Pretty Links offers three click tracking modes so you can balance the level of detail you want against database size and privacy considerations.
Set your mode at Dashboard > Pretty Links > Options > Reporting.
Normal (Default)
Normal mode is the default and the right choice for most sites. Every click records:
- Timestamp;
- Visitor’s IP address (subject to IP anonymization);
- Referrer (the URL the visitor was on before clicking);
- Visitor’s unique cookie ID (so you can tell new from returning);
- Which link was clicked.
This gives you a complete click history with referrer data, unique-visitor counts, and bot-filtering — without storing the heavier device fingerprint.
Extended
Extended mode records everything Normal does, plus details parsed from the visitor’s browser:
- Device type (desktop, tablet, mobile);
- Browser name and version;
- Operating system.
Country (looked up from IP) is recorded in both Normal and Extended modes — it’s not unique to Extended.
Use Extended mode when you want to know who is clicking — for example, to see whether mobile or desktop dominates your audience, or to break down clicks by browser.
The trade-off is database size. Each click stores more fields, so Extended mode grows your reports table faster than Normal mode. On a busy site, that can add up over time.
Simple
Simple mode is the lightest option. It records only the click count for each link — no IPs, no timestamps, no visitor details, nothing per-click.
Use Simple mode when:
- You only care about totals, not who or when;
- You want the smallest possible database footprint;
- You’re running on very limited hosting and need to minimize writes;
- You have a strict privacy stance and don’t want to store any visitor data.
You’ll still see total click counts on every link and on the dashboard, but per-click features (click history, IP filtering by visitor, unique-visitor counts) will be empty.
Switching Into or Out of Simple Wipes Your Click Data
The Simple boundary wipe happens because Simple stores running totals as link metadata, while Normal/Extended stores one row per click. The two shapes can’t be mixed, so the database is reset on any Simple-boundary crossing.
Pretty Links shows two sequential confirmation prompts before crossing the Simple boundary, so you can’t do it by accident. If you need to keep your existing data, export your click history to CSV before switching.
Click Retention (Auto-Delete)
Pretty Links can automatically delete old click rows to keep your reports table lean. This is the Auto-delete click data older than setting on the Reporting tab.
Choose how long to keep click data: 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, 1 year, 2 years, or Keep forever. The default is Keep forever.
Pretty Links deletes click rows older than the window on a daily schedule. This automatic retention is separate from the manual Trim clicks buttons under Dashboard > Pretty Links > Options > Tools, which purge clicks on demand. Auto-deletion applies to Normal and Extended modes only — Simple mode stores no per-click rows to trim.
Which Mode Should You Choose?
- Just want totals? Simple.
- Want a full click log without device fingerprinting? Normal. (Most users.)
- Want device, browser, OS, and country breakdowns? Extended.
You can switch any time. Normal ↔ Extended is non-destructive; switching to or from Simple wipes existing click data. Pick the mode that matches the depth of analysis you actually use.
Per-Link Tracking Toggle
Even with global tracking enabled, you can disable tracking for individual links from their edit screen. See Link Options for details.
This is handy for internal navigation links or links you want to keep entirely off the books.