How to Copy a Dashboard in Google Analytics

Copying a Google Analytics dashboard is one of the biggest little time-savers you can master. Instead of building a new dashboard widget by widget every single time, you can duplicate an existing layout and tweak it for a new project, client, or date range. We'll walk you through how to do this in both Universal Analytics and the newer Google Analytics 4.

Why Bother Copying a Dashboard?

Recreating reports from scratch is a drag, especially when you’ve already perfected a layout you love. Copying a dashboard is a simple efficiency hack that serves several practical purposes.

To Save Time and Stay Consistent

The most obvious benefit is speed. If you create a monthly performance report, don't build it again for next month. Just copy last month's, update the date range, and you're done in minutes. This approach is also perfect for agencies or marketers managing multiple projects. You can create a “master” dashboard for one client and then quickly replicate it for others, ensuring a consistent reporting style across all accounts without the tedious manual setup.

To Experiment Safely

Have you ever wondered if a pie chart would visualize your traffic sources better than a bar chart? Or maybe you want to add a new conversion metric but don't want to mess up your primary sales dashboard that your boss checks every day. By copying the original dashboard first, you create a safe sandbox. You can experiment with new widgets, change filters, and rearrange the layout to your heart's content. If it doesn't work out, simply delete the copy, your trusted original remains untouched.

To Create Different Views of the Same Data

Sometimes you need to show the same core metrics filtered for different audiences or goals. For example, your master dashboard might show website performance for all countries. You can create copies for specific regions like North America, Europe, or Asia by simply applying a different location filter to each one. This allows you to build targeted, highly relevant reports without starting from zero each time.

How to Copy a Dashboard in Universal Analytics (UA)

While Google Analytics 4 is the current standard, many businesses still have years of valuable data in Universal Analytics properties. The process for copying dashboards here is a little different, revolving around sharing and importing a template link.

Step-by-Step Guide for Universal Analytics

1. Navigate to Your Dashboards: Log in to your Google Analytics account. In the left-hand navigation menu, expand the "Customization" section and click on "Dashboards."
2. Select the Dashboard to Copy: You'll see a list of all your custom dashboards. Click on the name of the one you want to duplicate.
3. Find the Share Function: Once the dashboard is open, look for the "Share" button in the menu just below the dashboard's title. Click on it.
4. Generate a Template Link: From the dropdown options, click "Share template link." A pop-up will appear with a unique URL. This link contains the structure of your dashboard - its widgets, metrics, and layout - but none of your actual data.
5. Copy and Open the Link: Highlight and copy the entire URL. Then, open it in a new browser tab or window. It's important to open the link yourself, this is how you import it as a new dashboard.
6. Import the Dashboard Template: The link will take you to a dashboard import screen. Here, you'll need to select a "View" from a dropdown list. This tells Google Analytics which property's data to populate the new dashboard with. You can select the same view to create a copy in the same property, or choose a completely different view from another property you manage.
7. Rename and Create: Give your soon-to-be-copied dashboard a new, descriptive name. For example, if you copied "Monthly Traffic Overview," you might name the new one "Q3 Paid-Channel Traffic Overview." Once you're done, click the "Create" button.

That's it! Google Analytics will now create a brand new dashboard identical in structure to your original, populated with data from the view you selected.

Recreating Reports in Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 works differently. The rigid dashboards of UA have been replaced with more flexible and powerful reporting systems, mainly the "Reports" library and the analytical playground known as the "Explore" section.

The closest equivalent to copying a UA dashboard in GA4 is duplicating an "Exploration." Explorations are where you build deep, custom analyses with tables, charts, customer journey funnels, and more. Duplicating one of these is incredibly simple.

Step-by-Step Guide for Duplicating Explorations in GA4

1. Go to the Explore Section: Sign in to your GA4 property and click the "Explore" icon in the left-hand navigation menu.
2. Find Your Exploration Report: You’ll see a list of all your saved explorations. Locate the one you want to copy.
3. Open the Menu: To the right of the exploration's name, you'll see three vertical dots. Click them to open a small menu.
4. Select "Duplicate": From the menu, simply click "Duplicate."

GA4 will instantly create a copy of your exploration, usually titled "[Original Name] (Copy)." You can then click to open it, rename it by editing the title at the top left, and start making your desired adjustments.

Your Next Moves: What to Do After Copying a Report

Once your copy is made, the real work begins. Here are a few essential things to do right away to customize your new report for its purpose.

1. Rename It Something Obvious

Your future self will thank you. Immediately change the default name from "[Original Name] (Copy)" to something clear and specific. Good naming conventions prevent confusion weeks later when you have a dozen similarly named reports. For example:

• Q4 2023 - Blog Performance Report
• US Sales Funnel - Mobile Traffic Only
• Paid Social Performance - [Client Name]

2. Adjust the Date Range

Your copied report will inherit the date range of the original. More often than not, you'll need something different. This is usually the first major change you'll make. Adjust it to "last 30 days," "this quarter," or a custom range that fits the goal of your new report.

3. Modify Widgets, Filters, and Dimensions

This is where the real power of copying shines. You can now freely edit the copy without fear of breaking the original. Consider:

• Adding a new dimension: If your original report showed 'Sessions by Source/Medium', maybe add 'Landing Page' as a secondary dimension to see where that traffic is going.
• Applying a filter: Filter the data to focus on a specific segment. For instance, filter by 'Device Category' to see only 'Mobile' traffic or by a campaign name to analyze its performance in isolation.
• Changing the visualization: If a table isn't making an impact, try switching the visualization to a line chart to show a trend over time or a donut chart to compare segments.

4. Share Your New Masterpiece

Once you’re happy with your modified report, it’s time to share it. In GA4, you can click the share icon in the top right to get a read-only link. This is perfect for sharing insights with team members or clients without giving them full editing access to your carefully crafted report.

Tips for Better Dashboard Management

As you build and copy more dashboards, things can get cluttered. Here are a few best practices to stay organized.

• Establish a Naming Convention: Keep your explorations list tidy by using a consistent format, like [Team] - [Topic] - [Filter/View]. For instance, Marketing - Traffic Acquisition - Social Media or Sales - Conversion Funnel - US Leads.
• Create a "Master Template": Build one exceptionally good exploration that contains all the essential KPIs and dimensions your team cares about. Use this as your primary source for copying. It ensures that everyone is starting from the same consistent and well-vetted foundation.
• Periodically Declutter: Once a quarter, take five minutes to scroll through your saved reports and delete any old, one-off analyses or outdated versions. A clean workspace makes it easier and faster to find what you're looking for.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to copy reports in Google Analytics is a straightforward skill that pays dividends in saved time and better, more consistent reporting. In Universal Analytics, it’s done by sharing and importing a template link, while in GA4, you can directly duplicate any exploration report with just two clicks. Both methods allow you to experiment freely and scale your reporting efforts without starting from scratch.

While mastering Google Analytics is useful, the reality is that its data is just one piece of your overall business puzzle. Manually stitching together reports from your ad platforms, CRM, and e-commerce store is a time drain that leaves you jumping between tabs just to get a clear picture. Here at Graphed, we eliminate that friction entirely. By connecting tools like Google Analytics, Shopify, HubSpot, and Facebook Ads, you can use plain English to build real-time dashboards that show the full story. Just ask, "Show me a comparison of Facebook ad spend vs. Shopify revenue by campaign," and the dashboard builds itself, letting you get back hours to focus on strategy instead of spreadsheets. If you want to automate your reporting and get instant answers from all your data in one place, you should try Graphed.