What is my referrer?
See the referrer your browser reports, the page you arrived from. Read live in your browser with nothing sent to any server.
The referrer your browser reports for this page is shown above. The referrer (spelled "referer" in the original HTTP header, a decades-old typo that stuck) is the address of the page you were on just before you followed a link here.
If you typed the address directly, opened a bookmark, or came from a site that suppresses it, the referrer is empty. If you clicked a link, it usually contains the previous page's URL, though modern browsers trim it to just the origin for privacy in many cases.
Referrer behaviour is controlled by the Referrer-Policy that sites set and browsers enforce. The trend is firmly toward sending less: full URLs leaked search terms and private paths, so browsers now default to sending only the origin, or nothing, when moving between sites.
What you should know
Why sites collect it
Sites use the referrer for analytics (which sites send them traffic), attribution (which campaign or partner drove a visit), and sometimes access control (only allowing embeds from approved origins).
Privacy implications
A full-URL referrer could leak sensitive context, the exact article, search query or account page you came from. Because of this, browsers have tightened defaults so that only the origin, or nothing, is shared across sites. It remains a signal worth minimising.
How to change or hide it
You can strengthen referrer privacy with a stricter browser setting or extension that strips the referrer, and privacy browsers already send minimal referrers by default. Opening links in a fresh tab from a typed address avoids sending one at all.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my referrer empty?
You likely typed the URL, used a bookmark, came from an HTTPS site to a page that blocks it, or the previous site set a no-referrer policy. All of these are normal.
Can the referrer leak private information?
It could if a full URL is sent, since URLs sometimes contain search terms or IDs. Modern browsers trim cross-site referrers to the origin to prevent that.