UTM Parameters Not Passing

If UTM parameters from your short link URL aren’t appearing in the destination URL, use this guide to diagnose and fix the issue.

Checking UTM Passthrough Setting

UTM Passthrough must be enabled for parameters to transfer automatically.

Verify the Setting

Open Short Links app
Go to Settings
Look for the UTM Passthrough section
Ensure the toggle is ON (enabled)

Free Plan Users

If you see an upgrade banner instead of a toggle:

UTM Passthrough requires a paid plan
Free plan users cannot use this feature
Consider upgrading to access UTM Passthrough

Toggle State

The setting should show as:

ON/Enabled - UTM parameters will pass through
OFF/Disabled - UTM parameters are ignored

If it’s off, toggle it on and test your link again.

Plan Requirements

UTM Passthrough is a paid feature:

Plan	UTM Passthrough
Free/Starter	❌ Not available
Paid Plans	✅ Available

If You’re on Free Plan

Options:

Upgrade to a paid plan to use UTM Passthrough
Manual approach - Add UTM parameters directly to destination URLs when creating links

Manual UTM in Destination

Without UTM Passthrough, you can still track campaigns by including UTMs in the destination URL:

Instead of:

Destination: yourstore.com/sale
Hoping UTM passes through from yourstore.com/a/s/sale?utm_source=facebook

Use:

Destination: yourstore.com/sale?utm_source=facebook
Short link: yourstore.com/a/s/sale-facebook

This requires creating separate links for each source but works on all plans.

URL Encoding Issues

UTM parameters must be properly formatted:

Correct Format

?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=winter_sale

Common Mistakes

Spaces - Use %20 or + instead of spaces, or better yet, use underscores
Special characters - Avoid #, &, = in values unless encoded
Case sensitivity - Some analytics treat Facebook and facebook differently

Encoding Test

When adding UTM parameters to your short link URL, ensure they’re valid:

Good:

yourstore.com/a/s/sale?utm_source=instagram&utm_campaign=winter_sale_2026

Problematic:

yourstore.com/a/s/sale?utm_source=instagram bio&utm_campaign=winter sale!

Fix by using:

yourstore.com/a/s/sale?utm_source=instagram_bio&utm_campaign=winter_sale

Existing UTM Parameters in Destination

UTM Passthrough won’t override UTM parameters already in the destination URL.

How It Works

Destination has ?utm_source=website
Short link is clicked with ?utm_source=facebook
Visitor arrives with ?utm_source=website (original preserved)

Check Your Destination

View link details in dashboard
Look at the destination URL
Check if it already contains UTM parameters

Solutions

If your destination already has UTMs:

Option 1: Remove UTMs from destination, rely on passthrough

Change destination from store.com/sale?utm_source=web to store.com/sale
Then share link with UTMs: a/s/sale?utm_source=facebook

Option 2: Keep destination UTMs as default

Destination has default UTMs
Passthrough only adds missing parameters

Option 3: Create channel-specific links

a/s/sale-fb with destination having utm_source=facebook
a/s/sale-ig with destination having utm_source=instagram

Testing UTM Passthrough

Verify passthrough is working correctly:

Test Steps

Enable UTM Passthrough in Settings
Create or find a short link with a simple destination (no existing UTMs)
Add UTM params to your short link: yourstore.com/a/s/test?utm_source=test&utm_medium=test
Click the link
Check the URL bar on the destination page
Verify ?utm_source=test&utm_medium=test appears

If UTMs Appear

Passthrough is working correctly.

If UTMs Don’t Appear

Double-check Settings toggle is ON
Verify you have a paid plan
Check destination doesn’t already have those UTM params
Try a different link to rule out link-specific issues

Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

☐ Is UTM Passthrough enabled in Settings?
☐ Are you on a paid plan?
☐ Are UTM parameters properly formatted (no spaces, special chars)?
☐ Does the destination URL already have UTM parameters?
☐ Did you test with a fresh link and clear cache?
☐ Are you checking the full URL after redirect (not just page content)?

Alternative Approaches

If UTM Passthrough doesn’t fit your needs:

Embed UTMs in Destinations

Create links with UTMs already in the destination:

More control over parameters
Works on all plans
Requires more links for different campaigns

UTM Builder Tools

Use online UTM builders to create properly formatted URLs:

Google Campaign URL Builder
Helps avoid encoding issues
Generates clean, tested URLs

Next Steps

Review UTM Passthrough settings guide
Learn about UTM Parameters best practices
Compare plans in Plan Comparison

Utm Not Passing