How to Extract Data from Google Analytics to Excel
You have valuable data in Google Analytics, but sometimes, you need the raw power and flexibility of a spreadsheet to really dig in. Whether you want to merge GA data with your CRM records, build custom dashboards, or perform complex calculations that GA can't handle, getting your data into Excel is a critical skill. This guide will walk you through the most effective methods to move your analytics from the web to your workbook.
Reasons to Export Google Analytics Data to Excel
Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly touch on the "why." While GA is great for at-a-glance reporting, exporting your data opens up a new level of analysis. You might want to:
Perform Custom Calculations: Create unique metrics that are specific to your business, like calculating Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) by combining transaction data with user retention data.
Merge with Other Data Sources: Combine your website traffic data with sales data from your CRM, ad spend from Facebook Ads, or customer info from Shopify to see the full picture of your customer journey.
Build Custom Visualizations: Design detailed charts, pivot tables, and dashboards in Excel that are tailored to your exact reporting needs.
Keep an Offline Backup: Store historical data offline for long-term record-keeping, especially if you're migrating to a new system or GA property.
Overcome GA's Limitations: Work around GA's interface limitations, such as data sampling on very large datasets or the inability to combine certain dimensions and metrics in a single report.
Method 1: The Manual Export to CSV or Excel
This is the most straightforward method and perfect for quick, one-off analyses. It involves navigating to a specific report in GA and simply clicking the export button.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Navigate to Your Report: Log into your Google Analytics account and go to the report you need. This could be anything from the Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium report to the Behavior > Site Content > All Pages report.
Set Your Date Range and Segments: Before you export, make sure to set the correct date range in the top-right corner. Apply any segments or filters you need to narrow down your data. What you see on the screen is what you will get in your export.
Adjust the Number of Rows: At the bottom-right of the report table, you'll see a "Show rows" dropdown. GA defaults to showing just 10 rows. To export everything, select the highest number available (up to 5000). If your report has more than 5000 rows, you'll have to export it in chunks or use one of the other methods below.
Click the Export Button: In the top-right corner of the report, you'll see a button labeled "Share & Export". Clicking this will reveal a dropdown menu.
Choose Your Format: You will generally have an option to "Download File" and then choose a format, such as:
Google Sheets: Sends the data directly to a new Google Sheet in your Drive.
Excel (XLSX): Downloads a native Excel file.
CSV (Comma Separated Values): Downloads a plain text file that opens perfectly in Excel. This is often the most reliable format for raw data.
Tidy Up Your Data: Once you open the file in Excel, you’ll probably need to do a little cleanup. GA exports often include summary header and footer rows which can interfere with sorting and pivot tables. Delete these extra rows to leave only the column headers and your data.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Very simple, fast for small reports, and requires no technical setup.
Cons: Highly manual, not suitable for regular reporting, data becomes outdated the moment you export it, and subject to GA's interface row limits and data sampling on large reports.
Method 2: Using the Google Analytics Add-on for Google Sheets
If you find yourself manually exporting reports every week, this method is a significant upgrade. It uses a free, official add-on from Google to pull data directly from the GA API into a Google Sheet, which you can then easily download as an Excel file. This approach is more powerful because it can pull more data with less sampling and can be scheduled to run automatically.
Step 1: Install the Add-on
Open a new workbook in Google Sheets.
Go to the top menu and select Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
In the search bar, type "Google Analytics" and find the official add-on by Google.
Click to install it and grant the necessary permissions to access your GA data.
Step 2: Create a Report Configuration
Once installed, go to Extensions > Google Analytics > Create a new report.
A pane will open on the right side. Give your report a name (e.g., "Monthly Traffic by Channel").
Select the Google Analytics Account, Property, and View (for Universal Analytics) or Data Stream (for GA4) you want to pull data from.
Now, configure your report by selecting Metrics (the numbers you want to measure, like Sessions, Users, Transactions) and Dimensions (the attributes you want to measure against, like Source / Medium, Country, or Device Category). You can select multiple dimensions and metrics. This is far more flexible than GA's built-in reports.
Click "Create Report."
Step 3: Run and Schedule the Report
A new sheet named "Report Configuration" will be created. You can leave the settings as they are, or fine-tune them. For example, you can set a specific date range like the last 30 days or specify filters and segments.
To run the report, go to Extensions > Google Analytics > Run reports. The add-on will work for a moment and then create a new sheet containing your raw data.
The real magic is in automation. Go to Extensions > Google Analytics > Schedule reports. Here, you can set your reports to run automatically every hour, day, week, or month, keeping your sheet constantly updated.
Step 4: Download from Google Sheets to Excel
Once your data is in Google Sheets, getting it into Excel is simple. Just go to File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). You can do this anytime you need a fresh copy of the automated report.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Can pull much larger datasets with less risk of sampling, allows for custom combinations of metrics and dimensions not possible in the GA interface, and automated scheduling saves a ton of time.
Cons: Requires some initial setup, it's a two-step process to get to Excel, and still isn't a "live" connection - the data is only as fresh as your last scheduled run.
Method 3: Third-Party Connectors
For businesses that rely on completely automated and live data workflows, third-party tools are the ultimate solution. These services act as a data pipeline, connecting directly to both the Google Analytics API and Excel, often via a dedicated Excel add-in.
How They Work
Generally, these tools involve installing an add-in directly to Excel. From a sidebar within Excel, you log into your Google Analytics account, build your query by selecting dimensions and metrics (similar to the Google Sheets method), and then run it. The data populates directly into your active sheet.
The key benefit here is the ability to refresh data on demand with a single click, right inside Excel, or schedule automatic refreshes without ever leaving the spreadsheet.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Fully automated workflow, keeps your Excel files up-to-date, often able to connect multiple data sources (e.g., Facebook Ads, HubSpot) into the same file, designed for heavy-duty reporting.
Cons: These are almost always paid subscription services and can be costly. There's also a learning curve for setting up your first queries and managing all the moving parts.
Final Thoughts
Moving your Google Analytics data to Excel is essential for any deep, customized analysis. Your best method depends on your needs: stick with simple manual exports for quick tasks, use the Google Sheets add-on for powerful, recurring reports, and look to third-party connectors when you need seamless, real-time automation right inside your spreadsheets.
All of these methods, however, still require you to manually bridge the gap between your live data and your insights. We built Graphed because we knew there was a better way than wrestling with CSVs, configuring add-ons, and building pivot tables. Instead of exporting data to analyze it, Graphed allows you to simply connect your data sources like Google Analytics and ask questions in plain English to instantly create live, interactive dashboards. It automates the entire reporting process, giving you back the time you’d normally spend managing spreadsheets.