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04

History, deletion, and reuse

A link can change over time without losing its identity. clk.ms keeps the destination history, notes for each change, who changed it, when it changed, and which version was active during a period. Owners can roll back to an earlier destination. When a link is deleted, expires, reaches its click limit, or is removed because it stayed inactive for a long time, visitors receive a clear status message where appropriate. Freed identifiers can be used again for new links, while deleted-link history helps explain what happened.

Destination history and rollback

The link card → «Settings» → «Destination history» displays address versions, active periods, change type, author and note. History helps determine where a link led during a particular campaign.

To search, specify the UTC moment and press «Find version». The main target URL is checked at this point; choosing a personal routing rule for a specific visitor is a separate issue.

To revert, select an available previous version, provide a note if necessary, and click rollback. Rollback makes the selected address current and saves the change in history; past entries are not overwritten. Check the relevance of the address itself, UTM and rules after the return.

The target URL history is not a backup of all link settings. It does not restore the deleted account, groups, QR design or all access restrictions. To investigate, compare the history with dates in activity and saved reports.

Deletion, expiry and code reuse

The link stops regular clicking on the link when it expires or reaches the limit. If a fallback destination URL is configured after completion, it may open. Otherwise, the service shows an unavailable state; background procedures may subsequently delete the master entry.

Removing from “My Links” is a separate action. Check the selected line and confirmation. After removal, the usual click on the link and associated tools may no longer be available. Historical information is not a promise of full recovery through the interface.

The service also clears links that have not been used for three years. For a link without a single click on the link, the period is counted from creation, otherwise - from the last click on the link. Having a forever mode or fallback URL does not override this inactivity rule.

The released short identifier can be reused. Therefore, deleting an old link cannot be considered a way to permanently reserve its address. For a long-lasting printable QR, keep the active link and change its target URL instead of deleting and re-creating it.

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How to apply this section

Each topic explains a feature, the user decision behind it, and how to use it without making the link harder to manage. Read the checklist before changing a link that is already shared.

Before you publish or update

  • Start from the visitor experience: who opens the link, from where, on which device, and what should happen next.
  • Check that the destination is correct, opens quickly, and shows the expected page for the intended audience.
  • Choose only the controls that match the goal, such as expiration, password, referrer, QR design, UTM, routing, or analytics sharing.
  • Save a short note for important changes so future review, rollback, or teamwork stays clear.
  • Open the short link in a private browser session and, when relevant, test mobile, desktop, QR scan, and protected access paths.
  • Review analytics after sharing to confirm real visitors, source quality, device mix, and campaign performance.

Practical example

Example: create a test link for an internal page, add a clear slug, set a short expiration, enable preview if the destination is sensitive, scan the QR code from a phone, then check whether the visit appears in the link statistics.

Next step

After this topic is clear, combine it with one adjacent feature. For example, pair UTM with campaigns, QR with print layouts, targeting with fallback, or webhooks with conversion tracking.