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Whenever I do a Google search, if I right click and copy the URL of a result link, it results in a Google redirector URL:

https://encrypted.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=get+rid+of+google.com/url&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsupport.google.com%2Fwebmasters%2Fbin%2Fanswer.py%3Fhl%3Den%26answer%3D1269119&ei=12z1T-m6H4iW-waK59nUBg&usg=AFQjCNGu4lqQob5nmkkt-H5OwapeffIIqQ

This has many disadvantages for me, the three most important being:

  • inability to copy a link without visiting it
  • the redirection often takes several seconds, while the actual page would load immediately
  • privacy issues

Is there a way to make Google link to actual URLs? Maybe there is a browser plugin which visits resolves all URLs and replaces them?

The same problem applies to Facebook - a typical outgoing link looks like this:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dod-jMrp9FVY%26feature%3Dshare&h=0AQEiN80h

My browser of choice is Opera so an userscript or Opera plugin would be preferred, but I'll be happy to hear about all possibilities.

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  • 3
    I'd like to suggest that you try to use Startpage instead of Google. It uses Google search results (it's pretty much Google search), but the searches are done anonymously, no tracking is done and no logs are kept. It also doesn't put search result links in that 'Google redirector' format. Jul 5, 2012 at 16:52

4 Answers 4

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There are also extensions available in the Opera add-ons repository:

Just in case you consider installing/updating extensions to be more convenient than userscripts.

3

I have found that this script works as of July 2012: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/120330

In general, every time Google changes the way it adds a redirection link, someone is making a new script on userscripts.org - so if the above is out of date, just find a new one!

For Facebook's l.php: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/126898

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  • This script still works at the moment.
    – Sam
    Feb 15, 2013 at 2:00
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I use MyGoogleMonkeyR for this issue -- which solves a lot of other nasty stuff along (Multiple columns of results, Remove "Sponsored Links", Number results, Auto-load more results, Remove web search dialogues, Open external links in a new tab, self updating and all configurable from a simple user dialogue.) As with GDRs answer, this script needs GreaseMonkey or Scriptish addon with Firefox, or something similar with other browsers (there are solutions for Opera and Chrome at least -- you'll find more on this at Wikipedia).

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  • This is too intrusive for me - multiple columns and so on. But thank you. Re user scripts - Opera and Chrome have it built in, Greasemonkey was built to mimic Opera's userscripts.
    – GDR
    Jul 7, 2012 at 11:08
  • Thanks for the info concerning Chrome and Opera. And as for MyGoogleMonkeyR: It is fully configurable -- you don't have to have multiple columns, for example, but you might. Nevertheless, looks like you found your solution -- and that's what's important :)
    – Izzy
    Jul 7, 2012 at 20:14
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Just below the Google search result (title of your interested link), there is an arrow which links you to the cached result. Click on 'cached', and the resultant page will display the actual link.

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