An Instagram link copied from the app carries a share identifier belonging to whoever copied it. Removing it is simple, with one exception that catches people out on carousel posts.
What you are looking at
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxAmPlE123/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D&img_index=3
Three things are happening here.
/p/CxAmPlE123/ identifies the post. This is the only part that is genuinely required.
igshid is the share identifier. Newer links use igsh instead, doing the same job. It describes the copy action rather than the post, which I have written about at length in what is igshid.
img_index=3 is the one to be careful with. On a carousel post, it records which image was on screen. Delete it and the recipient opens at the first image rather than the third.
The rule
Delete igshid and igsh, always.
Keep img_index if the specific slide was the point of sharing. Otherwise remove it too.
That is the entire rule for Instagram, and it is simpler than most platforms in this series.
Link types and what to keep
Posts use /p/, reels use /reel/, longer video uses /tv/, and profiles are just the username. In every case the identifying information is in the path and everything after the question mark can go, with the carousel exception noted above.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxAmPlE123/?igsh=MTk4c2xh
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxAmPlE123/
Links out of Instagram
Instagram also wraps outbound links, the ones in bios and story stickers, through l.instagram.com. That is Meta's standard redirect wrapper and it behaves like the Facebook one described in what is fbclid.
If a link you have been sent starts with l.instagram.com/?u=, the real destination is URL-encoded in the u parameter.
The in-app browser
Worth mentioning even though it is not a URL problem. Tapping a link inside Instagram opens it in Instagram's own browser rather than your default one. Anything you do on that page happens inside Meta's browser.
Most mobile apps do some version of this. The way out is the same everywhere: use the menu in the corner to open the page in your actual browser. Cleaning the URL does nothing about this, and I think it is worth being honest that the in-app browser is a larger issue than the parameter on the end of the link.
Cleaning in one step
Paste the URL into the linkcleaner and it removes the share identifiers while keeping the post path intact.
Why I bother with these
Instagram links get shared more casually than almost anything else. They go into family group chats, into stories, into messages to one person. Each of those carries a share identifier from whoever copied it first, and it survives every forward after that.
The effect of any individual instance is close to zero, and I would not want to pretend otherwise. What changed my habits was noticing the volume. Scroll back through any active group chat and count the Instagram links. Every one is carrying somebody's copy event, usually a person who is no longer even in the conversation.
Related reading
What is igshid for the parameter itself.
The URL tracking parameter glossary for everything else.
Frequently asked questions
Does removing igshid break the link?
No. The post is identified entirely by the path.
Why do my links have igsh instead of igshid?
Instagram changed to a shorter form. Both are share identifiers and both can go.
Should I remove img_index?
Only if you do not mind the recipient starting at the first carousel image.
Can people tell I shared a link?
Not by reading it. The value is opaque to a human.
Does this work for private accounts?
Cleaning the URL does not change who can view the post. A private post stays private either way.