How to Set the Referrer-Policy Header

The Referrer-Policy header controls how much URL information the browser includes in the Referer header when users navigate away from your pages. Without it, sensitive URL paths — including query strings with user IDs or session tokens — can leak to third-party sites. This guide shows how to set the header across all major web servers and platforms.

Choosing a Policy Value

Value	What Is Sent	Best For
`no-referrer`	Nothing — Referer header is omitted entirely	Maximum privacy; breaks referrer-based analytics
`no-referrer-when-downgrade`	Full URL on HTTPS→HTTPS; nothing on HTTPS→HTTP	Legacy default; not recommended (leaks paths to same-scheme third parties)
`strict-origin-when-cross-origin`	Full URL on same-origin; origin only on cross-origin HTTPS; nothing on HTTP	Recommended for most sites — good balance of privacy and analytics
`strict-origin`	Origin only on HTTPS; nothing on HTTP downgrades	Sites that need to minimise referrer data to third parties
`same-origin`	Full URL on same-origin only; nothing cross-origin	Sites that want no referrer data sent to any third party
`origin`	Origin only, always	Sites needing referrer data but not full paths
`unsafe-url`	Full URL always, including to HTTP sites	Avoid — leaks sensitive paths even on downgrades

Recommended Valuestrict-origin-when-cross-origin is the browser default since Chrome 85 and the recommended value for most sites. Setting it explicitly ensures consistent behaviour across all browsers and documents your intent for security auditors.

Set the Header on Your Server

Nginx

nginx

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com;

    add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always;

    # ... rest of config
}

bash

sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Apache

apache

<VirtualHost *:443>
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    </IfModule>
</VirtualHost>

Or in .htaccess:

apache

<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
</IfModule>

bash

sudo a2enmod headers && sudo systemctl reload apache2

IIS

xml

<system.webServer>
  <httpProtocol>
    <customHeaders>
      <add name="Referrer-Policy" value="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" />
    </customHeaders>
  </httpProtocol>
</system.webServer>

Caddy

Command

example.com {
    header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    # ... rest of config
}

Next.js

javascript

// next.config.mjs
const nextConfig = {
  async headers() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/(.*)',
        headers: [
          {
            key: 'Referrer-Policy',
            value: 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin',
          },
        ],
      },
    ];
  },
};

export default nextConfig;

Setting via HTML Meta Tag

You can also set a per-page referrer policy using an HTML <meta> tag in the <head>. This is useful for pages where you need a different policy than the server-wide default:

html

<meta name="referrer" content="strict-origin-when-cross-origin">

The HTTP header takes precedence over the meta tag when both are present.

Verifying the Header

bash

curl -I https://example.com | grep -i referrer
# Expected: referrer-policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

Or use the ShowDNS Security Headers Scanner.

Choosing a Policy Value

Set the Header on Your Server

Setting via HTML Meta Tag

Verifying the Header

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