`s_cid`

Analytics IDs · Adobe Analytics · Updated 2026-10-05

What is s_cid in a URL?

Where s_cid comes from

Adobe Analytics has a campaign variable, and a site chooses which query parameter fills it. s_cid is one of the most common choices, with cid close behind; the s_ prefix is the one Adobe's own code uses throughout.

So the name is a convention and not a fixed part of the product. The value is whatever the marketing team wrote: often a compact code such as em_2026q3_newsletter_hero.

What it leaks

It is a source label. Anyone you forward the link to carries the same code, so their visit is counted as a response to a campaign they never saw. It also tells the recipient which email or ad you clicked.

How LinkClean removes it

Default-on and global. The bare cid is a different matter: on Google Maps it is a place id, so it ships off by default and you can turn it on. ClearURLs, AdGuard's filter and Firefox strip s_cid as well.

Looks like this in a URL

https://www.example.com/products/widget?s_cid=em_2026q3_newsletter_hero&color=blue

After LinkClean

https://www.example.com/products/widget?color=blue

Frequently asked

Is s_cid the same as a utm tag?

It does the same job for a different analytics product. utm tags feed Google Analytics; s_cid feeds Adobe Analytics.

Is s_cid safe to remove?

Yes. It is read by the site's analytics and does not change the page.

Why does LinkClean leave cid alone?

Because cid is functional on some sites, including Google Maps. It is in the catalog but off until you enable it.

utm_campaign — utm_campaign labels the marketing campaign — “spring-launch”, “black-friday-2026”. It buckets clicks inside Google Analytics so the publisher can compare campaigns. The page renders identically without it.
at_medium — at_medium is a campaign tag from AT Internet, the analytics product now called Piano Analytics. With at_campaign and a longer at_ set it records which channel, campaign and link brought a visit. It is common on links from European publishers, the BBC among them. LinkClean strips the set on every site.
CMP — CMP is the campaign code the Guardian adds to its article links. CMP=share_btn_url means the link was copied with the share button, and other values name the app or the newsletter it came from. The article loads the same without it, and LinkClean strips it on theguardian.com.
mtm_campaign — mtm_campaign is the campaign-name tag read by Matomo, the free-software analytics platform formerly called Piwik. With mtm_source, mtm_medium and five more it does for Matomo what utm_ tags do for Google Analytics. Older links use the pk_ and piwik_ spellings of the same fields. The page loads the same without them, and LinkClean strips the set on every site.
wt_mc — wt_mc is the campaign parameter Mapp Intelligence (formerly Webtrekk) reads from a link. Its value is a media code the sender chose, often dotted, such as email.newsletter.nov2020.thursday. The page loads the same without it, and LinkClean strips it on every site.
s_kwcid — s_kwcid is the AMO ID, the code Adobe Advertising adds to the landing page of an ad so Adobe Analytics can tell which ad brought the visit. It names the channel, the ad network and the ad, campaign and keyword. It describes the ad rather than you, and LinkClean strips it on every site.

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