How to Deactivate Google Analytics
Deciding to move on from Google Analytics is a common step for many businesses, whether you're switching to a new analytics platform, revamping your website, or simply no longer need it. This guide will walk you through the process of fully deactivating Google Analytics, from removing the tracking code to permanently deleting your property. We'll cover everything you need to do to ensure a clean break.
Before You Hit Delete: A Pre-Deactivation Checklist
Before you remove anything, taking a few preparatory steps can save you from future headaches. Deleting your GA property is a permanent action, so a little planning goes a long way.
1. Back Up Your Historical Data
Once you delete a Google Analytics property, your historical data will be gone forever after a short grace period. If there's any chance you or your team will need that data for future comparisons, trend analysis, or reporting, you must export it first.
You don't need to save everything, but focus on the key metrics that matter most to your business. Consider exporting reports like:
- Audience Overview: Monthly users, sessions, bounce rate, and session duration.
- Acquisition Reports: Traffic sources by channel, source/medium.
- Behavior Reports: Your top-performing pages and landing pages.
- Conversion Reports: Goal completions or e-commerce transactions.
Exporting is straightforward. In any standard report, you can find the "Export" option in the upper-right corner. You can download the data as a PDF, Google Sheet, Excel file, or CSV to save for your records.
2. Understand Why You're Deactivating
A quick sanity check can help confirm your decision. Are you leaving because:
- You're switching to another analytics tool?
- The website is being sold or shut down?
- You're restructuring your analytics accounts and properties?
- You have privacy concerns and want to remove tracking?
Clarifying your reason ensures deactivation is the right step and helps you communicate the change to your team.
3. Inform Your Team and Stakeholders
If you're part of a team, let them know about the planned deactivation. Nothing causes panic like a marketing manager or CEO logging in to find their familiar dashboards empty. Give your team a heads-up so they can export any data they need and prepare for the switch.
The Two Key Steps to Fully Deactivate Google Analytics
Properly turning off Google Analytics is a two-part process. You need to stop new data from being collected and then delete the data that has already been collected.
Step 1: Remove the Tracking Code From Your Website
This is the most critical step. Deleting your GA Property without removing the tracking code from your site is a bad idea. The leftover code will continue to try and send data to a nonexistent endpoint, which can slightly slow down your website and clutter your site's code with useless script calls.
Where you find this code depends entirely on how it was installed in the first place. Here are the most common scenarios:
If the Code Was Added Directly to Your Site's HTML
If a developer manually added the code, you'll need to remove it from your website's theme files. The Google Analytics script is usually found in the <head> section of your site's HTML.
Look for a script that starts with <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->. It will look something like this:
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [],
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments),}
gtag('js', new Date()),
gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX'),
</script>Simply delete this entire block of code from your HTML file (often header.php in WordPress themes or a similar layout file) and save the changes.
If You Use Google Tag Manager (GTM)
Using GTM makes this process much easier. Instead of editing code, you just need to disable the tag.
- Log into your Google Tag Manager account and select the correct container.
- Navigate to the "Tags" section in the left-hand navigation.
- Find your Google Analytics tag (it might be named something like "GA4 Configuration").
- Click on the tag to open its settings.
- You can either pause the tag by clicking the three-dot menu in the upper right and selecting "Pause," or you can delete it entirely by clicking "Delete" from the same menu. Pausing is a good temporary option if you think you might need it again.
- Finally, click the blue "Submit" button in the top right corner to publish your changes.
If You Use a CMS Platform or Plugin (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)
Most website builders and content management systems have simple integrations for Google Analytics.
- For WordPress: If you use a plugin like Site Kit by Google, MonsterInsights, or another analytics plugin, go to that plugin’s settings in your WordPress dashboard. You should find an option to disconnect your Google Analytics account or simply remove the Tracking ID from its settings field.
- For Shopify: Navigate to Online Store > Preferences in your Shopify admin. In the "Google Analytics" section, you can simply delete the code from the text box and click "Save."
- For Wix or Squarespace: Go to the Marketing & SEO integrations section in your site's dashboard. Find the Google Analytics integration, click on it, and you'll see an option to disconnect or remove it.
Step 2: Delete Your Google Analytics Property
After you've removed the tracking code and confirmed your site is no longer sending data, you can proceed to delete the property itself within Google Analytics.
Reminder: This action is irreversible. The data will be gone forever after a 35-day grace period.
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account.
- Click on the Admin gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
- Make sure you have the correct Account and Property selected in the first two columns. Double-check this!
- In the 'Property' column, click on Property Settings.
- In the top right corner of the Property Settings screen, click the Move to Trash Can button.
- Google will show you a confirmation screen explaining what will happen. Read it carefully.
- Click the final "Move to Trash" button to confirm.
What Happens Next?
The property is now in the "Trash Can." It will remain there for 35 days. During this period, you can go to the Admin > Account > Trash Can to restore it if you change your mind. After 35 days, the property and all its historical data will be permanently deleted from Google's servers.
How to Confirm Google Analytics Is Gone for Good
Peace of mind is priceless. If you want to be 100% sure that you've successfully removed Google Analytics tracking, here are two quick ways to check:
- View Page Source: Open your website in a browser (preferably in an incognito window to avoid caching). Right-click anywhere on the page and select "View Page Source." Use the find command (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to search for "gtag.js" or "analytics.js". If the search finds nothing, the code is gone.
- Use Google Tag Assistant: The Tag Assistant Legacy is a free Chrome extension by Google. Install it, navigate to your website, and click the extension's icon. If it doesn't find any Google Analytics tags firing on the page, you're good to go.
Final Thoughts
Deactivating Google Analytics just takes two main steps: removing the tracking code from your site and deleting the property in your GA admin panel. Take a moment to back up any mission-critical historical data before you begin, as the process is permanent once the grace period ends.
Often, businesses move away from tools like Google Analytics because pulling simple marketing insights turns into a complex, time-consuming chore. We built Graphed because we believe analyzing your performance data should be effortless. We connect directly to all your key marketing and sales platforms, allowing you to create live dashboards and get clear answers just by asking questions in plain English - no more wrestling with dense reports. It frees you up to spend less time digging for data and more time acting on it.
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