# Magic Links

> Magic links turn a single click in an email into a subscriber action — adding or removing tags, enrolling in sequences, and redirecting or confirming, all without the subscriber filling out a form.

- Human page: https://mailrith.com/docs/magic-links
- Category: Automation
- Reading time: 8 min read

## What this guide covers
Generate trackable URLs that apply tag and sequence actions to a subscriber at the moment they click the link in an email.

## Sections
- What Magic Links Do
- Create a Magic Link
- Target Actions
- Tracking and Usage

## Visual Reference
![Mailrith magic links page listing created links with their configured actions and click counts.](https://mailrith.com/docs/screenshots/magic-links.png)

Each magic link shows its configured actions and cumulative click count. Place the generated URL as a hyperlink inside any broadcast or sequence email.

## What Magic Links Do

A magic link is a special link that updates a subscriber when they click it from a Mailrith email. A normal link only sends someone to a page. A magic link can also add or remove [Tags](https://mailrith.com/docs/tags.md), enroll or remove someone from a [Sequence](https://mailrith.com/docs/sequences.md), start automation behavior, and then either redirect the subscriber or show a confirmation message.

Magic links are useful because the subscriber does not need to fill out a form, log in, or reply to an email. The click itself becomes the answer. This makes them ideal for simple preferences and one-click actions.

Good magic link examples include "Yes, send me webinar reminders", "I prefer monthly updates", "Add me to the launch list", "Stop sending me event emails", or "Send me the beginner course".

Use magic links inside Mailrith emails, where the subscriber can be identified from the email context. Avoid treating a magic link like a public link for anonymous website visitors.

## Create a Magic Link

1. Click **Magic Links** in the left sidebar to open the Magic Links page for the current workspace.
2. Click **Create Magic Link** in the page header.
3. In the **Create Magic Link** drawer, enter a clear **Name** for the action. "Opt into weekly tips" is clearer than "Weekly link".
4. Under **On Magic Link Click**, choose **Show success page** when you want the subscriber to see a confirmation message, or choose **Redirect to a URL** when you want the subscriber to be sent to another page.
5. If you choose **Show success page**, write the confirmation text in **Success Message**.
6. If you choose **Redirect to a URL**, enter the full page address in **Destination URL**.
7. Use **Add Tags** and **Remove Tags** to choose the tag changes Mailrith makes after the click.
8. Use **Add to Sequences** and **Remove from Sequences** to choose sequence changes Mailrith makes after the click.
9. Click **Save**.
10. In the Magic Links table, find the new row and click **Copy Magic Link** to copy the generated URL.
11. In a [Broadcast](https://mailrith.com/docs/broadcasts.md) or [Sequence](https://mailrith.com/docs/sequences.md) email, add the URL to button text or linked text that clearly explains what the click will do.

Make the link text in the email honest and specific. If clicking will change preferences, say that. If clicking will enroll someone in a sequence, make the outcome clear before they click.

## Target Actions

The strongest magic links usually do one clear thing. Combining too many actions in one click can make the result harder to understand and harder to troubleshoot.

- **Add an interest tag:** clicking "I want more AI writing tips" adds an "interest-ai-writing" tag.
- **Remove a preference tag:** clicking "Stop event reminders" removes an "event-reminders" tag without unsubscribing the person from all email.
- **Enroll in a sequence:** clicking "Start the 5-day course" adds the subscriber to a planned sequence.
- **Remove from a sequence:** clicking "I am no longer interested" removes the subscriber from a specific follow-up series.
- **Tag and redirect:** clicking "Download the guide" applies a "downloaded-guide" tag and opens the download page.

If you want subscribers to choose between options, create one magic link per option. For example, an email can include "Weekly updates" and "Monthly digest", with each link applying a different preference tag.

If a magic link changes subscription preferences, consider adding a short confirmation message after the click. If a magic link delivers content, a redirect is usually better because the subscriber reaches the promised page immediately.

## Tracking and Usage

Mailrith tracks clicks for each magic link. The directory count helps you see whether the link is being used, and each subscriber's activity history can show whether a specific person clicked it.

Use click counts together with tag counts. If a magic link is supposed to add a tag, the magic link click count and the tag's subscriber count should tell a similar story. They may not always match exactly, because people can gain or lose the tag in other ways, but large differences are worth checking.

If a subscriber says they clicked but nothing changed, open their profile in [Subscribers](https://mailrith.com/docs/subscribers.md) and review the activity history. Confirm they clicked from a Mailrith email, the link used the correct magic link URL, the target tag or sequence still exists, and the subscriber was not blocked by a status or permission-related rule.

Keep old magic links only while they still help you understand past campaigns or remain in live emails. When a link is no longer used, rename it clearly or retire it so future campaigns do not accidentally reuse the wrong action.

## Related Guides
- [Tags](https://mailrith.com/docs/tags.md): Tags are the fastest way to categorize subscribers — apply them through imports, forms, automations, and magic links, then use them as targeting filters across every send surface in Mailrith.
- [Sequences](https://mailrith.com/docs/sequences.md): Sequences send a series of emails over time as subscribers progress through the steps — ideal for onboarding, nurture campaigns, and educational content that should unfold over days or weeks.
- [Automations](https://mailrith.com/docs/automations.md): Automations turn subscriber events into a series of automatic responses — a trigger starts the flow and every branch can send emails, update tags, fire webhooks, or enroll in sequences without manual intervention.