> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.branch.io/llms.txt). # Links Page (New) > Find, organize, and manage your Branch Links on the Links page. Search and filter links, organize them in folders, set up link templates, and download links and QR codes. ## 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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/create-short-links-new.md) - [Create Links With Ivy](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/create-links-with-ivy-new.md) - [Create Ad Links](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/ad-links-new.md) 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](#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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/link-analytics-new.md). ## 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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/create-short-links-new.md#step-2-define-your-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](#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](#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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/links-page-new.md#folders) are for organization: a way to group links so you can see them in one place. [Templates](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/links-page-new.md#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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/links-page-new.md#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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/links-page-new.md#folders). > **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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/create-short-links-new.md#step-6-customize-the-qr-code-optional). > **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](https://help.branch.io/marketer-hub/create-short-links-new.md#step-6-customize-the-qr-code-optional).