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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.

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How saving works

When you save a URL, Backpocket automatically:
  1. Extracts metadata — Title, description, and thumbnail from Open Graph (OG) tags
  2. Normalizes the URL — Strips 40+ tracking parameters (UTM, fbclid, gclid, etc.)
  3. Checks for duplicates — Warns you if you’ve already saved this link
  4. Extracts the domain — Used for smart tag suggestions and filtering
  5. 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.

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Saving across platforms

  • Quick add modal — Press N or click + Save, paste a URL
  • Keyboard shortcut — N opens the modal from anywhere

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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:
CategoryExamples
UTM trackingutm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term
Click IDsfbclid, gclid, dclid, twclid, msclkid
Social trackingref, 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.

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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.

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Visibility

Every save has its own visibility setting:
VisibilityMeaning
PrivateOnly you can see it (default)
PublicVisible on your public space
You can change visibility at any time — individually or in bulk.
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.

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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.

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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

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Client source tracking

Every save records which platform it was created from:
SourceDescription
webSaved from the web app
mobileSaved from the mobile app
extensionSaved from the Chrome extension
This is tracked automatically and helps you understand your saving habits.

Tags

Organize saves with smart tag suggestions.

Collections

Group saves into collections with default tags.

Reader Mode

Read saved content in a clean, distraction-free view.

Search

Find saves by title, URL, tags, and more.