"Real" link to file in Google search results?

Question

I often search documents (mainly PDFs) using Google. But when I right click the link, or just hang the mouse cursor over it. What I get is NOT the real link, but some thing long and confusing like the following:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marxists.org%2Freference%2Farchive%2Feinstein%2Fworks%2F1910s%2Frelative%2Frelativity.pdf&ei=Fai1TZq-Acugtgenw6DqDg&usg=AFQjCNFzYOTqpf68rQnuwW9K7wp39WL6Rg&sig2=z4RqvOLEEJsPohBqr1ghxQ

I have no idea what this is but I know this nonsense is not what I want, I want the real link (for the one above: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/einstein/works/1910s/relative/relativity.pdf), not something with Google's intervention.

How do I get the “Real” link to file in Google search results?

Answer 1

Maybe this is not the best solution, but here's one way that doesn't require coding or add-ons for Chrome and Firefox. Assume there are similar ways to do this for IE and others, though at least IE will usually open PDFs in the browser with the link in the url bar at the top which is easy enough to copy.

1. Click on the search result, which should download the PDF.

2. Now in your browser open the list of recent downloads

• Chrome, Ctrl+J
• Firefox on Linux(?), it's Ctrl+Shift+Y

3. Now copy the link

• Chrome: Right click on the URL listed beneath the name of the file and select "Copy Link Address"
• Firefox: Right click on the file and select "Copy Download Link"

EDIT: As of December 2020, and probably earlier, Chrome shows you a clean, copyable URL in the search results.