.
  7. Avoid illegal or unethical advice.
  8. Report rule violations.

Join us and share your best life pro tips!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
sabbah@lemmy.world
HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world