Saves are the foundation of Backpocket. Every link you save becomes a rich record with auto-extracted metadata, clean URLs, and full control over organization and visibility.
How saving works
When you save a URL, Backpocket automatically:
- Extracts metadata — Title, description, and thumbnail from Open Graph (OG) tags
- Normalizes the URL — Strips 40+ tracking parameters (UTM, fbclid, gclid, etc.)
- Checks for duplicates — Warns you if you’ve already saved this link
- Extracts the domain — Used for smart tag suggestions and filtering
- Triggers a snapshot — Queues reader mode content extraction in the background
Metadata extraction happens instantly at save time. Snapshot processing (reader mode) runs asynchronously and typically completes within a few seconds.
- Quick add modal — Press
N or click + Save, paste a URL
- Keyboard shortcut —
N opens the modal from anywhere
- Share sheet — Share from any app to Backpocket
- Manual add — Tap + and paste a URL
- Offline saving — Saves queue locally and sync when online
- One-click save — Click the icon, page saves automatically
- Context menu — Right-click any page and select “Save to Backpocket”
URL normalization
Backpocket intelligently cleans URLs before saving. This ensures that the same article shared from different sources is recognized as a single save.
Parameters stripped include:
| Category | Examples |
|---|
| UTM tracking | utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term |
| Click IDs | fbclid, gclid, dclid, twclid, msclkid |
| Social tracking | ref, source, via, s (Twitter) |
| Analytics | _ga, _gl, mc_cid, mc_eid |
URL normalization means https://example.com/article?utm_source=twitter&fbclid=abc and https://example.com/article are treated as the same link. No more accidental duplicates.
Duplicate detection
Backpocket checks for duplicates before saving — not after. When you attempt to save a URL that already exists in your library:
- Web: The quick add modal shows a warning with a link to the existing save
- Mobile: A notification lets you know the save already exists
- Extension: The popup displays the existing save instead of creating a new one
This pre-save detection is powered by URL normalization, so tracking parameter variations won’t fool it.
Visibility
Every save has its own visibility setting:
| Visibility | Meaning |
|---|
| Private | Only you can see it (default) |
| Public | Visible on your public space |
This per-save visibility is unique to Backpocket. Most bookmark managers only support collection-level visibility, meaning everything in a collection is either public or private.
Favorites and archive
Beyond basic organization, saves support two special states:
- Favorites — Star your most important saves for quick access. Filter by favorites from the sidebar.
- Archive — Move saves out of your main list without deleting them. Perfect for “done reading” links.
Toggle either state with a single click (web), swipe gesture (mobile), or from the save detail view.
Bulk operations
Select multiple saves to perform batch actions:
- Bulk delete — Remove multiple saves at once
- Bulk visibility — Change multiple saves to public or private
Client source tracking
Every save records which platform it was created from:
| Source | Description |
|---|
web | Saved from the web app |
mobile | Saved from the mobile app |
extension | Saved from the Chrome extension |
