Overview

Use the Links page to find, organize, and manage your Branch Links. You can search and filter your links, organize them in folders, set up templates, download links, and open each link's analytics.

To open the page, go to Campaigns > Links in Branch. To see your links there, you need View access to Link-level Settings. To create, edit, move, duplicate, or delete links, you need Edit access to Link-level Settings.

The page shows your Short Links and Ad Links. When ad links are managed in Ad Partners for your account, ad links no longer appear here, and a banner on the page links you to Integrations > Ad Partners.

Create links

To create a link, select Create at the top of the page. For full guides, see the following articles:

• Create Short Links
• Create Links With Ivy
• Create Ad Links

The Create menu also has options for bulk links and folders. Bulk links open the legacy version of Branch. To create a link template, use the Template Manager tab. See Templates.

Find links

Your links appear as cards, newest first. To show the oldest links first, change the sort order to Date created (oldest).

Search and filters

Use the search bar to find links by title or URL. To show only links created in a date range, use the date picker.

You can also filter links by the following fields:

• Link Type
• Campaign
• Campaign Objective
• Campaign Event
• Tag
• Feature
• Channel
• Created By
• Ad Partner
• Custom QR
• Migrated Legacy QR
• Destination Type, which is Web Link or App Link
• Link Data Values, which covers the canonical URL, destination URL, and deep link path

Some filters appear only when the related feature is turned on for your account.

Analytics

Each Short Link card shows the link's clicks from the last 30 days, to match your analytics view. Ad link cards don't show clicks.

To see more of a link's analytics, select Analysis in the card's three-dot menu. Analysis is available for Short Links only. To learn more, see Link Analytics.

Manage links

Use the three-dot menu on a link card to work with that link. The menu has the following actions:

• Analysis opens the link's analytics.
• Validate checks how the link is set up. It opens the Link Validator in the legacy version of Branch.
• Edit opens the link so you can change it.
• QR Code downloads the link's QR code as a PNG, JPEG, or SVG file. To download it without a background, select Transparent Background first. JPEG files don't support transparency.
• Duplicate opens a new link form filled in with this link's settings, except the alias. Select Create Link to save the copy.
• Move moves the link to a folder.
• Delete deletes the link.

Ad links have only the Edit and Delete actions. If your access requires templates, you can't move, duplicate, or delete links created from a template.

Work with several links at once

To select a link, hover over its card and select its checkbox. To select a range, hold Shift while you select the last checkbox. After you select a link, a Select All checkbox appears. It selects every link loaded on the page so far.

Use the icons at the top of the page to act on the selected links. Most icons show their name when you hover over them.

• Download exports the links to a CSV file. If no links are selected, it exports every link that matches your filters. You can export up to 10,000 links at a time.
• Download QR Codes downloads the QR codes as a ZIP file.
• Move moves the links to a folder. Ad links can't be moved.
• The chart icon opens analytics for the selected links.
• Delete deletes the links. You can't undo a deletion.

Link Validator appears next to Create. It opens the legacy version of Branch.

Templates

A link template sets rules for the settings people fill in when they create Short Links, so links for the same campaign stay consistent. For example, a template can lock the channel to one value, limit the campaign to a list, or require a link data key.

You manage templates on the Template Manager tab of the Links page. To use a template, choose it in Create Link Via Template when you create a Short Link. Archived templates don't appear in that list.

To see templates, you need View access to Link Template Settings. To create, edit, duplicate, archive, or restore them, you need Edit access to Link Template Settings.

How template rules work

For most settings in a template, you choose a rule under Value Type. The rule controls what people can do with that setting when they create a link.

Rule	When people create a link
Any	People can enter any value.
Suggestions	People see the values you list, marked Suggested. They can pick one or use a different value.
Choose	People can pick only from the values you list.
Fixed	Branch fills in the value you set, and people can't change it.
Default	Branch uses a default value, and people can't change it. Available for link preview settings only. See Link preview.
Disabled	People can't fill in this setting. Available for analytics tags, link data, and the Original Web URL of app link templates.

Most settings also have a Required switch, which makes people fill in the setting. Set the rule first, because changing the rule resets the switch. Fixed always turns Required on, and Default and Disabled always turn it off.

Create a template

You build a template on the Define, Analytics Tags, Redirects, Link Data, and Link Preview tabs. The Template Summary panel on the right shows each rule as you set it.

Follow these steps to create a template:

1. In Branch, go to Campaigns > Links.
2. Select the Template Manager tab.
3. Select Create template. The Create Short Link Template page opens.
4. Enter a Template Name.
5. (Optional) Set the other settings on each tab. See Template settings.
6. Select Create Template.

The template appears on the Template Manager tab, and people can choose it when they create a Short Link.

You can also start a template from the link form. Select Create New Template in the Create Link Via Template list.

Template settings

Each part of this section lists a tab's settings in the order they appear in the form.

Define

The Define tab names the template and sets the kind of link it makes.

Setting	What it does
Template Name	Required. Up to 200 characters, and different from the names of your other link templates, including archived ones.
Template Description	Optional. Up to 512 characters. Helps teammates pick the right template.
Destination Type	App, Web, or Both. Starts at App. App or Web locks links to that type, and Both lets people choose. This setting appears only when both link types are turned on for your account.
Link Alias	A Required switch only. Turn it on to make people enter an alias.
Original Web URL	Takes a rule for the link's web page. For web link templates, this setting is called Destination URL and is always required. If you set it to Fixed, Branch reads the page's preview details each time someone creates a link.
Campaign Objective	Takes a rule for the objective.
Objective Event	Takes a rule for the event. Choose and Fixed are available only when Campaign Objective is set to Choose or Fixed. This setting appears only when last-touch attribution is turned on for your account.

Templates don't control Link Title, so people always fill it in themselves.

Analytics tags

Feature (utm_medium), Channel (utm_source), Campaign (utm_campaign), and Tags (utm_tags) each take a rule and a Required setting. All rules except Default are available.

Redirects

The Redirects tab sets how each platform routes people who don't have your app. iOS, Android, and Desktop each get their own redirect rule. Each starts at Default. To change that, pick another Redirect Type.

Redirect Type	What it means
Any	People choose the redirect when they create a link.
Default	App links use the redirect from your App Settings. Web links go to the link's web URL.
Web URL	Links open a web page. You then set a rule for the address.
Deepview	Links open a Deepview. You then set a rule for which Deepview they open.

Link data

Link data in a template adds key-value pairs to every link made from it. The tab starts empty. To add a pair, select Add field, enter a Key, and set a rule for its value. Keys that Branch reserves, such as ~campaign and $ios_url, aren't allowed. If you turn on Required, people must fill in a value for that key.

Link preview

The Link Preview tab sets the Title, Description, and Image that show when someone shares the link on social media. Each takes a rule. Default uses the defaults from your App Settings for app links, or the web page's preview details for web links. Links then pick up later changes to those values.

If Original Web URL is Fixed, Branch reads the preview details from that page when someone creates a link. Any value you set on this tab replaces what Branch reads.

Manage templates

The Template Manager tab lists your templates, newest first. Each row shows the template's name, the creator's initials, its creation date, and its description. Archived templates stay in the list with an Archived badge.

To find a template, search by name or description. You can also filter by creation date or by the analytics tag values that templates set. To change the order, sort by name or show the oldest templates first.

Use the three-dot icon on a template's row to work with it. The menu has the following actions:

• Edit opens the Edit Short Link Template page. Your changes apply only to new links. Links already created from the template don't change.
• Duplicate opens a new template filled in with this template's settings. The copy's name ends in - Copy, and you can change it before you select Create Template.
• Archive stops people from choosing the template when they create a link. Links already created from it don't change.
• Restore makes an archived template available again. It's the only action for an archived template.

Folders

You can use folders to organize links and enforce template requirements. Folders appear only when they're turned on for your account.

Note

Previously created Collections will now be viewable as folders.

Create a folder

Follow these steps to create a folder:

1. In Branch, select Campaigns > Links.
2. Select Create in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Select Folder from the drop-down menu that appears.
4. Enter a Name for the folder.
5. (Optional) In Templates, select the template that every link in this folder must use.
6. Select Save Changes.

Your folder now appears on the Links page, and you can choose it when you create a link.

View folders

By default, the Links page displays all of your links.

Follow these steps to view a specific folder:

1. In Branch, select Campaigns > Links.
2. Select the up-and-down arrow icon next to All Links at the top-left corner of the page. The arrow appears once you have at least one folder.
3. Search or scroll through the list of folders.
4. Select the folder you want to open.

Add an existing link to a folder

Follow these steps to add an existing link to a folder:

1. In Branch, select Campaigns > Links.
2. Select the three-dot icon on the link you want to add to a folder.
3. Select Move.
4. In Folder, search or scroll through the list of folders.
5. Select the folder you want to add the link to.
6. Select Save Changes.

Note

If a folder has a template, you can only add links that were created with that template. Ad links can't be added to folders.

Remove a link from a folder

Follow these steps to remove a link from a folder:

1. In Branch, select Campaigns > Links.
2. Select the three-dot icon on the link you want to remove from a folder.
3. Select Move.
4. In Folder, select Remove link from folder.
5. Select Save Changes.

Delete a folder

To delete a folder, open it and select the three-dot menu next to its name. Select Delete, then select Confirm Delete. The links in the folder stay on the Links page.

Link FAQs

What’s the difference between folders and templates?

They serve two different purposes. Folders are for organization: a way to group links so you can see them in one place. Templates are for governance: they apply standardizations so links follow a defined structure.

Do I have to attach a template to a folder?

No. A template is optional when you create a folder. You can use a folder purely to group links. If you do associate a template, all links in that folder must adhere to that template.

Can I apply more than one template to a folder?

No. A folder can have a single template associated with it. Learn more on the Links page.

Does every link include a QR code?

Every Short Link includes a QR code, but ad links don't. When you create a Short Link, you can preview the QR code in the QR Code section of the Previews tab. To learn how to customize it, see the QR code step in Create Short Links.

How do I customize the look of a QR code?

In the Customize QR Code dialog, you can choose the pattern, finder, shape, border, colors, and logo. To download a QR code, select QR Code in the link card's three-dot menu, then choose PNG, JPEG, or SVG. To learn more, see Create Short Links.